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The Scarlet Ibis Conflict Analysis

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In James Hurst’s short story “The Scarlet Ibis,” a little boy has been born prematurely very weak and very crippled. The boy’s name William Armstrong but because of the physical structure or lack of it he will have the name “Doodle.” The story takes us through his struggles in life and his one and only goal to look and act as the other kids his age act so he can play with his beloved brother. With his brother helping him along the way to become a normal boy Hurst shows in this story that too much hope can lead to pain and suffering. Hurst develops this theme through conflict: Doodles conflict with himself, his family, and society.
Doodle’s initial and biggest conflict comes from himself ever since a young boy Doodle would have trouble with …show more content…

Doodle wants to have a normal life and for this he will need to act like other boys his age. Doodle will eventually have to head off to school and for him to act like a normal boy he will need to have enough strength to do the physical activities like running, swimming, and rowing. “Doodle still had a long way to go if he was going to keep up with the other boys”(563). If doodle doesn't succeed with this he will not have the same outlook on life as the normal boys would at school, But Doodle’s brother uses this to his advantage “Do you want to be different to everyone else at school”(561). Doodle’s brother uses that tactic and saying to motivate him to do great things. Doodle’s conflict with society gets even worse when he has his brother towing him around everywhere because he can’t walk for himself “ I won’t have to haul you around”(557). This quote shows how society looks at Doodle and his family.
Doodle has grown in many ways because of the conflict he has faced throughout the short story. With conflict with himself, his family, and society. Doodle has significant changes throughout the story from going from a cripple who couldn’t walk until he was five years old to a young boy who was swimming, rowing, and walking but sadly taken before he could really start

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