“The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst

Author Background James Hurst was born in 1922, and still lives near the farm in coastal North Carolina where he was born. As a young man he abandoned his ideas of an opera career, and settled into a job as a banker at a New York bank. “The Scarlet Ibis” received instant national attention after being published in When asked about the meaning of the story, he replied: “ ….I venture to say, however, that it comments on the tenacity and the splendor of the human spirit.”-

Plot Summary The narrator, a grown man, tells us about his memories of Doodle, his younger brother. The narrator is six years old when Doodle is born. Doodle is born sickly, and everyone thinks he will die and even that Doodle might not have high brain function either. Ashamed of having a brother like that, the narrator decides to kill the baby, but changes his mind as Doodle begins responding. When Doodle is two years old he learns to crawl, against all odds, even with a weak heart. Because his crawl reminds the narrator of a doodle-bug, he is named Doodle.

Plot Summary, continued Sometimes the narrator is mean to Doodle. Doodle begs his brother, who he calls Brother, never to abandon him. When Doodle at five still can't walk,this embarrasses Brother so much that he sets out to secretly teach him. Doodle does learn to walk, and on his sixth birthday he shows the rest of the family. Brother feels bad because he thinks he taught Doodle to walk only out of shame, not because he cares about Doodle. Still, the boys have lots of fun together.

Plot Summary, continued As Doodle nears his seventh birthday. Brother decides to teach him "to run, to swim, to climb trees, and to fight" (l. 212, p. 469). Things go well at first, but as Brother presses him harder, Doodle shows signs of weakness and strain. When school is only a few days away, Doodle hasn't learned all the things Brother wants him to.

Plot Summary, continued At lunch on the Saturday before school starts, they find a scarlet ibis, a tropical bird not native to the area, in a tree in their yard. The ibis dies before their eyes and falls from the tree. Doodle buries it, and seems sad. After lunch Brother takes Doodle to Horsehead Landing and makes Doodle row the rowboat, even though he's exhausted. A storm is approaching. Doodle and Brother are running to get home and out of the rain. Angry and frustrated that Doodle isn't ready for school, Brother runs ahead of him.

Plot Summary, continued When his anger calms, he goes back to find Doodle. He finds him curled up under a bush with his head on his knees. Brother touches him and see that he's been "bleeding from the mouth“ (l. 385, p. 475) and that Doodle looks very much like the scarlet ibis.

Characterization Brother, the narrator, is disappointed with Doodle. He wants someone to play with, yet all he sees is a physically disabled baby who might die. He is unable to accept Doodle the way he is. He even considers smothering his little brother until he discovers that Doodle is not mentally disabled- he is “all there!”

Characterization Brother seems a static character; he realizes early in the story that he is teaching Doodle simply because he is ashamed of him as Doodle is. He persists in his anger until he over-exerts Doodle, who dies in the storm. Perhaps the parents also were not perceptive enough about the feelings of the older brother.

Setting and Tone The author makes great use of setting in his story; he uses it to establish the tone, to provide foreshadowing, and to provide symbolism Time WWI (ends in 1918)- destruction – the blight damaging the crops can be compared to the destruction the war causes to people and places “And during that summer, strange names were heard through the house: Chateau-Thierry, Soissons, and in her blessing at the supper table, Mama once said, “And bless the Pearsons, whose boy Joe was lost in Belleau Wood”

Setting and Tone Place-North Carolina; cotton farm; Old Woman Swamp Atmosphere- clove of seasons- summer is dead & autumn is not born Summer was blighted- crops withered, curled up, and died What is the tone of this story? How does the setting help to develop this from the first paragraph?

Point of View: The narrator First person point of view Told in flashback “But sometimes (like right now), as I sit in the cool, green- draped parlor, the grindstone begins to turn, and time with all its changes is ground away– and I remember Doodle (l.13, p. 462).”

Foreshadowing Summer of 1918 was blighted- plant growth replaced by death and decay Fall of Ibis- Doodle’s fall Doodle’s response to the Ibis “Dead birds is bad luck…Specially red dead birds!”

