Summary: The Scarlet Ibis By James Hurst

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 responsibility 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
We can infer that the mother was not completely involved in his upbringing 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