Essay On The Scarlet Ibis Themes

Moreover, even when Doodle got sick and interfered with the plan’s progress, the boy did not give up on changing him and preparing him for school.He believes that it is a definite thing for Doodle to be able to attend school and live his life like everyone else when he states the “success lay at the end of summer like a pot of gold” (599).In the “Scarlet Ibis,” the narrator’s feeling of embarrassment about his confined brother creates a motivation for improving Doodle’s physical state, but at the same time, damaging his health.

Even though Doodle was “watching for a sign of mercy” (604) and yelling “brother, brother, don’t leave me! ” (604) when he had fallen down, the boy can only comprehend how much of his pride is hurt.

Persuaded by his egoism, the narrator pushes his brother to such an extreme that lead to Doodle’s death.

During Doodle’s toddler years, the boy feels disappointment because Doodle wasn’t capable of accomplishing brotherly conventions.

He proves this when he states that he “wants more than anything else someone to race to Horsehead Landing, someone to box with, and someone to perch with in the top fork of the great pine” (595).

In his work, Hurst portrays the dangers of forcing an individual to conform to society’s standards.

In the “Scarlet Ibis,” the narrator cannot approve the fact that Doodle is not normal like everyone else.

Owning to the boy’s determined goal and his refusal to admit that Doodle has a disability, he does not recognize failure or the possibility that Doodle cannot function as normal people do.

For this reason, he feels angry when Doodle wasn’t able to run, swim, fight and climb trees like he had planned.

In the boy’s opinion, Doodle could not live up to such a superior label; consequently, he gives his brother a name that reflects low standards and expectations.

In addition, the boy considers Doodle to be inferior because he became a burden.