The Scarlet Ibis - Krueger English

The Scarlet Ibis - Summary

• The narrator has a crippled younger brother, Doodle.
• He wanted to teach him to walk, run, swim, box, etc.
• A Scarlet Ibis dies in the family's yard, signaling impending danger.
• The narrator pushes Doodle too hard.
• ​Doodle dies.

Symbolism Used in the Story

• The Scarlet Ibis - the ibis is a way for Brother to cope with the pain and guilt. It's also a way for him to honor Doodle by comparing him to something that Doodle honored.
• Red - The ibis itself is red. The "bleeding tree" makes us think of red. The bush beneath which Doodle dies is red. When Doodle is born his body is "red." Then there's this line: "He had been bleeding from the mouth, and his neck and the front of his shirt were stained a brilliant red."
• The Barn Loft - The barn loft is small, cramped, confining, and dark. It's the home of Doodle's baby sized coffin. The cramped loft probably comments on or reflects the minds of the characters inside it. If a character is trapped in a tiny space, he likely feels trapped for other reasons too.

Symbolism Used in the Story

• The Clove of the Seasons - Brother is in tune with nature. He notices how these elements of the natural world impact his life and the lives of the people around him. The events in his memory of Doodle are linked to a marked by weather and the seasons. The story actually opens with a discussion of the seasons: "It was in the clove of the seasons, summer was dead but autumn had not yet been born, that the ibis lit in the bleeding tree."
• The Grindstone - A grindstone is used for sharpening tools. On a farm it would be used to sharpen plow blades, axes, etc. Maybe you've heard the phrase "nose to the grindstone." Putting your own nose to the grindstone means to focus and work really hard. The result, hopefully, will be a polished or sharpened product. If you put someone else's nose to the grindstone you force them to do the hard work that you want them to do.The grindstone of his mind polishes and sharpens Brother's memory. And Brother's memory seems polished, indeed. Everything is carefully arranged, sharp, and vivid. There are no moments of confusion, moments where Brother doesn't remember exactly what happened, or what the sky looks like. Literally speaking, the grindstone can't grind away "time with all its changes." In other words, Brother's memory is colored by his grief. He is going to remember his time with Doodle differently if Doodle wasn't dead.