Scarlet Ibis: A Brief Summary

470 Words2 Pages

In the scarlet ibis there is a narrator who gives brief descriptions throughout the story, although he is not officially named but simply called "Brother”, recalls the life of his younger brother, William Armstrong, also known as Doodle, later in the story. Doodle is born a sickly child who is not expected to live past 2 months because of complications at birth that resulted in drastic birth defects. Therefor his family decides to have a small coffin made in the case of his death.
Doodle ends up surviving into his childhood, but for most of his babyhood, he is unable to move or respond to his surrounding environment filled with his loved ones. The narrator “brother” even goes so far as planning to smother the baby with a pillow thinking that …show more content…

The doctor states that even the strain put on doodles body from setting upward might kill him, due to his weak heart. Doodle 's brother consistently thinks about what it would be like to have a “normal” Brother. He wanted someone who could run, jump and play with him, instead having a weak and fragile brother known as doodle. Through the story the narrators brother doodle is pulled behind in a wagon, do the the fact that Doodle can 't walk. At this moment is when Brother decides to train Doodle to be what he portrays as a "normal human being" Eventually, at six years of age, Doodle learns to walk with help from Brother.
Encouraged by his brother the narrator decides to teach Doodle how to run, climb vines, swim, and going as far as teaching doodle how to fight, therefor he will prepared for school. However, almost a year after the plan was made, unfortunately Doodle was far from accomplishing the goals by the nearing deadline. As the story goes on there are more twists here and there.
I believe that the story is described "in symbolism." Do to the fact that The Scarlet Ibis is the main symbol in the story and can be depicted in many ways, such as the color of the ibis. The red is in comparison to "Doodle" as a fragile human being but yet monumental. Also the storm is often compared to Doodle 's brother simply because the brother pushed him too hard, to the point of near death experience. Just

Open Document