1
The Scarlet Ibis

• By James Hurst

2
Setting

• Time 1912-1918 WWI
• Place Southern U.S.
• P.D. the beauty of Old Woman Swamp, the
  bleeding tree, the withering effects of fall, the
  storm

3
Plot

1. Doodles birth and the discovery that he may not
   be all there.
2. Age three- Doodle begins to crawl, becomes one
   of the family and is renamed by Brother.
3. Age five- the narrator teaches Doodle to walk.
4. Summer of 1918- the narrator develops a plan to
   teach Doodle to do everything a boy his age is
   supposed to know how to do.
5. Same summer- the incident of the death of the
   scarlet ibis.
6. Because of over-exertion, Doodle dies.

4
Characterization

• Doodle
• weak physically, but mentally alert
• Real name William Armstrong
• Weak heart
• Frightened of being alone
• Good at lying
• Beautiful inside
• Courageous
• Amusing
• Intelligent
• Strength of character
• Loyal
• Wants to please Brother

• Brother
• Narrator
• Six years older than Doodle
• Disappointed in his brother wanted a playmate
• Cruel to Doodle
• Too much pride
• After teaching Doodle to walk, he feels
  infallible
• Wants Doodle to be like all other kids
• Feels guilty when Doodle dies

5
Conflict and Resolution

• Type Man vs. Self (Brother vs. pride and
  cruelty)
• Develop Once Brother teaches Doodle to walk, he
  becomes so prideful, he pushes Doodle too far.
• Resolution Brothers treatment of Doodle
  contributes to his death.

6
Conflict and Resolution

• Type Man vs. AF (Brother and Doodle vs. the
  natural disabilities of Doodle)
• Develop Brother would like Doodle to be a
  typical little brother and pushes him too hard.
  Doodle only wants to please his brother.
• Resolution Despite the grand plan to make Doodle
  like everyone else, Brother fails and Doodle dies.

7
Theme

• We often hurt the ones we love There is within
  me a knot of cruelty born by the stream of love,
  much as our blood sometimes bears the seed of our
  destruction.
• The human need for companionship and love
  Brother, dont leave me.
• Pride Pride is a wonderful, terrible thing, a
  seed that bears two vines, life and death.

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Literary Elements and Techniques

• Point of View first person participant
  (Brother)
• Foreshadowing the first paragraph (images of
  death), the coffin, Doodles statements to
  Brother about not hurting or leaving him, the
  death of the scarlet ibis.
• Symbol the scarlet ibis represents Doodles
  spirit (both are tired, sick, crippled by the
  storm physical weakness, delicate, struggled
  until death, beautiful, rare and those who are
  different are ultimately destroyed by society.
  Doodle resembled the ibis in position and color
  when he died.