Comparative Analysis of The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst and Simon Birch by Mark Steven Johnson

“The Scarlet Ibis” which is a short story by James Hurst and the movie, Simon Birch by Mark Steven Johnson are stories about two boys that are born with heart problems and have to face adversity. Simon Birch is a story about a boy who is born with a heart problem and grows up with a strong faith in God. He ends up dying a hero while believing God has a plan for everyone. “The Scarlet Ibis” is a short story about a little boy who is also born with a heart condition which leaves him weak. Throughout the story the boy becomes stronger by believing in himself and works very hard until his death caused by over exertion. In the two stories both of the boys births are very similar. They both were born with heart issues and were very small. The theme and lesson learned in both stories are also quite similar. The lesson learned in the stories demonstrates not giving up and to always have faith. The main objects in each story symbolize different things. The scarlet ibis foreshadows Doodle’s death while the armadillo in Simon Birch symbolizes friendship when Joe gave it to Simon. As previously stated, the births of Doodle and Simon are very similar in that they both have heart issues and were smaller than everyone else. In “The Scarlet Ibis” when Doodle was born, he was so small and unhealthy that no one in his family believed that he would survive beyond birth except his Aunt Nicey who said “She said he would live because he was born with a caul and cauls were made from Jesus’ nightgown.” In Simon Birch his parents were not sure if Simon was going to live, but he did and his parents were shocked and did not really want Simon. Both Doodle and Simon survived their births, with heart conditions. Doodle and Simon were very small due to their condition, and they both had trouble getting around due to their size and heart condition.

Another similarity in the two stories are the lessons learned. In the end of the stories, Doodle and Simon eventually die from their weak hearts and bodies. In the stories neither Doodle nor Simon ever give up in what they believe in or lost faith in what they believed. Doodle believes he can rise up to his brother’s standards and he works himself very hard to do so. Simon never lost faith in God and believed that God has a plan for everyone, therefore, he would not falter from his beliefs. The stories resemble each other in that no matter how small you are or whether you have a medical condition, you have meaning and if you have faith and are strong, you can carry out what you believe in. In Simon Birch, when Simon and his peers were on the bus coming back from the retreat and the bus crashed into the lake, Simon believes that God’s plan for him is to save the children on the bus and save all of them…Simon ends up saving all the children and unfortunately dies because of his heart condition, but he dies as a hero and fulfills his plan. In “The Scarlet Ibis,” Doodle tries his best throughout the story and works his hardest to rise to his brother’s expectations, which were hard for Doodle to achieve because of his weak heart. Doodle tries to grow strong like a normal boy and do things a regular person can do. Doodles brother expects him to be like himself and be able to swim in strong currents and run fast, but Doodle has a disability and will die if he over works himself. Doodle achieves a lot from the beginning of the story, but ends up dying from over exertion when he tries to keep up with his brother, while running in the rain. “Limply, he fell backwards onto the earth…he had been bleeding from the mouth, and his neck and the front of his shirt were stained a brilliant red.” He almost fulfills what his brother wanted. The lesson portrayed in both stories is to do your best with what you have, always have faith and believe in yourself.

Another similarity between “The Scarlet Ibis” and Simon Birch the animal objects and their symbolic meanings. Both the armadillo and scarlet ibis have symbolic meanings and represent the two boys with heart conditions. In “The Scarlet Ibis,” the ibis foreshadows Doodle’s death and Doodle himself. These two quotations resemble the foreshadowing event and outcome: “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 tree…Its long graceful neck jerked twice into an S, then straightened out, and the bird was still.” This quotation foreshadows Doodles death at the end of the story when he falls to the earth from over exertion. “For a long time, it seemed forever, I lay there crying, sheltering my fallen scarlet ibis from the heresy of rain.” These quotes prove how the ibis foreshadows Doodles death because just as the ibis fell out of the bleeding tree, Doodle fell to the ground bleeding from his mouth, and both the scarlet ibis and Doodle die. Doodles brother also refers to Doodle as his scarlet ibis. In Simon Birch the armadillo has a similar meaning, it represents Simon. Both Simon and the armadillo are small, but protect themselves. The armadillo has a hard shell to protect itself and Simon has his strong faith in God. Both stories have symbolizing objects with different meanings.

In conclusion, “The Scarlet Ibis” and Simon Birch are very similar and have similar events and points throughout the two stories. Doodle and Simon are both born with a heart defect and are very small and weak. The theme and lesson of both stories are similar and demonstrate to always have faith and never give up. Also, the theme symbolizes belief in anything you do to the extent of not over working yourself. Lastly, the two animal objects in both stories resemble the two boys. The scarlet ibis foreshadows Doodles death and Doodle himself and the armadillo represents Simon. “The Scarlet Ibis’ and Simon Birch are extremely similar and focus on similar ideas like never giving up and to always have faith.

Works Cited

1. Hurst, James. “The Scarlet Ibis.” Characters in Conflict, edited by Mescal Evler, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1996, pp.175-186.
2. Simon Birch. Directed by Mark Steven Johnson. Hollywood Pictures, 1998.