When reality does not meet our expectations does that give us the right to simply throw it aside, or abuse the reality we were given? The narrator of “The Scarlet Ibis” was six years old when Doodle was born, he had many dreams of what they would do together and all the adventures they would take. Doodle was born as a weak, frail baby, his parents expected him to die very quickly. He survived when everyone doubted that he would and he grew to be a weak, frail child that was alive, withstanding his limitations. The narrator had illusions of the missed adventures and tried still, to achieve them even though his brother was oftentimes physically unable. The narrator is responsible for his brother’s death because he allowed his own pride and embarrassment drive him to push Doodle because he was not the same as the other children, he was aggressive toward Doodle and at times abusive, and pushed Doodle too far and didn’t understand his limitations. …show more content…
“He was born when I was six, from the outset, a disappointment”. (Hurst, 350) from the moment Doodle was born he was viewed as not good enough for the narrator. The narrator had longings of what a brother would be like, when his new brother was physically incapable to live up to his desire he tried to change him out of pridefulness. Embarrassment and pride were the only reasons that Doodle was taught to walk, not because the narrator thought he was able. “Shut up, I’m not going to hurt you, I’m going to teach you to walk” (Hurst, 354) Doodle’s disability was not something he could ‘fix’, and on account of his brothers ego, Doodle was pushed too far, thus ultimately he could be pushed no
In “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, the narrator is an abuser to his younger brother Doodle. For example, a few weeks before school was to begin, Doodle experiences sleepless nights and wakes up crying from nightmares as a result of his brother’s goal to teach Doodle to walk. It is understandable to try and have Doodle learn to walk day by day, but the stress Doodle is under to please his brother shows how the narrator puts his own pride above Doodle’s well-being. Considering that the narrator doesn’t take Doodle’s responses to his activities into account as he teaches, the narrator knows no boundaries as to what is helpful and what is treated as abuse. In addition, the narrator runs out of Horseshoe Landing leaving Doodle alone in the rain
In the short story “The Scarlet Ibis”, James Hurst indirectly characterizes the narrator as a selfish, immature brother, mostly from the thoughts and feelings of the protagonist, to demonstrate the idea that pride leads one to falsely believe in their infallibility, which results in them making regrettable decisions and hurting themselves as well as others. The narrator is portrayed to have an excessive amount of pride on the surface, but deep down, he knows of his flaw and suppresses it from his elders. “...I planned a terrific program for him, unknown to Mama and Daddy, of course.” After he teaches Doodle to walk, he concludes that his ‘methods’ of forcing Doodle to walk are effective, so he is determined to prepare Doodle for school by teaching
In the short story, “The Scarlet Ibis,” James Hurst, through the characterization of the narrator, demonstrates that it is crucial to meticulously think before performing actions that may negatively scar someone for the rest of their life. After the narrator taught Doodle how to walk and when they were going to demonstrate the great feat they had accomplished, the narrator felt a moment of realization and “...began to cry... 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” (9). Ironically, the narrator reflects on his actions after he performs them rather than doing it before. He not only does this
In the short story, “The Scarlet Ibis' ' by James Hurst, there are many big ideas that play a crucial role in shaping the relationship between Doodle and the older brother. Many examples of these big idea roles are shown within the relationship, but Hubris creates the greatest impact in determining the relationship between Doodle and his older brother Within the relationship of the brother Hubris is shown in various ways including how the narrator isn’t content with the brother he has and is set out to teach him to the impossible. When Doodle was born no one had faith in him, except Aunt Nicey. Everyone in the family thought Doodle wasn’t gonna make it far in life so they built a mohangony coffin for him.
So this why I think the narrator's intentions were true a first then later it became for his own satisfaction. If he accepted for who he was and not what the narrator wanted maybe he still would have been alive till this date. It's also true that if it wasn’t for the narrator doodle wouldn’t be able to walk but at least he would be
In “The Scarlet Ibis”, by James Hurst, a narrator tells a story in flashback of his childhood experiences with his brother, Doodle. He makes us aware of how Doodle was expected to die because of his weak heart, but he lived. Doodle learned to crawl, but he couldn’t walk or do many of the most common physical activities because of his disability. When Doodle was five, Brother taught him to walk and they decided to set a deadline of when Doodle should be able to box, run, swim, and row a boat. They struggled to reach the deadline and the work was very laborious for Doodle.
