The Scarlet Ibis Symbolism Essay

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In “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, the realistic fiction and short story, the author uses the a minor character scarlet ibis as a symbol throughout the story. A scarlet ibis, if you don't know, is a bird from the tropics that is a scarlet red and has long legs. Anyway the bird is compared to a main character Doodle a tantalized, disabled kid. The only reason why the scarlet ibis is the symbol is because of how it is like Doodle in many aspects. The author uses the bird as the title due to how Doodle and the narrator were affected by the bird. “For a long long time, it seemed forever, I lay there crying, sheltering my fallen scarlet ibis from the heresy of rain,” (157). This is saying that the narrator was crying over the dead brother. This is important due to how this is the only sentence to give a reason for the title. This is shown by how the narrator directly calls Doodle the scarlet ibis. “...’he carried the bird around to the front yard and dug a hole in the flower garden,...’ ‘Doodle didn't speak but nodded his head,”(154). The sentence basically states that he buried the bird. This is needed to convey the connection between the two organisms. Without these sentences the death of the bird wouldn't have meant anything and he could've just let him decay by the tree. One way the bird was similar to Doodle was by his plethora physical …show more content…

“It lives in the tropics - South America to Florida. A storm must have brought it here,” (154). The bird is foreign to Florida. This is viable for symbolism of the bird. This was chosen because it symbolizes how the bird is an outcast like Doodle. “Dead birds is bad luck’ …’specially red dead birds,” (155). The bird is going to cause unfortunate events to Doodle. This is symbolism for the reason for the death of Doodle. This is a precedent foreshadow because how the bird died near a tree because of some disabilities love

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