The Scarlet Ibis Literary Analysis

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Wrong Mindset Weather he wanted it or not the two spent all their time together. Everyone knows that pride can be a very destructive force. Especially in the case of “The Scarlet Ibis” where the main character Doodle was killed because of it. In this short story pride drove one brother to kill another. Doodle was often referred to a burden to his brother. So, would you have done it? Throughout the story the idea that Doodle’s brother had it out for him became stronger, and stronger. In the last paragraph of the story Doodle was said to be crying out for help. “I ran as fast as I could leaving him far behind…” (353) His brother kept on running ignoring his younger brothers crys. It was almost like he was only thinking of himself. “I made him …show more content…
He knew he couldn’t put too much stress or strain on Doodle, because his heart couldn't take it. “A long list of dont’s went with him, all of which I ignored…” (345) This statement proves this point even more. His own brother said “He was a burden in many ways.”(345) about his own brother who was born with a disability. Making it more obvious that he was aware that he could kill him at anytime. In “The Two Faces of Pride” Wray Herbert said “...people link pride to such achievement-oriented ideas as accomplishment and confidence.” When pride came to Doodle’s older brother, it came from the feeling of accomplishment. He got this feeling when he taught his brother something new, so when he taught him to walk he couldn't stop until he was satisfied with what he taught his …show more content…
He especially didn’t like the fact that he had a disability. “I was embarrassed to have a brother of that age that couldn't walk…”(346) Doodle was an embarrassment to his brother, especially because he couldn't walk. That is the main reason why he got the motivation to teach his brother to walk in the first place. That is the reason he pushed him too hard, because he was embarrassed. “I would teach him to run, to swim, to climb trees, and to fight.” (349) This statement adds to what pride did to the brother. You could say that he was teaching this to his brother to better him, but it was just out of selfishness. Another one of Wray Herbert’s statements from “The Two Faces of Fear” is “...pride can be closely linked to self-esteem.” This statement relates to “The Scarlet Ibis” because every time he taught his little brother something it boosted his self-esteem in someway. His self-esteem was boosted because when his family learned that he basically did the impossible by teaching him to walk or run they were very proud of him. So he wanted to teach his brother more to make himself feel
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