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The Scarlet Ibis: A Symbolic Analysis

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One symbol in “The Scarlet Ibis” is the casket built for Doodle as a baby. According to the text, “‘And before I’ll help you down from the loft, you’re going to have to touch it.’ ‘I won’t touch it,’ he said sullenly.” (paragraph 10, The Scarlet Ibis) it seems as if Brother knows what is going to happen in the near future because he denied Doodle of coming back down until he touched the coffin. There is a reason Doodle was so reluctant to reach out and touch the casket that was built for him as a baby. The casket is a symbol for the death that Doodle evaded, and he fears that if he physically makes contact with it, he is inviting death back into his life. The casket represents what was supposed to happen to Doodle, but by some strange trick

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