illustration of a scarlet ibis cradling a boy's body

The Scarlet Ibis

by James Hurst

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"The Scarlet Ibis" Plot and Character Development

Summary:

"The Scarlet Ibis" by James Hurst is a poignant story about the complex relationship between two brothers. The older brother, motivated by pride and shame, dedicates himself to teaching his disabled brother, Doodle, to walk, a process that takes several months. Despite Doodle's perseverance and love, his brother's relentless expectations lead to tragedy. The narrative, told in flashback, highlights themes of pride, love, and the consequences of pushing someone beyond their limits, symbolized by the death of the scarlet ibis and Doodle himself.

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In "The Scarlet Ibis," what does Doodle's brother teach him after he learns to walk to prepare for school?

Once Doodle has begun to walk, the narrator/brother tells the reader, 

I began to believe in my own infallibility, and I prepared a terrific development program for him.

Clearly, the brother intends to make Doodle "normal" as he wishes to teach him to run, fight, swim, and to climb trees. So, once the summer vacation arrives, the brother takes Doodle to Horsehead Landing, where he puts his brother into the water and gives him swimming lessons or has him learn to row a boat. However, as the opening of school approaches, Doodle lags behind in his accomplishments. For, his swimming ability is poor, he has not the strength to climb ropes. Selfishly, the brother puts more pressure upon Doodle, but the little boy cannot meet the challenges; instead, he sleeps poorly and appears feverish. But, the brother feels that

It was too late to turn back, for we had both...

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wandered too far into a net of expectations and left no crumbs behind. 

This last figure of speech alludes to the fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel, the children who find their way home from the forest into which the witch has taken them because Gretel has left crumbs of her bread, and they escape the evil intentions of their captor. 

So, despite the iron will of the brother, poor Doodle and the brother's plans come to nought. Worse than this, the brother is the unwitting agent of the demise of his weaker brother as he forces Doodle out into the boat and they later must fight against a storm, a storm that claims "the scarlet ibis" of a brother.

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In "The Scarlet Ibis," how long does it take to teach Doodle to walk and what does that reveal about each brother?

Judging by evidence in the text, it takes between six and seven months for the older brother, who is never named, to teach Doodle how to walk. The brother reports that they began the task in the spring when Doodle was five years old. Since spring starts in late March, the reader might assume that it is either March or April. After months of painful work, Doodle eventually is able to stand on his own and take a few steps by his sixth birthday on October eighth. The experience reveals the level of dedication the older brother will display to make sure he is not embarrassed by having a crippled brother. He admits that he taught Doodle to walk because of his own pride:

They did not know that I did it for myself; that pride, whose slave I was, spoke to me louder than all their voices, and that Doodle walked only because I was ashamed of having a crippled brother.

In Doodle, it reveals an individual with a great deal of perseverance. But, more than that, it shows a boy who deeply loves his older brother and will do almost anything to demonstrate that affection. At the end of the story, we realize that Doodle is disappointed that he is not able to live up to his brother's expectations and, unfortunately, dies thinking that he has let his brother down.

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It probably takes about 9 months to a year to teach Doodle to walk. According to the text of the story, when Doodle is five, Brother begins to feel embarrassed that Doodle can't walk. He then takes him to the Old Woman Swamp and teaches him to walk. On Doodle's sixth birthday, they show the rest of the family that Doodle can walk. Thus, sometime between becoming embarrassed about having a 5-year-old brother who can't walk and Doodle's sixth birthday, Doodle learns to walk.

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What is the plot development of "The Scarlet Ibis" by James Hurst?

"The Scarlet Ibis" by James Hurst presents a lesson in brotherly love.  The point of view is first person with Brother serving as the narrator.

The story begins with Brother, many years later, recalling the story of his brother Doodle.

It's strange that all this is so clear to me, now that time has had its way.

The plot of the story is not linear because the events in the story are conveyed through a flashback which takes the reader back to the time when Doodle, the narrator's younger brother, was born.  Doodle struggles to live from the beginning.  No one expected much from him.  Although he had regular name, Brother calls him:

Renaming my brother was the kindest thing I ever did for him, because nobody expects much from someone called Doodle.

Admittedly, Brother has a cruel streak.  Once,  he forced Doodle to touch his own coffin.

When Doodle was five, Brother decides to teach him how to walk.  Brother's reason came from selfishness rather than love for Doodle.  He was ashamed to have a brother who could not walk.  Finally, after a lot of hard work, Doodle is able to show his parents that he could walk. 

Thinking he can teach Doodle to do anything, Brother decides to teach him how to swim and be like other boys.  The boys set a goal for the beginning of school:

I decided to teach him to run, to row, to, swim, to climb trees, and to fight.  But Doodle couldn't keep up with the plan. 

Doodle did not give up because Brother taunted him in to continuing on.

A poignant scene occurs when a scarlet ibis lands in the tree in the back yard.  The ibis is a beautiful bird native to the tropics. Obviously, something had happened to cause the bird to come so far north.  As the family observes the bird, suddenly it flutters its wings and falls out of the tree dead (Foreshadowing of things to come).  Doodle says they must bury it.

Later, Brother wants to continue the swimming lessons.  Doodle does not want to go, but Brother insists.  While there, Doodle collapses from exhaustion.  Just then, the wind picks up,  and it begins to rain.  Cruelty again sets in on the heart of Brother.  He rushes toward the house with Doodle trying to keep up  and yelling for his brother not to leave.  Brother goes as fast as he can.  Knowing that he should not have left him, Brother returns to find Doodle under a nightshade bush (Its berries are lethal.) dead. 

Brother, in his grief, realizes his loss and sinks to the ground:

For a long time, it seemed forever, I lay there crying, sheltering my fallen scarlet ibis.

Too little, too late...Doodle is gone forever.

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