Verified Document

Scarlet Ibis, By James Hurst Is A Essay

Related Topics:

¶ … Scarlet Ibis, by James Hurst is a short story that focuses on the theme of disappointment, guilt and love, primarily in the story's narrator who tries in vain to shape his disabled younger brother into a mirror image of himself. The story opens on the birth of the narrator's younger brother. Seven years younger than he, the narrator quickly begins referring to the baby as "Doodle" because "when he crawled on the rug, he crawled backward, as if he were in reverse and couldn't change gears. This made him look like a doodlebug" (Hurst 12). Doodle is born sickly, and no one in the family expects him to live long. The child is given a coffin before he is given a real name. Only when he is three months old do his parents name him, William Armstrong, a name which the narrator notes "sounds good only on a tombstone" (Hurst 12).

As time goes by, it becomes apparent that perhaps Doodle's death isn't as imminent as the family might have guessed. The boys' father builds Doodle a cart so he can be taken anywhere Brother goes, and...

Parts of this document are hidden

View Full Document
svg-one

The narrator notes, "If I so much as picked up my hat, he'd start crying . . . Mama would call from wherever she was, 'Take Doodle with you'" (Hurst 12). As the family proves somewhat dismissive of Doodle, who they seem to view as more of a burden than a member of the family, Brother decides to take Doodle on as a sort of project.
Brother decides that if he must be seen everywhere with Doodle, he must do whatever he can in order to alter the "embarrassment" that Doodle is into someone respectable of being seen with. Brother takes it upon himself to teach Doodle how to walk, which becomes a daunting task for both boys -- physically for Doodle, and mentally for Brother. When Doodle eventually learns how to walk and becomes more or less an accepted member of the family, Brother begins to realize the true cruelty within himself, for, "Doodle walked only because I was ashamed of having a crippled brother" (Hurst 14).

This mentality is soon overridden in…

Sources used in this document:
References

Hurst, James. "The Scarlet Ibis." Classic Short Stories. Virginia: Creative Education

Publishing, 1998. 12-16. Print.

The Scarlet Ibis
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Creative Writing Case Study Author T. Coraghessan
Words: 1468 Length: 4 Document Type: Case Study

Creative Writing Case Study Author T. Coraghessan Boyle is an educated man, earning a BA and MFA from universities before going on to earn his PhD from the University of Iowa in the late 1970s. Since 1978 he has been working as a professor in the English department of the University of Southern California (About). He has published numerous novels and more than one hundred short stories. For these works, he

Creative Writing Various Creative Writing
Words: 647 Length: 2 Document Type: Journal

Other people now react differently to the person because of what she has learned, which is proof that he or she has learned something about the self. It shows how the person's relations changed. A third type of evidence is psychological. Here there is more focus on what the person feels and thinks. The experience of getting an online degree has changed them inside. They view themselves differently because of

Creative Writing in English: Singapore
Words: 34880 Length: 127 Document Type: Dissertation

This was usually the case with the proliferation of British rule at the time; trade was the predecessor to British Colonialism. For administrative purposes, Singapore became a part of Penang and Malacca which were two other settlements in the region. By 1826 these areas were grouped together and became known as the Straits Settlement. Initially the centre of the Straits Settlement was Penang. Penang was governed by Calcutta and

Creative Writing and Number
Words: 602 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Legal Writing Conventions Dear Jane, I am no longer willing to continue in a relationship with you. I have tried very hard over the past several months to be patient with you. However, I simply cannot tolerate your behavior any longer. In fact, I am convinced there is something very wrong with you. It is simply unacceptable for you to hang up the phone on me, repeatedly, in the middle of

Reply to Davi Creative Writing
Words: 367 Length: 1 Document Type: Creative Writing

CREATIVE WRITING Creative Writing: Reply to DaviWorld Health Organization (WHO) does not only regard health as the absence of disease but also the physical and mental well-being of the body. The ecological perspectives that play in the surroundings of human beings and interrelate with their existence for sustainability also play a critical role in maintaining health equilibrium (McCartney et al., 2019). However, a complete state of well-being is expected to

Reply to Carina Creative Writing
Words: 409 Length: 1 Document Type: Creative Writing

CREATIVE WRITING Creative Writing: Reply to CarinaAlthough public awareness could be one of the crucial elements of promoting health equity, participation is now an emerging concept that could change how the healthcare industry works. With social participation, the population could be encouraged to take part in healthcare decisions and make their involvement guaranteed for improving their current health status. It would include all aspects of healthcare, such as planning, organizing,

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now