James Hurst's "The Scarlet Ibis"

Who is Your Something? If you think back to your earliest memories, who do you recall being your main caregiver? Most people would remember a feminine figure, whether it be your mother, grandmother or another female relative. Commonly, females take responsibility over young children. In some cases though, a male in the family will take over this nurturing position, much like in The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst, in which a young boy decides to help his disabled brother learn to walk.

In the text, the reader discovers that males are able to take accessibility for a kid when a female chooses not to and leave the child the same as if a woman were to raise it. William Armstrong, more casually known as Doodle, was born very weak and was subsequently abandoned by his parents, especially his mother. After he was born, his aunt was convinced that he would live, however the first few years of his life were spent lying in a bed with minimal social interaction.

Doodle ;s mother did not stimulate him and help him develop like she did with her other son because she had no hope for him.

The Scarlet Ibis Summary

In her mind he was destined to live a life of solitude in a vegetative state. Only an impeccably well timed peek by his brother rescued Doodle from his prison. According to his brother, “It seemed so hopeless that it’s a miracle I didn’t give up. But all of us must have something to be proud of, and Doodle had become my something.

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” Over the course of his time with Doodle, Brother filled a crucial hole. He not only took over the role of Mother, but he was also Doodle ;s first teacher and role model.

With the constant, “take Doodle with you,” he plopped into a nurturing and encouraging force, all the while maintaining a healthy sibling rivalry. Some may say that because of the lack of a feminine figure Brother was forced to compensate and provide for his sibling. The true reason the mother neglected to provide for her son is not clear in the text. It could be that because he was sure to die young, she did not want to attach herself to him. In the beginning of the story when Doodle was very sick, he was constantly compared to other things such as a “worn out doll” and a “half-empty flour sack”.

The family looked at him as though he was inanimate; therefore it would be much easier to let him go, as opposed to someone they had had an emotional connection with. The thought of losing a child was too much for Doodle s mother to bear, and consequently she subconsciously chose to treat him as if he were not a child at all, resulting in Brother having to repair the shattered pieces of Doodle ‘ s early life. Even though the brother took full responsibility for Doodle, he was not always selfless.

We can infer that the mother was not completely involved in his bringing either, despite his lack of disability. By allowing him to go off on his own, his mother was avoiding spending time and making important memories with him. Through Doodle, the brother was attempting to earn some recognition. In his mind, he taught Doodle to walk and he should get credit for it. Going back to the line “But all of us must have something to be proud of, and Doodle had become my something,” opens a new door into the brother ;s way of thinking.

He was hoping to become his mother ;s “something’ by giving back the child she never truly got to have. The brother was the only one who had hope in Doodle, most likely because he didn’t truly understand the circumstances of Doodle ; s birth. He wanted so desperately for his little brother to be like every other boy. He pushed himself and Doodle to succeed while his parents were distracted with trying to forget their second son. Think back to your earliest memory. Just because someone that took care of you was female, doesn’t mean they acted as a feminine figure in your upbringing.

Because the mother neglected to have hope in Doodle, Brother eve him a new lease on life and acted as his mother figure. No matter your gender We all have a need, whether we are aware of it or not, to care and nurture for young children. While Brother thought he took over because of personal pride, the reality was that his internal instincts were kicking in. We all feel like we must have a “something”. When all others have lost hope there will be another person to take over to ensure our species survival by raising the new generation. We all feel like we must have a “something” to care for.