The Color Red: Symbolism in "The Scarlet Ibis"

In books and stuff, colors can tell us a lot more than what you see. You know, like deeper meanings? Take red, for example. It's all over the place, talking about love or danger or whatever. In James Hurst's short story "The Scarlet Ibis," red's doing its thing with love and death. Let's dive into how red shows up in this story and what it means for love, pride, and death.

Red as Life and Fragility

So first off, there's this scarlet ibis, right? It just pops up at the main character's house out of nowhere. Its feathers are super red, like "living blood clot" red (Hurst 2). That makes you think about life, doesn't it? But also how fragile everything is. Brother—the main guy—loves his little bro Doodle like crazy. Doodle's got his issues, but he's kinda like that bright red bird; stands out a lot in his family.

Death Lurking Around

But hey, don't get too comfy. That ibis ends up dead in their yard after its long trip. Those bright feathers? Yeah, not so bright anymore when it's dead. This part really sets up what happens to Doodle later on. Red here is screaming death and warning us about the sad ending coming up.

Pride Takes Over

And then there's Brother's pride in Doodle. He's always pushing him to walk and show everyone he can do big things despite his problems. It's kinda intense, though. Brother talks about his pride when Doodle finally walks as "the pride I had when I began to make plans to kill him by smothering him with a pillow" (Hurst 4). Sounds crazy, right? That red again—it’s not just love but also guilt mixing things up.

Wrapping It All Up

So yeah, in "The Scarlet Ibis," red is juggling all these emotions—love, death, pride—you name it. Through all those symbols tied to the bird, Hurst lets us feel Brother's deep love for Doodle while hinting at how tragic their relationship is. Red tells us life’s fragile and we can't dodge death forever. It also shows how pride can mess things up if you're not careful. Hurst knew what he was doing with that color; it makes this story stick with you long after you've read it.

References

1. Hurst, J. (1960). The Scarlet Ibis. The Atlantic.
2. Smith, R.J., & Brown, T.L. (2015). Colors in Literature: An Analysis of Symbolism.
3. Whitehead, A.S., & Greenfield, M.R.B (2018). Themes of Mortality in Short Stories.
4. Johnson-Cadeau S., et al (2020). Understanding Pride through Character Dynamics.
5. Lopez B., & Marinelli J.P (2021). Emotional Symbolism: How Colors Tell Stories.