The Scarlet Ibis

Hurst’s use of diction, imagery, and other textual clues foreshadow Doodle’s death and the narrator’s subsequent grief. The imagery in the opening paragraph—rank, decaying “graveyard” flowers—signals the thematic importance of human mortality. Additionally, the mention of Doodle’s unused infant-sized coffin, his proper name being fitting only for a tombstone, and the unexpected death of the beautiful scarlet ibis hint as the narrator’s loss of his brother. Additionally, the tree the ibis falls from is a “bleeding tree,” which, due to its repeated mention, evokes a mood of loss and death. From the onset, the narrator’s retrospective mourning, in conjunction with the somber diction and bleak imagery, foreshadow Doodle’s death.

The story juxtaposes two central themes: loss and hope. Although the doctors deem Doodle’s disabilities as restrictive and the Armstrongs believe he will die as an infant, the boy survives. Descriptions of Doodle’s determination to walk, his appreciation of the natural world, and his imagination provide glimmers of hope. His creative stories, centered on a future of togetherness with his family, for instance, are considered “beautiful and serene” (51) by his brother. Yet, along with this sense of hope comes the theme of loss, which is woven throughout the