The Scarlet Ibis By James Hurst: Literary Analysis

The short story written by James Hurst “The Scarlet Ibis” explains that a selfish deed is not always bad. The story starts with the narrator, Brother, and his little brother Doodle. When Doodle was being born, he was red, and all shriveled up, a disappointment, and everyone thought he would die. When their mother always told Brother to take Doodle with him everywhere he went, Brother is embarrassed to be seen with his 5 year-old brother, who couldn’t walk, but had to be pulled everywhere in a mini go-cart. The narrator made it his mission to set out to teach Doodle to walk and everything else, so he wasn’t behind everyone in his grade. One day they went to Horsehead Landing, so narrator could teach Doodle how to swim but there came a lightning storm.
Another example that illustrates that a selfish deed is not always bad is when Brother takes Doodle to the kitchen in the go-kart for breakfast. Towards the middle of the story, the narrator explains what happen when Brother and Doodle entered the kitchen. Brother said, “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… I helped Doodle up, and when he was standing alone I let them look” (5). That day at breakfast Brother wanted to show his parents and aunt what he accomplished, and that he would not let Doodle embarrass him anymore because he taught Doodle to walk. Then when his parents saw Doodle walk they couldn’t help but cry and hug Doodle for what he accomplished and Doodle told everyone that Brother taught him to walk and everyone hugged him and cried. The short story written by James Hurst “The Scarlet Ibis” demonstrates a selfish deed is not always