The Red Bird, A Thematic Analysis

Brother deliberately killed Doodle because in the story it says, “He was ashamed of having an invalid brother.” Brother intentionally showed Doodle his casket because everyone knew he was going to die. Brother wanted to kill Doodle because they went up to the loft and Brother showed Doodle his casket and told

Battle In James Hurst’s short story, “The Scarlet Ibis” the author shows symbols of the color red to show how important it is to recognize Doodle’s limits. In this quote, Brother talks to the reader about what Doodle looked like when he was a baby. “He seemed all head, with a tiny body which was red and shriveled like an old man’s” (Hurst pg.1). The author uses this quote to show that Doodle isn’t as capable as the other kids his age.

The second example of red is found in the quote, “For a long time, it seemed forever, I lay there crying, sheltering my fallen scarlet ibis from the heresy of rain.” Hurst contrasts Doodle to the scarlet ibis. Covered in brilliant red blood, Doodle had bled to death. The narrator transforms Doodle into the scarlet ibis in an effort to hide from the horrific truth that Doodle is dead. The image of Doodle is so gruesome, so Hurst tries to lighten the scene by making it sound more beautiful, by using words such as brilliant red. The narrator does not realize how alike Doodle and the scarlet ibis are until he holds Doodle in his arms, and he can feel his slender frame and sees the bright red blood on his body, which looks like the scarlet ibis’s

The family of Doodle knew that he would have a short life so they just kept Doodle in another room so they wouldn’t get attached to him. The older brother showed Doodle his casket and threatened to leave Doodle there which was harsh and unnecessary.

While reading ”The Scarlet Ibis” it is clear that Hurst uses foreshadowing to give the reader the sense that something bad may happen later in the story. The first example of when Hurst uses foreshadowing for dramatic effect is when the Narrator describes why he is disappointed with his brother Doodle. “... and I wanted more than anything else someone to race…” from the statement we can infer that he (the Narrator) would do anything to get the ‘perfect’ brother, even if that means possibly overlooking Doodles health problems. We already had seen part of the evil and terrifying side of the Narrator in the passage, “... I began to make plans to kill him by smothering him with a pillow.” the passage just proves my point, he doesn't really care

The color red symbolizes a strong motif throughout this short story. “The Scarlet Ibis,” and scarlet is a shade of red. Doodle and the scarlet ibis are connected to each other. They both are damaged and die in a windstorm. As the ibis fell and hit the ground, he had blood coming from it’s mouth. When Doodle dies in the storm his brother treats him as if he were sick. Then Doodle symbolically overtakes the Scarlet Ibis.

At the beginning of the story, Brother is hateful. Doodle is born and Brother is extremely disappointed by his disabled brother. He always dreamed of having a brother he could run and play with, and

Then they are caught in a terrible storm, the brother walks back to see doodle dead and that how it ends. Author James Hurst demonstrates both the positive and negative

The author uses foreshadowing in the story to show that pride can indeed cause harm. Hurst shows this

From the start the Narrator didn't want a brother who wouldn't be able to do anything with him. He thought since the beginning what a disappointment Doodle had been and thinks about how "It was bad enough having an invalid brother, but having one who possibly was not all their was unbearable,so I began to make plans to kill him by smothering him with a pillow"(595). This shows how the Narrator even when Doodle was born never really liked him and was even planing to kill him then. He would be very cruel to Doodle by telling him how everyone thought he was going to die and that he is different from everyone else. He also showes Doodle his mahogany casket and pushes him off the waggon so he wouldn't want to go wherever he went.

This tone is established as stated, through symbols such as the scarlet ibis and the storm.The​ ​scarlet​ ​ibis​ ​in​ ​the​ ​story​ ​is​ ​a​ ​symbol​ ​for​ ​Doodle.​ ​Hurst​ ​writes,​ ​​​​ ​​“​A​​ ​​scarlet​​ ​​ibis!​​ ​​How​ ​many​ miles​​ ​​it​​ ​​had​​ ​​traveled​​ ​​to​​ ​​die​​ ​​like​​ ​​this,​​

I would like to start by saying that Doodle’s brother could say some hurtful things to Doodle that may discourage him. For example, “One day I took Doodle up to the barn loft, and showed him his casket, telling him how we all believed he would die.” (2) It was a poor choice for his brother to make and it caused Doodle to get scared and worried about whether or not his life has all been a lie. He did not know that his family thought

Everyone thought he wouldn’t survive, but Doodle beat the odds. Some think he survived because of a superstition. He was born caul made from Jesus’ nightgown. This miracle of survival is symbolism of life and hope. He lived, and because he beat the odds, the other characters, and even the reader, can find hope. Brother might have thought that because Doodle lived, he could do anything. That

Hurst utilizes foreshadowing to demonstrate how the brother’s selfishness and pride leads to the death of Doodle. Not long after Doodle was born, the mother explains to the brother that Doodle might be mentally handicapped as well as physically handicapped. The brother could not accept the fact that his brother is different, so he “began to make plans to kill him [Doodle] by smothering him in his sleep” (Hurst 1). From the very beginning, Doodle’s brother is unable to except the fact that his brother is not normal and never will be. His selfishness and pride leads him to want to kill

Firstly, James Hurst’s “The Scarlet Ibis” is a dismal story due to the figurative language that is used. This figurative language forces the reader to become sympathetic to the characters, and therefore connected to them.