Comparing Real Boys And The Scarlet Ibis By James Hurst

Real Boys by William S Pollack and The Scarlet Ibis, by James Hurst, demonstrate that conforming to society’s expectations can be detrimental. In the short story, he shows how boys at a young age conform to society and act differently at ages 4 to 5. As they conform to society, they change their behavior and the way they act. With them conforming to society, their success is hurt during the process.

In Real Boys, it says boys at a young age, are told to hide their emotions and to act like a man. When boys get injured, they have to act like they are not hurt or upset. If boys cry, they are told they sound like a girl and are told to grow up, but it’s ok for a girl to break down and cry. If a boy or man acts like they are bothered by something, say a breakup, they are told to act like they are not in pain or that they are ok and not upset about the breakup. When boys are growing up, they are told by society that if they like fashion or like doing “girl things”, they act too much like a girl.

The Scarlet Ibis is about a boy who had a brother named Doodle. They had a great relationship, but when Doodle got a bit older he found out he was sick and that made it very hard for his brother. So one day when the two boys were playing, Doodle was not feeling well and it started to thunderstorm. When lightning started, Doodle cried out to his brother to not leave him because he could not run or walk because he collapsed. His brother kept walking and then he didn’t hear Doodle anymore. His brother stopped to wait for him, but he never came. He called out for him, but there was no answer. When he found him, he wasn't breathing. Doodle died and his brother cried for a while. This shows that it is ok for boys to cry, but it isn’t ok in society to cry. It could be detrimental to the boy’s success because it shows that he’s weak according to