The Scarlet Ibis By James Hurst: Literary Analysis

The Scarlet Ibis
[HS] Pride is often called a double edged sword and Love is often referred to as blind. These two powerful emotions that one possesses can either enrich life or destroy life. Pride doesn’t let you see or choose what is right or wrong and can destroy a good thing because you cannot see through it. Love too is blind and accepting and can keep you from seeing a person for who they are or their true intentions. Both lead down a path of destruction if either is not balanced within a person. Both are blind and destroyed without prejudice never allowing you choice when either is over abundant in a person. The author, James Hurst, demonstrates this in The Scarlet Ibis through physically handicapped, Doodle and his brother‘s relationship.
Brother’s cruelty towards Doodle stems from pride which leads to disappointment, embarrassment and cruelty and Doodle tolerates it because he has blind trust and love for Brother.
[TS]Embarrassment stemming from society’s views leads Brother to no longer wants a burden of a brother and refuses to accept him as he is.
[CD] For instance, Brother’s pride pushes him to change Doodle to what he wants and what he needed in a brother. For example, Brother began teaching Doodle to walk without anyone knowing because though he wanted to succeed, if he failed he would not be able to handle the crushing blow. [DQ] For example when Brother's family congratulates him on his success, he cries with shame because, “They did not know that I did it for myself; that pride . . . that Doodle walked only because I was ashamed of having a crippled brother” (599). [COM] Whether it was to be free from caring for Doodle or for concerns on how others would view Doodle and himself, Brother was always thinking of how Doodle affected him. Brother wanted to be the same like everyone else. Since people have a harder time accepting something that is different, they tend to fear or avoid these things. They do not want to venture or to see that difference does not always mean bad and often if given a chance, similarities can be found. Cruelty is often a way a means of separation and dominance that stems from pride. Brother is too proud to accept Doodle as he is so he is cruel to him both at the beginning because Doodle is forced upon him and later when Doodle fails to achieve Brother’s goals for him. Brother cannot tolerate the idea that he will be looked at as having a crippled brother and one that he will always be responsible
for. [TS] Brother is very disappointed with how Doodle is, what he is and does not want the responsibility nor the shame he will feel when others see Doodle. Brother realizes if Doodle is not a real brother, then he will make him into one by teaching him and If Doodle cannot be a real brother, then he doesn’t want one at all. [CD] For instance, early on Brother started to create plans to kill Doodle due to shame and embarrassment. [DQ] His need for a real brother outweighed commonsense as shown by, “I began to make plans to kill him by smothering him” (595). [COM] At the thought that even mentally Doodle may not be normally was just too much for Brother and he just couldn’t handle it. Doodle though alive, just was not what was expected. Hearing the doctor and his family speaking as if Doodle would die any day or be a vegetable made Brother uncomfortable enough to think of killing another human being without a second thought is very powerful. Disappointment of not getting what you want for some can be such a strong emotion and the thought of what you would have can be so overwhelming it is amazing how extreme measures can be thought of and possibly taken to alleviate these emotions. Once realizing that Doodle may not be mentally handicapped, the door swung open for pride to lead the way to change Doodle.
[TS] Love is compassion and acceptance and clashes with Pride which is cruel and disapproving. [CD] Both can reflect upon the one who loves and the one that pride has targeted in embarrassment. In this case they are one in the same, Doodle. Both emotions are blinding in their own way often leading to the same results. Tired of dragging Doodle around, Brother decided to teach him how to walk. Brother gave the reason to Doodle as something other than what the true reason was, possibly out of pride which comes from social perception that creates embarrassment. [DQ] This is demonstrated in the phrase, “Embarrassed at having a brother that couldn’t walk . . . so I set out to teach him” (597). He told Doodle so he wouldn’t have “to haul you around”. [COM] This contrast in reasons for teaching Doodle to walk can be interpreted as he is even too embarrassed to tell Doodle the truth or that Brother does love Doodle and cannot tell him the truth to keep from hurting Doodle, yet Brother doesn’t realize he loves Doodle either. In reality from a pride standpoint, if Doodle’s feelings are hurt, then he may not want to learn to walk and Brother would be faced with a crippled brother and embarrassment. Teaching him to walk was just the beginning of a driving force that Brother continued on the path to create the brother he wanted and needed. In a way it kept them from truly bonding while in truth, the bonding was much deeper and not realized until after the fact. Doodle was dead before Brother realized that he truly loved him for himself and how Doodle was “a brother”. Situations can change instantly and often too late, it is discovered that what you needed, not what you wanted was right there from the beginning. Pride can push one to reach goals that might not otherwise be achieved, but it is also a dangerous emotion that can blind you from the truth and push you way beyond with disastrous results. Love can blind you too and cause the same disastrous results by not allowing you to see what something really keeping you from protecting yourself, growing or being yourself.
This story resonates that pride is a double edged sword as Brother’s pride pushed Doodle to accomplish so much more than what he would ever been expected to achieve and that same pride in the end killed Doodle. By pushing him too hard, forcing him to keep up and refusing to see that Doodle was suffering, finally just leaving him behind ultimately to die. Brother failed to see, accept and to help his brother when he needed him. Blinded by love, Doodle to go beyond his physical capabilities not for himself, but for Brother, refusing to listen to his body not wanting to fail his brother. Realizing his failure in the end, he accepts fate by sitting down, curling up and allows death to overcome him. Doodle too has failed his brother and death seemed more acceptable than losing what he thought his brother had for him, love. In the end, Brother is no better than Doodle himself; he is morally and socially handicapped to Doodle’s physical handicap. Time has not changed these emotions. It is vital for people to accept others, not discriminate against and to love, truly seeing with your eyes open what is, not what can be and be accepting. Only then will there be peace within man which will reflect throughout the world creating peace and harmony.