When Doodles brother cried when doodle walked in front of their parents but not for the fact that he taught Doodle to walk he knew he was being selfish. Although he wasn’t crying because doodle could walk but because he knew he was being selfish and wrong because he only helped him because he was ashamed to have a crippled brother and wanted to fix his pride. His pride was more important to him then doodle was. Which is the main reason he helped Doodle and he knew he was wrong for this
There are 56.7 million people in the United States have a physical disability, that is 19 percent of the population of the whole country. Imagine each and every one of those people being hated and shamed by their family, specifically their older siblings. Older siblings are supposed to be a role model for the younger children in the family but in “The Scarlet Ibis” the narrator was a prideful, spiteful, and murderous person who held shame and hate in his heart for his invalid younger brother. The narrator was the older brother to an invalid child who could not even walk, yet the narrator hated him for what he was and felt shame that he had to associate with a kid such as his brother. The narrator was the cause of his younger brother’s death
The narrator didn’t really love Doodle, was cruel to him, and thought him how to stuff out of his own selfishness, so thank to the gift of pride, the narrator is guilty for the murder of his brother Doodle. The narrator despised Doodle. When Doodle was born and alive- against what the doctor said- the narrator says, "I began to make plans to kill him by smothering him with a pillow" (Hurst 345). The narrator wants to kill his brother because he realized he would not die and because of that, won't be able to do anything physically like brothers do together.
But that didn’t stop him. Doodle’s brother suggested the idea of learning how to walk, and even though Doodle didn’t want to, his brother made him, anyways. “Doodle was both tired and frightened, and when he stepped from the skiff, he collapsed onto mud.” (11) Brother had pushed Doodle too hard, so he was fatigued, but also frightened of the storm. It wasn’t safe at all for his brother to be all alone, teaching him to be active.
Even the strongest, most determined people have their breaking point. In James Hurst’s short story, “The Scarlet Ibis” the narrator tries to lift his disabled brother, Doodle, to his impossible expectations. His hard work, dedication, and his tough ways benefit and damage his brother. The narrator’s pride makes selfish and cruel sometimes, but very determined.
In the story “Scarlet Ibis,” the narrator is flawed in his inability to let go of his desire to have a normal brother. The narrator has a little brother named Doodle, with an extreme amount of disabilities. Before Doodle was born, the narrator fantasized about having a little brother who would be his playmate. Doodle, however, was not the ideal brother. He could not walk or do much on his own.
Abusive relationships often lead to regret in the long run. In James Hurst’s “The Scarlet Ibis”, brother takes Doodle for granted, he also takes advantage of Doodle, and he does not accept Doodle for the way he is. The lack of love brother has for Doodle leads him to substantial regret in the end. If you take your partner’s unique characteristics for granted you will later regret it.
In “The Scarlet Ibis”, James Hurst shows that one should not take the easy way out by submitting to one’s obstacles because in the end, it won’t be worth it. “I heaved him up again collapsed… ‘I just can’t do it.’ [Doodle says]” (Hurts 598). An example of the theme is when Doodle submits to his obstacle, which is his brother setting a goal for him he doesn’t care to achieve. By not facing his problems, The narrator’s younger brother’s problems get worse, and somewhat lead to his death.
Scarlet Ibis “Selfish people tend to only be good to themselves… then are surprised when they are alone”,(unknown).This is how Brother found himself when he abandoned Doodle during a storm. In The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst a child named William Armstrong (Doodle) is born with a medical condition who revokes him the ability to walk. But the selfishness, his Brother has been blinded by makes him want to teach his Brother to walk out of embarrassment “of having a crippled brother.” Therefore Brother is two faced he can be selfish or he can be altruistic to Doodle, which demonstrates how complex brotherly love can be.