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Doodle's Death In The Scarlet Ibis By James Hurst

557 Words3 Pages

Fated Death Many who come across “The Scarlet Ibis”, written by James Hurst, believe Doodle’s brother is to blame for Doodle’s eventual death. However, such is a widely inaccurate opinion, as it is evident Doodle’s death is caused by the cruel hand of fate. Fate is seen at play through the constant foreshadowing the reader sees in the text. Such is clearly demonstrated through the presence of the Scarlet Ibis. The Scarlet Ibis is a unique yet fragile bird, similar to Doodle, whose death foreshadows Doodle’s death. This can be confirmed as the narrator uses the Scarlet Ibis to symbolize Doodle through appearance. Since the Scarlet Ibis dies because of its fight with nature, it can be presumed Doodle will die in a similar way. Furthermore, when …show more content…

Once again, it is obvious that Doodle’s death is because of his health condition, and therefore not because of the narrator. Also, opponents may argue that the narrator exploited Doodle’s loyalty to him, by maintaining high expectations and over-exerting Doodle, leading him to his death. The previous statement is not plausible as the narrator did not make Doodle’s decision to fall prey to his brother’s pressure. An individual will be held accountable for the decisions he or she makes. Thus, one cannot place the blame of Doodle’s death on the narrator. Doodle decided, whether out of loyalty or personal aspirations, to force himself to learn how to do what his brother could actively do. Furthermore, critics of the brother, will state that Doodle’s death was caused by the narrator abandoning Doodle in the storm. At first glance, one would agree with the above statement. Nevertheless, one must take into consideration the fact that the narrator is a young boy who is still coming to terms with his brother’s invalidity. He is still not able to decipher Doodle’s special needs. It is illogical to blame the young narrator for Doodle’s death, since one cannot anticipate that the narrator will have sufficient life experience to foresee the outcomes of abandoning

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