The Scarlet Ibis

short story “The Scarlet Ibis,” by James Hurst a young boy is born with an oversized head on a tiny body and is predicted to die within the first few months of life. Once he survives, his older brother makes it his goal to teach him how to walk, swim and many other normal humanly things so he would no longer have to be embarrassed of him. Throughout the story there are multiple techniques that Hurst uses in order to help the reader predict the outcome of the story. In The Scarlet Ibis, James…

The Scarlet Ibis “The Scarlet Ibis,” a sorrowful short narrative, written by James Hurst, tells a story of a young boy born with a serious heart problem, who learns to overcome his challenges only to be to taken by his ill fate at the hands of his egocentric older brother. When applying psychoanalytic criticism, this short story becomes an impactful story that can be valued by all readers. Psychoanalytic criticism refers to detecting the reader’s or writer’s dreams in a text. In texts using…

Hannah montana once said “Nobody’s perfect.” People make mistakes and cause problems everyday, but that is what makes them human. James Hurst does a great job when he writes about a brother retelling the life of his younger brother in the book “The Scarlet Ibis.” Hurst creates a character That is selfish, imperfect, and serious that the reader can relate to. At the very beginning of the story the narrator is telling about doodle early life before he could walk. “When doodle was five years old,…

The Scarlet Ibis Can pride be a destructive force? In the story “The Scarlet Ibis”, the character Brother was convicted of killing his own younger brother, Doodle. Doodle had many problems. He couldn't get too hot, cold, wet, or tired. Now Brother was still just a kid, and evidence proves that he loved Doodle very much, and was innocent. Doodle was in fact, his only brother. And like all relationships, they had some really really good times to balance out the bad times. Like when Brother…

Literary Analysis: Scarlet Ibis The story, “The Scarlet Ibis”, by James Hurst, asks a question that many ponder upon. Why do people hurt the ones they love? This story tells the tale of a young man who is trying to help his brother. Unfortunately, he is doing this for a selfish reason, only to preserve his self image. This is entirely due to the fact that Doodle, his brother, is a rather odd child. All of these elements play into the theme of the story, greed. A very clear reason that the…

Nathan Smearsoll Mrs. Porter English 9 Honors October 7, 2015 “The Scarlet Ibis” – Symbolism and Simplicity “The Scarlet Ibis”, by James Hurst, is a wonderful tale. One might read through it, finish, and weep with rage at the ending, but in the end they will love it. One might read through, and see it solely as literal, and in the end they will love it. One might read through, and see it all as allegory, taking nothing literal, and in the end they will love it. They then can read through with a…

The brother's pride is the driving force for what occurs in the narrative of James Hurst's "The Scarlet Ibis." The narrator/ brother initially describes his little brother, to whom he gives the nickname Doodle, as a "disappointment" and "a burden." Clearly, the little brother is an affront to the narrator's pride. At first, Doodle just lies on a rubber sheet and does not seem to be "all there." Later, he does develop some, but he still cannot walk. As a result, the proud brother, who is…

The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst is a short story about a child born with a serious medical condition and he is not able to do the same things as other children. This boy tries to overcome his challenges. In the end, however, his older brother abandons him in a storm and he ends up dying. There are two main characters in this story: the narrator (the older brother) and the little brother (Doodle). These two siblings are quite fascinating as they are very different from each other but at the same…

Have you ever felt so embarrassed of someone that you want to transform them to fit your image? In “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, the main character does just that. The story is about a young boy and his little brother trying to overcome obstacles. Doodle, the little brother, is not supposed to live long and his parents understand why, but his older brother cannot bear that. The brother’s selfishness throughout the beginning, middle and end of the story help prove the theme that one should…

In James Hurst’s “The Scarlet Ibis,” there were several conflicts that affected characterization, but there are two main conflicts which developed the narrator. For example, in the story, during the scene where Doodle and his brother went up into the attic, the narrator said, “‘You’re going to have to touch it. ‘I won’t touch it’ said doodle. ‘Then I’ll leave you up here by yourself.’ said the narrator. ’Don’t leave me, brother.’” (Hurst, n.d., p. 318) After Doodle said that they both left…