The Scarlet Ibis Analysis

“The Scarlet Ibis” Various Moods

Have you ever despised your sibling/s at one point, but later started to like them in their life? In James Hurst's short novel, "The Scarlet Ibis," Doodle is a disabled child and the narrator is his brother, who despises him. The narrator known as Brother wanted to kill Doodle due to his disability, but learns that Doodle is not much of a burden. He sets out to teach Doodle abilities that he could never do before, but instead, he pushes him too far and ends up leading him to a tragic death. Thus, in "The Scarlet Ibis," Hurst uses diction, symbolism, foreshadowing, and similes to establish a horrifying mood during the coffin scene part of the story, a melancholic mood during the death of the scarlet ibis, and

As the scarlet ibis falls from the bleeding tree to its death, Doodle observes that "the bird was still" (10). The stillness of the ibis emphasizes how the ibis has been driven to its tragic death, which heightens the melancholic mood in the section. Readers might imagine a time where they witnessed a death and felt a sense of sadness, thus creating a melancholic mood in the section. Additionally, as the author compares the dead scarlet ibis and a broken vase, he states, “for it lay on the earth like a broken vase of red flowers” (10). As the author distinguishes the similarities between the scarlet ibis and the broken vase, it highlights how the ibis is fragile, in its broken state, but it is still beautiful. However, the bird was still driven to a tragic death that it did not deserve, thus making readers feel pity and embedding a melancholic mood in the section. Therefore, as the author uses symbolism and similes, he establishes a melancholic mood during the death of the ibis in the

As Brother feels sorrowful due to Doodle’s death, Brother, “began to weep, and the tear-blurred vision in red before me looked very familiar” (12). By the author’s use of the word “weep”, readers can recall an event where they wept and it was most likely because of sadness. This applies to Brother because he is weeping over Doodle’s death, expressing his sadness to the readers, thus instilling a dreary mood in them as well. Additionally, as Brother lays there crying near Doodle’s body after his death, Brother “[shelters his] fallen scarlet ibis from the heresy of rain” (12). The use of the fallen scarlet ibis as a symbol for Doodle stresses the similarities in the fragility of Doodle and the bird. Both were driven to gruesome deaths and if readers were to imagine witnessing a gruesome death, it forces them to feel sympathy for those involved in the death. Therefore, the death of the Doodle makes readers feel sympathy, thus creating a dreary mood in the section. With the use of diction and symbolism during Doodle’s death, the author is able to create a dreary mood in the section.

To conclude, in the novella, “The Scarlet Ibis,” various events occur, mainly including periods of death, terror, and selfishness. Throughout the novella, both Doodle and Brother witness many terrifying and sad instances which can be related to audiences, thereby creating