Analyzing Symbolism In The Scarlet Ibis

Analyzing Symbolism in The Scarlet Ibis (Wooden Structures) In the short story, The Scarlet Ibis, James Hurst uses many symbols to advance the plot, evolve characters, and develop a theme. The author uses wooden structures in this short story to symbolize two very opposite things, death and safety. The author uses the coffin to symbolize death and the go-cart to symbolize a safety-zone that Doodle steps out of to reach a goal. In the beginning of The Scarlet Ibis, James Hurst says, “Daddy had Mr. Heath, the carpenter, build a little mahogany coffin for him” (Hurst 385). The author uses the coffin to symbolize death, the one that Doodle evaded. The coffin is mentioned again when Brother’s cruelty makes him take Doodle to the barn loft to show
The coffin symbolizes death, however, the go-cart symbolizes Doodle’s safety, Brother’s burden, and a symbol of achievement. In the short story, Brother has to pull Doodle around with him everywhere he goes. Hurst writes, “ It was about this time that Daddy built him a go-cart and I had to pull him around” (Hurst 386). The go-cart is a tangible symbol that represents the burden that Brother has to bear. The go-cart advances the plot by motivating Brother to teach Doodle how to walk. Later in the story, the author writes, “He'd nod his head, and I'd say, "Well, if you don't keep trying, you'll never learn." Then I'd paint for him a picture of us as old men, white-haired, him with a long white beard and me still pulling him around in the go-cart. This never failed to make him try again” (Hurst 388). The go-cart served as a motivation for Doodle to keep trying to learn how to walk, because he didn’t want to be pulled around in the go-cart all of his life. After many days of hard work Doodle learns how to walk and the author writes, “At breakfast on our chosen day, when Mama, Daddy, and Aunt Nicey were in the dining room, I brought Doodle to the door in the go-cart just as usual and had them turn their backs,