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Critique of the story the scarlet ibis
Critique of the story the scarlet ibis
What is the authors use of symbolism in the scarlet ibis
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One boy with intentions self centered, didn't realize that his consequences could be so vast. He felt he was doing it for his brother, but in reality was ashamed of his own blood. His brother, Doodle, was paralyzed, and this led him to forcefully work on Doodle’s physical strength in order to be freed of the burden.In James Hurst’s short story “The Scarlet Ibis,” the older brother is responsible for Doodle’s death because he forced Doodle to strain his body with an abundance of physical work, showed him no mercy, and left him in a time of need. Doodle’s brother forced him to push his body farther than it could take, consequently, ending in tragedy.
Ever since a young age, Doodle did not have the physical strength or capability to
walk, much less run, swim, and row. Though his brother knew this, for his own selfish reason he forced these activities upon his brother to rid him of the burden he called his brother. Doodle’s brother knew what the consequences of his actions could ultimately lead to, but instead of taking precautions prescribed by the doctor, he treated his brother in a careless manner. The expectations that he set for Doodle gave Doodle hope that he would be able to have a chance of normality, but Doodle did not care if he could do things like the other children he would attend school with, rather, his brother used this as a cover for his own shame. Instead of letting Doodle rest when he pleaded, he did not show any mercy towards him. When asked repeatedly if he could stop from physical exhaustion, Doodle’s brother did not show any sympathy or mercy. The brother did not understand the struggle that Doodle was facing physically or mentally. Doodle tried to persuade his brother to stop, but his brother was too stubborn and lost in his own selfishness to listen. Because Doodle’s brother was merciless, it ultimately lead to Doodle's death. Even in Doodle’s time of need, his brother did not show any mercy towards him. Doodle pleaded for his brother’s help, but his brother cold heartedly left him. They were working on Doodle being able to run, but he was not able to do it. When the rain started to pour down, he left Doodle in the dust for hopes of encouraging Doodle to run. Though, Doodle knew his own limits and could tell he reached his; this left him to cry for help, but the older brother did not understand. Doodle’s demise could have been prevented by his brother's mercy. Doodle’s brother did not kill his own brother. The older brother wanted what he thought was best for helpless Doodle, ultimately leading him to work on walking and doing activities a normal kid would do. His motives were selfish to begin with, but in the end he wanted his brother to be a regular kid; he did not want to see his brother be picked on for something he could not help. When he left him in the rain, he had no intention to leave Doodle to die, rather he hoped that leaving would motivate his brother to run. Doodle’s brother wanted the best for his sibling. The older brother should have known that Doodle was not going to be capable of doing regular kid’s activities because of what the medical professionals. He knew what could happen, yet he took no regard or precautions toward Doodle's frail state. Rather, he physically strained Doodle even when Doodle pleaded for him to stop. He showed no mercy and he also left his brother when he needed him the most. Because of his brother’s own selfishness and shame, Doodle died. Though he was told to be cautious, he was not, consequently, leading to Doodle’s demise.
Doodle and Simon have many similarities. They both have heart conditions and have to adjust to their lives but that is really the only similarity. In the movie Simon Birch by Mark Steve Johnson, the character Simon never has a completely normal life because of his disability. In the book “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, Doodle never came close to normal because of his heart condition. Doodle and Simon have similarities but are different in many ways.
Who is the dynamic character in “The Scarlet Ibis?” To answer this question, one must first know what a dynamic character is or means. A dynamic character is one who changes by the end of the story. In “The Scarlet Ibis” the narrator is the one who is the dynamic character. How? First of all, the reason why the narrator is dynamic is he feels atrocious of how he has treated Doodle, his brother. The second reason is the narrator comprehends he should have appreciated his brother more. The last reason is the narrator feels fallacious of what he has done to Doodle; which has possibly led to Doodle’s death.
Throughout “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, Doodle is met with kindness and cruelty when interacting with his brother. The shifting attitude of Doodle’s brother is a wonderful example of the shifting emotions of the people around the world. Just like Doodle’s brother, people are happy, sad, jealous, prideful, angry, cruel, and kind. Although times and circumstances may change, people can’t live without their
For someone to feel guilt for something they did is truly a horrible feeling. It is something that will carry on with that person for the rest of his life. In James Hurst's "Scarlet Ibis" Brother, the main character, feels that terrible guilt towards the way he treated his younger brother Doodle. Brother since the beginning let his pride take over and make Doodle do things that were almost impossible to learn in his condition. The story tells about two brothers growing up together and how the older brother let his pride push his handicapped brother a little to far. Brother is guilty for letting his pride get in the way of what was right and wrong. Also for letting his pride hurt someone he loves, his baby brother Doodle.
