The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst

Andrew brought me his literature book last night and told me that I had to read this story.


The Scarlet Ibis
by James Hurst
Pub. Date: July 1960
Genre: Fiction - Short Story
36 pp

Synopsis from BN.com:
Ashamed of his younger brother's physical handicaps, an older brother teaches him how to walk and pushes him to attempt more strenuous activities.

Why I Picked It:
When Andrew brings me something to read, it must have had some impact on him so I have to read it.

My Review:
Tragic. Sad. A story of pride for the wrong reasons. William Armstrong, later renamed Doodle, is born "a disappointment." The Narrator of the story, Doodle's older brother, only referred to as Brother in this story, had always wanted a younger brother to run, box, and enjoy the beauty of the fields and swamps near their home. But Doodle was not expected to live; instead, his parents made arrangements for his death. As the years pass, Doodle defies the odds, learning to crawl and then insisting on going everywhere Brother goes. Brother begins to pull Doodle in a go-kart whenever he leaves the house, sometimes being quite rough and reckless in the hopes of discouraging Doodle from coming along. Brother, as all siblings are at times, is quite mean to Doodle with the usual scaring, taunting, etc. When Doodle turns 5, to escape the embarrassment of having a brother who cannot walk, Brother decides it would be better to teach Doodle to walk, a feat no one thought possible. They work secretly and as success grew more a reality, they make a great reveal on Doodle's 6th birthday.

So there is a typical relationship between brothers with the adoration of the older by the younger, the power of being older manifesting in teasing, scaring, lying contests which Doodle invariably wins, and teaching even if the stimulus for the teasing is the fear of being ridiculed by others. There is the shared triumph of the younger brother overcoming the odds. And there is tragedy which will haunt Brother forever that stems from his own pride.

The story contains much foreshadowing of events. The symbolism of the Scarlet Ibis falling dead from the tree in their yard is a beautiful analogy for Doodle, though we are left to draw many of our own conclusions. I'm sitting with one thought swirling through my mind: I hope Andrew will always be kind to Kevin...