...The trait that Doodle, one of the protagonists in “The Scarlet Ibis”, possesses is empathy towards all things. Doodle exhibits this trait is when he and his family are eating breakfast in the middle of the story and they hear a loud thud coming from their back yard. The family ventures outside to find a large scarlet ibis, a bird roughly the size of a chicken and native to South America and the islands of the Caribbean, sitting in their tree. The weary and ill looking bird is perched on the highest branch of the tree, resting. When the ibis makes an attempt at flight, it tumbles to the ground, jerks its neck and dies. Doodle shows his empathy to the dead bird when he buries the ibis. “Doodle remained kneeling. ‘I’m going to bury him.’… he carried...
Words: 287 - Pages: 2
...In the short story, “The Scarlet Ibis”, Doodle and the Ibis are very similar. The narrator explains what had happened to the ibis. “Sadly, we all looked back at the bird. A scarlet ibis! How many miles it had traveled to die like this, in our yard, beneath the bleeding tree.” The scarlet ibis is in an unknown area and it has surprised everybody by showing up. This poor bird has traveled so such a long way, just so it could die. In addition, Doodle, like the bird, has traveled and worked so hard, just to have the same fate as the scarlet ibis. “Finally one day, after many weeks of practicing, he stood alone for a few seconds. When he fell, I grabbed him in my arms and hugged him, our laughter pealing through the swamp like a ringing bell....
Words: 300 - Pages: 2
...Who is Doodle? Doodle is arguably the most important character in “The Scarlet Ibis.” He is a boy who has had it rough since birth. Born with mental illness, his development as a character is truly amazing. In this story, Doodle is sensitive, unique, and lovable. Doodle is sensitive in many of his own ways. He is sensitive both psychically and mentally. Throughout his whole life, he is almost always psychically ill, but he is also mentally disabled. He also has a very strong and sensitive love for his family, the Narrator especially. Doodle and his brother (“Narrator”) have had a special connection throughout both of their lives. Doodle is also unable to do fairly simple activities. For example, at an early age, if he was placed on his stomach,...
Words: 452 - Pages: 2
...Kindness is the source of goodness that leads people to true happiness. People help others because it makes them feel good, it changes the life of another person, and it is in people's good nature. And to prove my point is the book The Scarlet Ibis. First of all, in the book The Scarlet Ibis the two main characters are doodle and the brother. Doodle is born with an incurable deformity that unfortunately not benign. This deformity actually disabled him from walking. Everyday doodle and the brother would go to old woman swamp. There the brother would try to help doodle to walk. While helping doodle the brothers shame slowly started fading away. Once they successfully made doodle walk the brothers aunt danced with him out of joy. In addition,...
Words: 257 - Pages: 2
...The Destruction of Doodle “The knowledge that Doodle and my plans has come to naught was bitter and that streak of cruelty within me awakened.” Brother, a character in James Hurst’s short story “The Scarlet Ibis,” is narcissistic and treats his little brother Doodle poorly. Brother is cruel to Doodle causing him to die. Doodle was treated terribly by Brother from the beginning of his life. Brother has to bring Doodle with him wherever he goes. Brother would “run with [Doodle] across the ends of cotton rows and careen him around corners.” Doodle was a burden to Brother. Brother does this so Doodle won’t enjoy being with him anymore. Brother is too selfish to realize he is affecting Doodle negatively. Brother’s cruelty continues Doodle’s whole...
Words: 354 - Pages: 2
...In the story “Scarlet Ibis” by Hurst we read about a special needs kid who resembles a rare bird called the Scarlet ibis. We see how the kid they call Doodle take on the world despite his abilities. Near the end of the story we see a bird that resembles Doodle in a lot of ways. These ways will be told in the following paragraph. In the following paragraphs I will be talking about ways Doodle and the Scarlet Ibis are similar, ways they are different, and how they're more alike than different. Doodle and the Scarlet Ibis are alike in many ways. One way they're alike is they both seem to be out of place. “ The Scarlet Ibises natural environment is in a tropical area and when the bird got caught up in the storm and ended up in Doodles backyard...
Words: 372 - Pages: 2
...Sneaky Symbols “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst is full of abstract symbolism to help the audience understand the passage clearer. This story is about a disappointed boy who finds out his brother is invalid. The baby by was thought to die at birth, but he ends up living. They named him William Armstrong, but the brother believed that that was a terrible name for a disabled child. Doodle, William’s nickname his brother gave him, could not walk. The boy was determined to teach Doodle how to walk because he thought of Doodle as an embarrassment. The doctors believed Doodle could not be overworked, or he would die. During the training, Doodle could not keep up with his older brother. Doodle fell to the ground from being tired, and slowly died...
Words: 663 - Pages: 3
...A Fatal Consequence of Selfishness in the Scarlet Ibis How often does one act without regard for those around them? It is incredibly easy to become selfish in one’s actions. “The Scarlet Ibis” shows this in Brother’s actions in regard to his younger brother, Doodle. He only assists him when it benefits himself, and throughout his life Brother forces Doodle into activities and abandons him with no thought as to why this is inconsiderate. James Hurst’s “The Scarlet Ibis” uses foreshadowing and symbols to show how selfishness leads to severe consequences, even fatal ones, and the overall maltreatment of others. The family of Doodle commits many selfish actions which foreshadow the demise of Doodle. Early on in their lives, Brother takes Doodle...
