Final Short Story Summary: The Scarlet Ibis By James Hurst

Final Short Story Essay The short story “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst about two brothers who are different inside and out, and about how these differences ultimately lead to tragedy between these two brothers. The younger brother, Doodle is very attached to his big brother, but older brother is ashamed of Doodle is crippled and not like ‘every other younger brother’. Pride, as a major theme in this short story, “is a wonderful, terrible thing, a seed that bears two vines, life and death” (3). The use of similes and symbols create the sad and depressing tone of the story that feeds off of the older brother’s pride. The older brother was selfish throughout the story and his pride was the sole reason why he helped Doodle. The older brother …show more content…
When teaching Doodle the far-fetched skill of walking, the older brother came to his own conclusion that "keeping a nice secret is very hard to do, like holding your breath” (3). This simile compares holding a secret to holding your breath. It fits with the story's contrast of life and death. Breathing is a sign of life, while not breathing is representative of death. This advocates the stance that the brothers are keeping a deadly secret. Though Doodle being able to walk is a feat that is incredibly miraculous, it just gives the brothers false hope and leads them to believe they can accomplish what in reality is just not possible. A tired red bird had made its way to the family’s yard, and as it thumped to the ground to its downfall, "even death did not mar its grace, for it lay on the earth like a broken vase of red flowers, and we stood around it, awed by its exotic beauty” (5).Here the ibis is being compared to flowers. These flowers are not wildflowers, but just flowers in a vase, flowers that have been tamed and tainted by human hands. The vase is broken, just like the ibis had been as it hit the ground with such force. So the dead scarlet ibis is compared to a broken vase of red flowers. Note how this reflects its broken state as a dead bird but also its incredible beauty as red flowers, even though they are in a broken vase. This mention of red links the scarlet ibis to …show more content…
The figure of an ibis is very key in this short story. The story is even named after it because of its significance. The entire scene regarding the fallen ibis in the family’s backyard (5) is extremely significant. Throughout the entire story the ibis is representative of Doodle. Both creatures struggle to survive but end up falling to their death. Both die in a pool of red. When the color red is mentioned, the first things that normally comes to mind is blood. When it is seen, the person it belongs to is hurt or maybe dead.. Blood is thought to be horrifying. But it can also be beautiful, as seen in "The Scarlet Ibis." The ibis is red. The "bleeding tree" gives off the sense of red. The bush beneath which Doodle dies is red. When Doodle is born his body is "red." When Doodle was discovered lying in the field, “he had been bleeding from the mouth, and his neck and the front of his shirt were stained a brilliant red” (6). From this we know that Doodle is dead, which is not something that is celebrated. But, it is also beautiful, given from the word "brilliant." "Brilliant" is used positively. The word tricks the reader into visualizing a somewhat subdued version of a gruesome image. For the older brother, finding beauty in the image of Doodle's bloodstained neck and t-shirt is probably a kind of defense mechanism. The image is too horrible for him to look at it, so he attempts to find beauty in

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Final Short Story Summary: The Scarlet Ibis By James Hurst

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