The Scarlet Ibis: A Seed Of Cruelty

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“...a knot of cruelty borne by the stream of love, much as our blood sometimes bears the seed of our destruction.”(346) Some people would say pride is a seed of destruction or at least a destructive force. In the short story “The Scarlet Ibis” the narrator, Brother, had a seed of pride. It all started when his brother was born premature. It says, “ He seemed all head, with a tiny body which was red and shriveled like an old man's.”(345) The family was completely heartbroken because they thought that he wasn’t going to be “all there”. Soon the narrator’s baby brother, Doodle, shown he was “all there” in the head anyways. Because of that seed of destruction, the narrator is responsible for Doodle’s death. People can do good deeds, but it doesn’t

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