Words: 591 - Pages: 3
...“The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst is about William Armstrong, also known as Doodle, who had a physical and mental condition. When he was born William’s brother was six years old, and when William died his brother was thirteen. The story is called “The Scarlet Ibis” because the family saw a bird dying in their backyard which was far away from its native land, and William died away from his home. Mr. Hurst was born in North Carolina at a farm by the sea. He studied singing and in Italy and he became a banker. During his thirty four years as a banker he also published a few short stories including “The Scarlet Ibis”. I personally did not like how the story went but I do like how Mr. Hurst wrote it. I also like how he referred the scarlet ibis...
Words: 1444 - Pages: 6
...Without Doodle It’s Depressing “It was the clove of seasons,summer was dead but autumn was yet to be born, that the ibis lit in the bleeding tree. The flower garden was stained with rotting brown magnolia petals, and ironweeds grew rank amid the purple phlox” (Hurst 416). As summer dies the pretty plants begin to die as well, and it leaves a beautiful sadness in the air. James Hurst uses words like ‘rank’ ‘dead’, ‘bleeding’, ‘stained’, and ‘rotting’, words like these wouldn’t set a happy tone for the start of any story. The narrator in “The Scarlet Ibis” only wanted his brother, Doodle, to fit in. Unfortunately, he would always stick out because he couldn’t get too tired, too hot, and too cold. Doodle died from over exhaustion, same...
Words: 417 - Pages: 2
...Literary Analysis: “The Scarlet Ibis” Can pride affect others in a bad way? The topic of the short story “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, the narrator helps his brother Doodle(William Armstrong) to accomplish things no one thought was possible because of his bad heart. But in the end he pressured his brother too much and Doodle dies, all because he wanted pride from it. The theme adolescents that pride can both be a good and a bad thing, which you can see through the plot of the story. The narrator reflects on his actions and realizes how selfish he was towards Doodle. In one line it shows that the narrator is planning on teaching doodle more but he saw it as his own victory instead of Doodles victory, “Once I had succeeded in teaching Doodle...
Words: 463 - Pages: 2
...means that you shouldn't judge a story by its cover, the same with the story "Scarlet Ibis" The story Scarlet Ibis was published in July 1960 by the author James Hurst. The theme of the story is if you are different from Doodle and Scarlet Ibis people will act different towards you and even though you are unique you must pay a heavy price. It can also show that his brother is ashamed of him. Some ideas that are developed through the story are how Doodle has physical limitations, how the Scarlet Ibis died, then Doodle buries it, and how Doodle dies. Doodle is different from the others his name....
Words: 795 - Pages: 4
...beautiful things is nature. The Scarlet Ibis, written by James Hurst, is told by Doodle the main character’s older brother. The narrator tells about Doodle’s childhood. Doodle was a delicate little boy who had to overcome many challenges in his short life, willing to do anything to be like a normal boy. In “The Scarlet Ibis,” Doodle personifies nature because of the unique characteristics he carries with him. Doodle and the narrator have a connection to a special place, Old Woman Swamp. In the story the author says, “He was a burden in many ways. The doctor had said that he mustn’t get too excited, too hot, too cold, or too tired and that he must always...
Words: 681 - Pages: 3
...The Scarlet Ibis," is a short story written by James Hurst. This story is about the life of a young boy named Doodle and his older brother, the Narrator. In the story, Doodle is crippled for life. As Doodle grows older his older brother's pride leads him to teach Doodle how to walk. James Hurst uses foreshadowing and conflict to show Doodle's empathy and loyalty. The use of foreshadowing shows how he is empathetic because he can feel empathy for something like the ibis. For example, when the family watches the scarlet ibis die, Doodle says, "I'm going to bury it." This shows that Doodle is caring enough to care for an animal he has no relation to in the story. This is because Doodle could reflect the scarlet ibis, and what was happening to the ibis upon himself. In addition, Doodle's mother would not allow him to even touch the bird, yet Doodle disobeys and buries the scarlet ibis. This reveals that his empathy for the ibis was so grand that he disobeyed his mother. The reason why is that Doodle treated...
Words: 449 - Pages: 2
...The Scarlet Ibis and Simon birch have many similarities. The main similarity is that Doodle and Simon are both alike in many ways since they were both born with a disability. Doodle is very small just like Simon and they have parents that don't think much of them. Also, they both have an older brother or friend that helps them around and is always with them. In the scarlet ibis and Simon birch there was foreshadowing about Doodle and Simons death which was resembled with an animal. Doodles death was resembled with a scarlet ibis and Simon's death was resembled with a deer. When doodle and Simon die their older brother/friend each say "don't leave me." Doodles older brother and Simons friend Joe feel horrible after doodle and Simon die since...
Words: 271 - Pages: 2
