Literary Device: Symbolism
Symbolism occurs when one object or entity within a literary work
represents another object or entity completely separate from itself.
Example: “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for
us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t
nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing
their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a
mockingbird.”
– Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird
After examining the quote above, what do you think
that the mockingbird could represent within Harper Lee’s work?
from “The Scarlet Ibis”
James Hurst
[In the story excerpted below, a little boy nick-named Doodle struggles to be a
regular active child roaming the outdoor world despite the physical handicaps
threatening to keep him home-bound. During his period of strenuous training
conducted by his able-bodied brother (who is ashamed of Doodle‘s
shortcomings), a physically weak bird arrives at the family home. Pushed out
of its natural habitat by a tropical storm, the scarlet ibis dies due to its
weakened state. At the end of the short story, Doodle is also pushed too hard
and collapses in death due to exhaustion.]
At that moment the bird began to flutter, but the wings were uncoordinated,
and amid much flapping and a spray of flying feathers, it tumbled down,
bumping through the limbs of the bleeding tree and landing at our feet with a
thud. Its long, graceful neck jerked twice into an S, then straightened out,
and the bird was still…Its legs were crossed and its clawlike feet were
delicately curved at rest. Even death did not mar its grace, for it lay on the
earth like a broken vase of red flowers, and we stood around it, awed by its
exotic beauty…
from “The Scarlet Ibis”
James Hurst
I stopped and waited for Doodle. The sound of rain was everywhere, but the
wind had died…As I waited, I peered through the downpour, but no one
came. Finally I went back and found him huddled beneath a red nightshade
bush beside the road. He was sitting on the ground, his face buried in his
arms, which were resting on his drawn-up knees. “Let‘s go, Doodle,” I said.
He didn‘t answer…Limply, he fell backward onto the earth. He had been
bleeding from the mouth, and his neck and the front of his shirt were stained
a brilliant red.
from “The Scarlet Ibis”
James Hurst
“Doodle! Doodle!” I cried, shaking him, but there was no answer…He lay
very awkwardly, with his head thrown back, making his vermilion neck
appear unusually long and slim. His little legs, bent sharply at the knees,
had never before seemed so fragile, so thin.
I began to weep, and the tear-blurred vision in red before me looked very
familiar…For a long time, it seemed forever, I lay there crying, sheltering my
fallen scarlet ibis from the heresy of rain.
“The Scarlet Ibis” – Author’s Purpose
• Examine the various uses of red in connection with
Doodle, the scarlet ibis, and other objects?
(Hint: What is the meaning of the word vermillion?)
Doodle
The Scarlet Ibis
Other Objects
He had been bleeding
from the mouth…
The scarlet color
of the ibis…
…his neck and the
front of his shirt were
stained a brilliant red.
…like a broken vase …a red nightshade
of red flowers…
bush…
…his vermilion
neck…
…my fallen
scarlet ibis…
…the bleeding
tree…
…the tear-blurred
vision in red…
“The Scarlet Ibis” – Author’s Purpose
• What does the following simile suggest about the
nature of the scarlet ibis: “for it lay on the earth like a
broken vase of red flowers”?
This simile underscores both the beautiful and the fragile
_________________________________________
nature of this creature who is out of its natural element.
_________________________________________
• Within the selections from the short story above, what
other ways are Doodle and the scarlet ibis similarly
described in terms of their physical appearance?
Doodle
The Scarlet Ibis
...making his vermilion neck
appear unusually long and slim…
Its long, graceful neck…
His little legs, bent sharply at the
knees…
…its clawlike feet…curved at
rest….
“The Scarlet Ibis” – Author’s Purpose
• What is the full significance of the closing line of the
short story: “I lay there crying, sheltering my fallen
scarlet ibis from the heresy of rain”? (Hint: Focus
on the meaning and implication of the word heresy.)
The
main character realizes (too late) the special nature
__________________________________________
of
his brother’s character that he failed to protect. Much
__________________________________________
like the scarlet ibis, Doodle was a weak creature too
__________________________________________
exotic for his surroundings - like the rain’s blasphemous
__________________________________________
attack on Doodle’s dead figure, the speaker’s
__________________________________________
challenges for his weakened brother were a sacrilege.
Answer the essay question below:
• In Hurst’s “The Scarlet Ibis”, the scarlet ibis
directly operates as a symbol for the fallen
Doodle. Write a well-organized response, with
direct text evidence and relevant commentary,
outlining how the author utilizes both the
color red and other physical similarities to
establish this sense of symbolism. Be sure to
include in your answer how this symbolism
links with the narrator‘s final understanding of
his brother Doodle.
Red – Major Writing Task
Blue – Minor Insights/Instructions