Breathtaking Events in The Scarlet Ibis

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The short story, “Scarlet Ibis,” by James Hurst is a heart shattering story built with detail far more superior than other stories which creates a virtual representation in your mind. In the Scarlet Ibis, a child - unlike others - was born on one particular dawnbreak with birth defects and extremely cautious health conditions that resulted in the belief of a short lifespan. His brother was extremely embarrassed to have a weak and irregular brother, so he pushed his younger brother, Doodle, to learn how to walk and fit in with what he wants and to become a normal individual.

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However, he was pushed over the limits and it resulted in many consequences. This short story is a good story because it’s very descriptive, hurtfully emotional, and has a very grand and believable resolution. These characteristics make the story build quickly and become very successful.

Initially, the story pronounces its true dominance in its very own factor in description and symbolization.

The words expressed results in a virtual reality world that cannot be compared with most short stories. “The flower garden was stained with rotting brown magnolia petals and ironweed grew rank amid the purple phlox.” The physical description of the flower garden contained not only what was there, but the location of the diverse types of plants in correspondence to the external setting of the story. In addition, even the flashbacks are described in such a professional way it seems as it were present and the reader being put in that exact period of time.

“I pulled the go-cart through the saw-tooth fern, down into the green dimness where the palmetto fronds whispered by the stream.” The exaggerated view of the journey through the previous periods of time is very plentiful of exclamated objects which emphasize the quality of this short story. Furthermore, each time to setting changes or even a miniscule change to the surrounding environment - it is processed and described passionately. “The afternoon, it roared back out of the west, blew the fallen oaks around, snapping their roots and tearing them out of the Earth like a hawk at the entrails of a chicken.” The swift small change in the setting such as a time alteration is described as a roaring wind being so strong it can only be compared by a predator catching a prey swiftly.

Afterward, the story evolves over time and brings pleasant sparks to each individual. This makes the short story unimaginably emotional and cause the reader to have sympathy towards each character being put under harsh environments. While Brother left Doodle alone near his Paris green casket at where he was believably to be buried, Doodle became violently frightened at the lonliness to come and the visit of where Death was to meet him. “Doodle was frightened of being left. ‘Don’t leave me, Brother!’ he cried.” In this situation, Doodle was so scared of being alone that it symbolizes the fact that he is very dependent of his brother. It elaborates that Doodle is not fierce and is very fragile in comparison to others. Additionally, the most heartbreaking event occurs after Brother makes a very selfish choice that as a consequence results in guilt and permanent regret. “I lay there crying, sheltering my scarlet ibis from the heresy of the rain.” Brother had regret his decision to leave Doodle even though he knew he was weak and dependent of him. After all, he was only a “scarlet ibis” in need of help after his call of distress, “Don’t leave me!”

Finally, as the story progresses it and goes in advance and is approaching the resolution or denouement, it hits exact points which help end off the story after the dramatic and emotional events. “As I waited, I peered through the downpour, but no one came.” In context, after Brother left Doodle to force him to catch up, and pushing him over his limits he waited and waited for Doodle to come only for the rain to drown the roads and the entire forest. The reader can foreshadow that something bad is going to occur. In this short story, the resolution and climax is paired together that export a drop in the entire story flow, and then leave the reader paralyzed to retrace what had just occurred. This is exactly the reader feels after foreshadowing the previous text and to proceed further in this sacred short story. “He had been bleeding from his mouth, and his neck and his front of his shirt were stained a brilliant red.” This shows that Doodle had been suffering and is at a critical state after being pressured, and forcefully pushed over his weak heart’s limits. Death had drown him and Brother had lost Doodle just like the scarlet ibis loss to battle with the storm.

In conclusion, the short story, “Scarlet Ibis,” by James Hurst is a good story because it’s very descriptive, hurtfully emotional, and has a very grand and believable resolution. These characteristics make the story build quickly and become very successful. The absolute breathtaking events that occur along with the descriptive and symbolic text excite the reader in such an unusual way that no other short story can reproduce. The elastic flow of the story energizes the story in such a way that the reader cannot be mentally forced to pause the story.