Deadly Expectations
By: Kenneth Arnold
Everyone has to live up to expectations. In the short story, “The Scarlet Ibis”, by James Hurst, the character Doodle goes through something similar. The narrator teaches his physically disabled brother, Doodle, how to walk and other things that seem impossible for him, but the narrator pays the price in the end. The narrator abuses his pride so much and learns how setting high expectations, can hurt loved ones.
The narrator is training Doodle, not for Doodle’s health, but for the feeling of pride. When Doodle is born the narrator says, “It was bad enough having an invalid brother, but having one who possibly was not all there was unbearable.” (Hurst, 1) The narrator doesn’t love Doodle since he is disabled, and is annoyed with him. The narrator feels the need to change Doodle by training him. The narrator only helps Doodle so he wouldn't be known for his crippled brother. In addition, the narrator shows his family that he taught Doodle to walk he says, “They did not know that I did it for myself, that pride, whose slave I was, spoke to me louder than all their voices, and that Doodle walked only because I was ashamed of having a crippled brother.” (Hurst, 3) The narrator uses his brother as someone to use for personal gain. Pride is like a drug to the narrator, he can’t get enough.
The narrator learns how pride can hurt loved ones when Doodle dies. When Doodle dies the narrator says, “For a long time, it seemed forever, I lay there crying, sheltering my fallen scarlet ibis from the heresy of rain” (Hurst, 6) The narrator knows that Doodle’s death is inevitable and he doesn’t want it to come true, but it does. The narrator knows that Doodle’s training could kill him at some point. In addition, when Doodle and the narrator are running from the storm, the narrator says, “ I helped him up, and as he wiped the mud off his trousers, he smiled at me ashamedly. He had failed and we both knew it, so we started back home, racing the storm. We never spoke (What are the words that can solder cracked pride?), but I knew he was watching me, watching for a sign of mercy.“ (Hurst, 6) Doodle seemed to finally understand what his brother is doing by the end. That’s why Doodle looks up with mercy. The narrator finally realizes how pride hurt Doodle, but only when it's too late.
The narrator learns that pride hurts loved ones, but only when it is too late. The narrator never really loves Doodle when he is disabled. The narrator only begins to love Doodle when he begins to improve. The pride of the narrator causes him to be be blind to the harm he is doing to his brother. It is important to be aware of the reasons behind one's expectations. If people are pushing others for their own gain, rather than the benefit of the one they are trying to help, no one wins.
By: Kenneth Arnold
Everyone has to live up to expectations. In the short story, “The Scarlet Ibis”, by James Hurst, the character Doodle goes through something similar. The narrator teaches his physically disabled brother, Doodle, how to walk and other things that seem impossible for him, but the narrator pays the price in the end. The narrator abuses his pride so much and learns how setting high expectations, can hurt loved ones.
The narrator is training Doodle, not for Doodle’s health, but for the feeling of pride. When Doodle is born the narrator says, “It was bad enough having an invalid brother, but having one who possibly was not all there was unbearable.” (Hurst, 1) The narrator doesn’t love Doodle since he is disabled, and is annoyed with him. The narrator feels the need to change Doodle by training him. The narrator only helps Doodle so he wouldn't be known for his crippled brother. In addition, the narrator shows his family that he taught Doodle to walk he says, “They did not know that I did it for myself, that pride, whose slave I was, spoke to me louder than all their voices, and that Doodle walked only because I was ashamed of having a crippled brother.” (Hurst, 3) The narrator uses his brother as someone to use for personal gain. Pride is like a drug to the narrator, he can’t get enough.
The narrator learns how pride can hurt loved ones when Doodle dies. When Doodle dies the narrator says, “For a long time, it seemed forever, I lay there crying, sheltering my fallen scarlet ibis from the heresy of rain” (Hurst, 6) The narrator knows that Doodle’s death is inevitable and he doesn’t want it to come true, but it does. The narrator knows that Doodle’s training could kill him at some point. In addition, when Doodle and the narrator are running from the storm, the narrator says, “ I helped him up, and as he wiped the mud off his trousers, he smiled at me ashamedly. He had failed and we both knew it, so we started back home, racing the storm. We never spoke (What are the words that can solder cracked pride?), but I knew he was watching me, watching for a sign of mercy.“ (Hurst, 6) Doodle seemed to finally understand what his brother is doing by the end. That’s why Doodle looks up with mercy. The narrator finally realizes how pride hurt Doodle, but only when it's too late.
The narrator learns that pride hurts loved ones, but only when it is too late. The narrator never really loves Doodle when he is disabled. The narrator only begins to love Doodle when he begins to improve. The pride of the narrator causes him to be be blind to the harm he is doing to his brother. It is important to be aware of the reasons behind one's expectations. If people are pushing others for their own gain, rather than the benefit of the one they are trying to help, no one wins.
This was the essay I wrote for the short story "The Scarlet Ibis". I got a C for this but after I fixed all the errors it went to a B. My goals in writing are to be able to explain how I feel or how another person feels without using too many words. Or just to write stories that make you think in general.
What have I learned about writing this semester?
I've learned many things about writing this semester. Starting off with how you need to use present tense when writing an essay about a book. I've also learned how to format essays about character development. I also learned about different forms of writing. For example, with House on Mango Street is written in Vignettes. This introduced me to new forms of writing, it makes me want to write in a similar fashion. What I learned also helps me write more songs and gives me ideas for songs I can write. I have also learned how to write about character development in a timed setting, and not get worried about it.