The Scarlet Ibis Personal Narrative

In James Hurst’s “The Scarlet Ibis,” the first-person narration enables the reader to see the narrator’s emotional changes as he grows up with his “invalid” brother. The story was told by the brother, who helped Doodle overcome many challenges he faced due to his disability. For instance, The narrator was seen as self-centered. “When Doodle was five years old, I was embarrassed at having a brother of that age who couldn’t walk, so I set out to teach him.” (Hurst, n.d., 4) For the reader, it seemed selfish of the brother that he taught Doodle to walk to benefit the narrator himself, not necessarily Doodle. As well, because the story was told only by the brother’s perspective, there was no way to know how the other family members handled Doodle’s