The Importance Of Love In Hurst's The Scarlet Ibis

In the story “The Scarlet Ibis” a child named Doodle is born very weak and disabled. He could not walk or run until the age of 5 and has many health issues. Doodle’s older brother tried to teach him to do these things, but ends up overworking him. Later in the story, Doodle dies after falling down during a heavy storm while Brother runs away from him.

The work, “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst is a realistic nonfiction short story. In this work, a boy Doodle is born with major disabilities, and his brother (the narrator) is ashamed of him. However, he also loves him. Doodle cannot walk, but the narrator teaches him, and goes further into the “net of expectation” and pushes his brother too far.

Even with all the ribbons and a combat infantryman’s badge which he obtain through his tour with the pressure of his father. All that meant nothing; he didn’t earn them or deserved them. He felt responsible for Kiowa’s death. When he pondered about the tragic event, he recalls “the worst part, “was the smell” (139). Constantly, Norman graphic, vivid memories of how “Kiowa disappeared under the waste and water” (143), and how he felt being dragged down with him.

(564) all the while shielding him from the rain, the final consequence of the pride that ruled the life of the narrator. His guilt from not saving or waiting for Doodle is evident in the way he reacts to Doodle’s body. He panics, realizing the mistake he made in leaving Doodle behind, repeatedly calling out his name as if calling for him to wake up. When it sinks in that Doodle is truly gone, the narrator weeps for Doodle, crying “for a long time, it seemed forever, [he] lay there crying, sheltering [his] fallen scarlet ibis from the heresy of rain” (564), knowing he would never get Doodle

Brothers only motivation is to make Doodle like other kids to avoid himself from self embarrassment of having a brother who is disabled and going through a battle of his own ego. Meanwhile the story continues brother is selfish, careless and prideful throughout the story. One trait brother showed is being careless. He is careless because he is constantly reminding doodle how he is disabled. Doodle is unwilling to participate in brother’s cold-hearted attempts of pointing out his mortalities.

People with disabilities are no less than regular people and they deserve the same love and respect. Brother obviously does not understand this because he is constantly acting like he is bettering Doodle’s life when his intent is his own personal gain. Brother feels the guilt of teaching Doodle to walk for his own personal gain when he reflects, “They did not know that I did it for myself, that pride, whose slave I was, spoke to me louder than all their voices, and that Doodle walked only because I was ashamed of having a crippled brother.” Brother finally learns what karma can do to a person when Doodle dies. The scene of Doodle’s death is depicted as “bleeding from the mouth, and his neck, and the front of his shirt were stained a brilliant red.”

I screamed above the pounding storm and threw my body to the earth above his. For a long time, it seemed forever, I lay there crying, sheltering my fallen scarlet ibis.” Because his pride got in the way and made him push his brother too hard, his brother

“For a long time, it seemed forever, I lay there crying, sheltering my fallen scarlet ibis from the heresy of rain.” (page 6). These are the parting words of James Hearst from his short story, The Scarlet Ibis. The line describes the moment in which the narrator cradles the body of his dead brother, William Armstrong, more commonly known as Doodle. In the story, Doodle dies of a combination of a heart condition, fatigue, pneumonia, and the Spanish flu.

Another spot Hurst shows birds is "For a long time, it seemed forever, I lay there crying, sheltering my fallen Scarlet Ibis from the heresy of rain. " Regret symbolizes this quote because Brother was pushing Doodle too hard, and Doodle couldn 't keep up. Brother left Doodle, and

However in the end Doodle might have tried too hard because, when death comes knocking the door is usually answered and, sadly for Doodle he may have been strong but not strong enough, ¨ For a long time, it seemed forever, I lay there crying, sheltering my fallen scarlet ibis from the heresy of rain.¨ this symbolises the death of a bird called an ibis that Doodle had taken the care to bury just hours before, and his brother the narrator is now, remembering how just like Doodle the scarlet ibis had come so far from where is started only to die a tragic and sorrowful death, and how remarkable that it was the accomplishments they both made. Going more in depth in this his brother had never really shown compassion towards Doodle and sort of thought of him as a burden. THis is why some may see it as surprising that he felt so much emotion when his brother passed but, others not so much because, through the resentment there was always love only to be cut short by a short life. Taking a look back at the story it seems like everything lead up to Doodles death and it seemed as if there was a lot of death mentioned as it progressed too.

“The tears grappled with her face. “Rudy, please, wake up, goddamn it, wake up, I love you. Come on, Rudy, come on, Jesse Owens, don 't you know I love you, wake up, wake up, wake up…” (Page 535).

So enjoy the time you have with people. Such a short quote, but so much meaning. “sometimes I can hear my bones straining under the weight of all of the lives I’m not living.” (pg. 113) Thomas is depressed.

Happy is continually taking after the feelings of other individuals. Whether it 's his dad Willy, or his mom Linda, he quite often ensures that his opinion happens in the meantime as others '. In spite of the fact that he is generally successful in his occupation, he has his father 's absolutely impractical self-confidence and

In the short story “The Scarlet Ibis,” James Hurst elucidates the conflict between pride and compassion, and ultimately demonstrates that pride overcomes compassion. “The Scarlet Ibis” illustrates a tale of the narrator and his brother, Doodle, who had a physical disability and wasn’t expected to live after birth. Often, Brother resents the fact that he has a brother unable to do the same things he does; sometimes he loves and cares for his brother, taking Doodle everywhere with him, but other times he can only be mean, forcing Doodle to touch the coffin made for him. When Doodle turns five, Brother sets out to teach Doodle how to walk—even though the doctors said he wasn’t able to walk—and his family was joyous when they learned that he taught