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Theme Of Pride In The Scarlet Ibis By James Hurst

671 Words3 Pages

“I did not know then that pride is a wonderful, terrible thing, a seed that bears two vines, life and death.” This was a quote from the short story “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, he was emphasizing how the narrator thought about his pride. The theme of the story was Do not let pride overrule love, the narrator really expresses this throughout the story with a lot details. Throughout the story this lesson continues to grow by using characterization, foreshadowing, and imagery. Firstly, James Hurst uses characterization, in the beginning of the story the author alerts the readers to the narrator's original expectations for his little brother. The narrator wanted a brother who could run and play with him, so the reality of Doodle's condition hit him deeply. It is this disappointment for the narrator that lead him to push Doodle as hard as he possibly could. This shows the narrators character as mean, and selfish. The narrator taught him how to run and do other activities, since his pride cannot handle the disparity between the brother he wanted and the brother he got. "Everybody thought he was going to die—everybody except Aunt Nicey, who had delivered him. She said he would live because he was …show more content…

The family realized that Doodle's disabilities undoubtedly make him different from other people, but this story questions whether these differences even matter. His brother insists and continues to push him right past his breaking point in the interest of conformity. He gives an example of the theme Do not let pride overrule love. A bird called the Scarlet Ibis appears, it forms a strong connection with Doodle. The ibis's death and Doodle's response to it, is the most impactful piece of foreshadowing in the story. Doodle connected with the scarlet ibis because he is the scarlet ibis, and according to the narrator, the ibis is majestic and beautiful even in death as well as

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