Scarlet Ibis

Symbol is using an object or action that means something more than its literal meaning. In the story "The Scarlet Ibis" by James Hurst William Armstrong is a life or death situation since birth his brother gave him a nickname of "Doodle". Doodle lived but was disabled, well at least that is what everyone says. The two brothers have a common relationship they love each other but the age difference makes the older one not wanna take Doodle with him and the fact that he's disabled makes it harder for the older brother to take Doodle with him. Being his brother and all he kind of forces him to walk, a good brother that inspired and helped his younger brother to walk when walking seemed impossible. Without knowing their relationship became stronger with the two brothers, Doodle learned to walk and the brother was proud about what he accomplished. He helped his brother walk, swim, and was trying to teach him how to run as well. One night they were eating and they heard a sound outside and when they went outside they found a scarlet ibis falling from their bleeding tree to in front of them. The ibis flew a long way to get there and he died. Doodle felt sad for the bird. He decided he wants to bury the ibis. They were in Horsehead landing and it was raining hard with thunder and lightning. The two boys were outside trying to get home. They speed walk and a tree falls down frightened the brother leaves Doodle who is even more scared then the older brother and he can't keep up eventually. He gets left behind. The brother finally comes back for him and finds his brother on the ground near a bush. Unfortonatly Doodle didn't make it.

In this story the scarlet ibis has to be the symbol of death for doodle. "Sadly, we all looked at the bird. How many miles had it traveled to die like this, in our yard, beneath the bleeding tree?" this quote says it all, this is the symbol the scarlet ibis traveled and probably went through a lot and ended up dieing. In the case of Doodle he learned how to walk, swim, run. A little boy who was giving for dead since birth lived to do what seemed impossible. But eventually his long journey comes to an end. Just like the scarlet ibis died on his journey so did Doodle. Live life to the fullest like Doodle no one saw hope in him until his brother found hope and inspiered him to do things he would never imagine doing. At the end he did die but he made his family proud "There wasn't a sound as Doodle walked slowly across the room and sat down at the table. Then Mama began to cry and ran over to him, hugging him and kissing him. Daddy hugged him, too. Doodle told them it was I who had taught him to walk, so they wanted to hug me, and I began to cry." Symbols are everywhere we just have to look for them the symbol here was the scarlet ibis and it meant death. The scarlet ibis died and it took Doodle with him.

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© ARNOLD RAY GONZALEZ 2010