Pride In Hurst's The Scarlet Ibis

C.S. Lewis once quoted, “A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and of, course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.” This exemplifies the genuine idea of what pride can do to a soul. Many never fully acknowledge the sincere people who sit around them, and the beauties these individuals hold. Similarly, in Hurst’s, “The Scarlet Ibis,” Doodle’s older brother, the narrator, is driven to push Doodle to succeed in various activities, because he cannot seem to see Doodle’s “inner beauty.” As the thought of making Doodle the best he can be, and displaying his “inner beauty,” eventually leads to a horrific tragedy. To clarify, in “The Scarlet Ibis,” the narrator is introduced as a conceited, self-centered boy, who forcefully

The readers learn to value relationships, to not allow pride to become an evil necessity, and to appreciate the little things. These all combine to contribute to the overall theme. With the narrator’s brother, becoming weaker and weaker, day by day, it creates an uneasy feeling arising from the reader, about the results of Doodle, and if he will survive. The narrator reflects back on the memories, and the love he surely had for Doodle, “There is within me (and with sadness I have watched it in others) a knot of cruelty borne by the stream of love, much as our blood sometimes bears the seed of our destruction, and at times I was mean to Doodle” (597). This quote justifies the guilt the narrator had, in effect of not every fully acknowledging the passion and devotion he actually had towards Doodle. Every moment the narrator had by Doodle’s side, he now wishes he could relive and change those atrocious actions that led to the death of his beloved brother,