In conclusion, the narrator went through the pride cycle before realizing that he loved Doodle for who he was and not for what he couldn’t do. In the end, the narrator was too late and he had gone past Doodle’s barriers and limits. This caused Doodle’s body to be worked too hard thus causing Doodle to
When Doodle was born, the narrator "...wanted more than anything else someone to race to Horsehead Landing, someone to box with, and someone to perch within the top fork of the great pine behind the barn..."(595). Upon discovering Doodle was not only crippled but also not "'all there'", the narrator selfishly decides to kill his little brother by suffocation. His plan was halted when he watched his brother grinned right at him. Though the narrator didn't kill Doodle, the narrator treated his little brother with cruelty to advance his own desires. Two instances are the reason Doodle walked and Doodle's training in his brother's program. Firstly, the reason that the narrator is determined to teach Doodle to walk was not solely out of kindness. "When Doodle was five years old, I was embarrassed at having a brother of that age who couldn't walk, so I set out to teach him"(597). The narrator is embarrassed that he has a brother that's physically unable to meet the narrator's expectations as what his brother should be. Yet, the narrator successfully taught Doodle how to walk, but in doing so, the narrator gained a false sense of infallibility that's equal only to his pride. The narrator thus created "...a terrific development program for him, unknown to mama and daddy, of course” (599). Several obstacles impeded the progress of the program, resulting in the brothers to double their efforts. The narrator made Doodle"...swim until he turned blue and row until he couldn't lift an oar. Wherever we went, I purposely walked fast, and although he kept up, his face turned red and his eyes became glazed. Once he could go no further, so he collapsed on the ground and began to cry"(601). Blinded by his desire to satisfy his pride, he became ignorant of the fact that as a sick child Doodle is unable to overexert himself, but the
of a little boy and an invalid. Despised by, and an embarassment to his older brother,
Doodle's brother would only do this to have control on Doodle and Doodle's actions. This control, which Doodle's brother wanted, gave him enjoyment to boss around his brother, enjoyment to boss a crippled kid. And that Doodle walked only because his brother was ashamed of having a crippled brother. It was bad enough having an invalid b....
In order to represent that the narrator's pride caused him to act with ill manners towards Doddle, Hurst creates the internal conflict which portrays the narrator’s struggle to choose what is more important, his pride or his brother. As the narrator confessed his past to the reader, he described a memory about how Doodle walked and he announced to the family that the narrator was the one who taught him. The narrator thus responds with: “They did not know that I did it for myself; that pride, whose slave I was, spoke to me louder than all their voices; and that Doodle walked only because I was ashamed of having a crippled brother” (Hurst 419). It is important to note how the author compares the narrator to a “slave” of pride, the word slave connotes that the narrator is imprisoned by pride and creates the appearance that the force is inescapable. Throughout the story pride dictates the narrator, if
Doodle’s health is not good and you can see that in this piece of text. (Topic Sentence) The author writes, “He didn’t answer so I placed my hand on his forehead and lifted his head. Limply, he fell backwards onto the Earth. He had been bleeding from his mouth, and his neck and the front of his shirt was stained brilliant red.”(172)(Textual support- 5). Doodle is harmed and it’s because his brother’s pride got in the way of his health and well being. (Commentary)
Humans are never perfect, and their emotions often conflict with their logic. In “The Scarlet Ibis”, the narrator receives a physically disabled brother, Doodle, thus trains Doodle physically so that he could live a normal life. Throughout the story, the narrator’s actions and thoughts reveals his true personalities to the audience as he slowly narrates the story of himself and his scarlet ibis, Doodle, whose existence he dreaded. In the story written by James Hurst, pride, love, and cruelty, these conflicting character traits all exists in Doodle’s brother. And the most severe of all, pride.
In “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, Doodle is an intelligent character. William “Doodle” Armstrong is a character who everybody thought was going to die. However, when Doodle lives on to see another day, he learns of the incredible world that his mind, but not necessarily his body, would be able to experience. Doodle’s first signs of intelligence is shown when the narrator describes his responsiveness. Doodle was able to respond to his name, and when he began to talk, he “talked so much that [they] all quit listening to what he said” (556). This description of Doodle’s earlier life shows his above-average intelligence because it emphasizes the extraordinary mental actions that Doodle was capable of, as opposed to what his physical well-being
James Hurst is the author of the heart breaking short story entitled “The Scarlet Ibis”. “The Scarlet Ibis” is a short story about two brothers; one brother is healthy, while the other is physically handicapped. The short story is centered on the idea that the older, healthier brother’s selfishness and pride ultimately led to the death of his younger brother, Doodle. Numerous quotes throughout the story demonstrate Hurst’s use of symbolism and foreshadowing to portray and predict Doodle’s untimely and heartbreaking death.
In “The Scarlet Lbis,” James Hurst uses diction, point of view, and symbolism to create a mood of tragedy, sadness, and loss. The story’s mood influences the readers feeling about the story itself. Throughout the story, the author creates a thought out the usage of worlds and the writing style. In the first paragraph, the narrator descries the flowers around his childhood “stained with rotting brown magnolias petals / graveyard flowers” the birds nest is described as “an empty cradle” even due to the flowers surrounding it. The description refers to the aspect of nature with the approach of death. Hurst created an atmosphere that reminds the reader about tragedy. The story revolves around the narrator, himself and his brother Doodle. The mood that was created in the first paragraph makes the reader worry about what is going to happen in Doddle’s
Doodle lived a lot longer than most expected. But he was handicapped. He couldn't walk, swim. He could barely crawl. But brother was destined to help him, give him a life he never thought he could have. “Shut up. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm going to teach you how to walk” - brother page 3. Doodle wasn't strong enough to walk, or swim. The doctors said it would kill him to try. But brother was determined to make it happen. He tried and tried and finally doodle could at last walk.