Sarkissian 3

Christopher Sarkissian
Ms. Powditch
English 9 CP, Per. 6
19 November 2014
The Scarlet Ibis
In stories, there is generally a theme. A theme is a topic as well
as someones opinion on that topic. In the story The Scarlet Ibis by
James Hurst there are many debatable themes, but the most profound
one is that pride cam blind you because of the narrators actions and
the narrator mentions it many times throughout the story.
One reason the theme of the story is pride can blind you is
because of the narrators actions. Fore example, just after the narrator
takes Doodle to see his coffin, he says, I was embarrassed at having a
brother of that age that couldnt walk, so I set out to teach him(432).
At first, this seems like a nice gesture, but the only reason Doodle
learns to walk in the first place was because the narrator was
embarrassed at having a disabled brother. He could not allow Doodles
inability to walk hinder his pride. But, the narrator realizes this is the
case. Once he and Doodle show their family that Doodle can now walk,
he starts crying and thinks, They did not know I did it for myself; that
pride, whose slave I was, spoke to me louder than all their voices, and
that doodle walked only because I was ashamed of having a crippled
brother(434). This shows that although he recognizes his pride at

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some point, he just ignores it and continues to push Doodle to the
limit. He was in conflict between his pride and what he knew was right,
and in the end, pride won the battle. Next, we see his pride come
through towards the end of the story. After weeks of hard training,
Doodle has hit a wall in his progression. Just a few days before
Doodles school starts, the narrator reveals, I should have already
admitted defeat, but my pride wouldnt let me(437). The narrator has
become far too proud of his work with Doodle and does not want to see
it all go to waste. Later in the story, it is revealed that Doodle dies
because the brother leaves him behind. This shows that the narrators
pride blinded him and Doodle had to pay the ultimate price for it.
The second reason the theme of the story is pride can blind you
is that the narrator almost explicitly says so throughout the story. For
example, after beginning to teach Doodle how to walk, the narrator
says It seemed so hopeless from the beginning that its a miracle I
didnt give up. But all of us have something to be proud of, and Doodle
had become mine. I did not know then that pride is a wonderful,
terrible thing, a seed that bears two vines, life and death(433). The
narrator is trying to say that pride can be good, but too much of it,
which is what he had, would be someones downfall. He says that too
much pride can be blinding. Another example is when Doodle and the
narrator agree on a development program for Doodle. The narrator
says, Once I had succeeded in teaching Doodle how to walk, I began

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to believe in my own infallibility, and I prepared a terrific development
program for him(435). This shows that he really believes he cannot
fail and that nothing bad could possibly happen because to this. He
thinks that failure is not an option or a possibility, and this concept
leads to Doodles death.
Overall, the theme of the story The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst
is that pride can blind you. The theme is this because of the narrators
actions as well as the fact that the narrator says so many times
throughout the story.