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Selfishness In 'The Scarlet Ibis' By James Hurst

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Tavia Hale Hale 1
Mrs. Karr

The Scarlet Ibis The short story “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst is about a boy who was embarrassed about his brother’s incapabilities so he tries to teach him, Doodle, to walk, run, swim, climb trees, and fight. It may seem like a sweet thing to do but the only reason he’s teaching Doodle is out of selfishness. His selfishness leads to abandoning Doodle in the rain and passing away. A central topic in “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst is selfishness. For example, the narrator only helped Doodle because he “was embarrassed at having a brother of that age who couldn’t walk.” (Hurst 1) This shows that he was selfish because he cared what people thought of him, not the well being of his brother. Another

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