Allusions Allusion- a reference in a work of literature to a well-known character, place, or situation from literature, music, mythology, film, religion (especially the Bible), art, or history. The Family Guy frequently uses allusions. Ex. This scene is an allusion to a scene in The Lady and the Tramp.

Three Allusions in our story 1. Belleau Woods- WWI battle sites 2. Hansel and Gretel- “It was too late to turn back, for we had both wandered too far into a net of expectations and had left no crumbs behind.” 3. “If we produced anything less than the Resurrection, [Aunt Nicey] was going to be disappointed.”

Imagery Imagery is descriptive language that deals with any of the five senses (sight, touch, smell, hearing, and taste), and even movement. Essentially, imagery is any series of words that create a picture, or sensory experience in your head. The use of figurative language (similes, metaphors, and personification) helps create imagery in writing.

Examples “…with a tiny body which was red and shriveled like an old man’s”- simile that appeals to the sense of sight “…curtains billowed out in the afternoon sea breeze, rustling like palmetto fronds”- simile that appeals to the sense of sight and provides movement “Even death did not mar its grace, for it lay on the earth like a broken vase of red flowers.” –simile that appeals to the sense of sight “The [rain] drops stung my face like nettles”- simile that appeals to the sense of touch Nettles are covered with tiny, nearly invisible stinging hairs that produce an intense, stinging pain, followed by redness and skin irritation.

Death Imagery Bleeding tree Rotting brown magnolia Ironweeds grew rank Graveyard flowers Mahogany box Black clouds, darkness descended

Other Examples of Similes and Metaphors Simile- William Armstrong’s name is like putting a big tail on a small kite Metaphor- “There is within me (and with sadness I have watched it in others) a knot of cruelty borne by the stream of love, much as our blood sometimes bears the seed of our destruction…”- The narrator’s cruelty is being compared to a disease that kills. Metaphor- “Pride is a wonderful, terrible thing, a seed that bears two vines, life and death.” Simile- “Promise hung about us like leaves” Simile- “Hope no longer hid in the dark palmetto thicket, but perched like a cardinal in the lacy toothbrush tree, brilliantly visible.” (red cardinal is compared to a sense of hope)

Symbols A symbol is a thing or idea that stands for something else The main symbol in the story is the scarlet ibis which stands for Doodle With what is red usually associated? Why choose a red bird and develop red imagery? We associate red with blood.

Theme

Key Lines that Develop Theme “There is within me (and with sadness I have watched it in others) a knot of cruelty borne by the stream of love, much as our blood sometimes bears the seed of our destruction…” “All of us must have something to be proud of.” “Pride is a wonderful, terrible thing, a seed that bears two vines, life and death.”

James Hurst’s Hope He wants the readers of “The Scarlet Ibis” to think of how the war raging among “brothers” in Europe is related to the conflict between Doodle and his brother. He reflects, “People always suffer when others try to make them over in their own image.” United States soldiers fire a machine gun in Belleau Wood, France, in June 1918.

Woman with Flower by Naomi Long Madgett I wouldn’t coax the plan if I were you. Such watchful nurturing may do it harm. Let the soil rest from so much digging And wait until it’s dry before you water it. The leaf’s inclined to find its own direction; Give it a chance to seek the sunlight for itself. Much growth is stunted by too careful prodding, Too eager tenderness. The things we love we have to learn to leave alone.

Relationship of Poem to Story This poem suggests that nothing can be good with interfering and being ambitious with growing things, that they need to be left to develop on their own, that “The leaf’s inclined to find its own direction.” The short story, however, presents both sides, the power of the human spirit to do far more than everyone might think with some encouragement; however, too much interference can be harmful.

Works Cited Hurst, James. “The Scarlet Ibis.” Literature Grade 9. Ed. Orlando: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Print. Shmoop Editorial Team. "The Scarlet Ibis Summary." Shmoop. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov Web. 26 Oct