Brotherly Injury: The Scarlet Ibis Anonymous 9th Grade

Being selfishly consumed with shame and pride over a loved one can cause one to treat that beloved individual in cruel ways. In James Hurst’s fictitious short story "The Scarlet Ibis," the narrator realizes exactly these truths through brutal experience. The story is a flashback told in the antagonist’s point of view; it is about a boy whose internal conflicts toward his brother, Doodle, motivated him to push his brother until he broke. Pride, love, and shame battle with the narrator’s desire to help Doodle: his love encourages the need to help, but he ultimately gives way to the cruelty that killed his brother.

The narrator urges Doodle past his physical boundaries due to the shame he felt in Doodle’s failures, and because of his selfish desire for a brother who was normal. But more deeply, the narrator was afraid of what other people would think of him when he was in Doodle’s company. He was ashamed of his sweet, guileless, and jovial brother, who looked up to him (Brother) and did not even have the ability to walk. “It was bad enough having an invalid brother...I was ashamed of having a crippled brother” (146, 149). Because he was ashamed of Doodle, the narrator tried to transform him into something he could be proud of. He...