james hurst. symbols world war i the first world wide conflict between “brothers” symbolizes...
TRANSCRIPT
“The Scarlet Ibis”
James Hurst
Symbols
World War I
The first world wide conflict between “brothers”
Symbolizes the war inside of the narrator He is frustrated
and embarrassed by having a “different” brother
Struggles with too much pride
World War I
Symbolizes the war between the Narrator and Doodle The Narrator
pushes Doodle too hard physically
Symbolizes Doodle’s conflict over his illness/disease vs. wanting to be normal (to be able to run, swim, climb, fight)
Drought
During the drought, crops withered and died Symbolizes
Doodle’s fever and how he is tired
His body is starting to weaken
Hurricane
Powerfully destructive storm that destroyed crops and trees Foreshadows that
something extremely destructive is about to happen
The narrator leaves Doodle in the storm; when he finds him he is dead
The Scarlet Ibis
Red bird that is physically awkward; cannot fly; is sick and tired; dies; travels so far just to die
Doodle is physically limited; he becomes sicker as time progresses; travels so far (lives, walks) just to die in the swamp during a storm
The Storm in the Swamp
Intense and violent storm with wind, lightning, and thunder
Symbolizes the storm in the narrator – he’s angry and frustrated that Doodle will not be able to run, swim, etc. In his eyes, Doodle has failed.
American South, 1918
Setting
Man vs. Nature
Narrator and Doodle vs. the storm Man vs. Self
Narrator vs. his embarrassment over Doodle
Man vs. Man Narrator vs. pushing Doodle too
much
Conflicts
The coffin “Don’t leave me brother!” Doodle looks feverish and tired (the
drought and hurricane) The scarlet ibis dies “Red dead birds is bad luck!” “How many miles had it traveled so far to
die like this?” The storm in the swamp
Foreshadowing
The story begins with the adult
narrator, at the family home, years later
The narrator goes back in time and recalls having a crazy brother, Doodle
Flashback
Themes
Accept people for who they are
The narrator tried too hard to change Doodle into the brother he always wanted
Beware the evils of pride The narrator shouldn’t have wanted to
help Doodle for himself – shouldn’t have been embarrassed of having a brother who is different
Theme
How complex love for a sibling can be
The narrator loved Doodle but at times was completely annoyed and frustrated by him when he couldn’t keep up with the training program
The desire to make one over in one’s own image The narrator forces a change on a body that
was not equipped to deal with it – pushing Doodle was bad for his health
Theme