In the short story the Scarlet Iris, Hurst uses indirect characterization to illustrate to the reader that Doodle is overly dependent with regrades to his brother: "'I'm going to teach you to walk Doodle' I said 'Why?' 'So I won't have to haul you around all the time'" (Hurst 1). Due to Doodles physical condition of being disabled, he relies heavily on his brother to provide, support, and care for him. Although Hurst does not directly reveal to the audience that Doodle is immensely dependent on others, Hurst through the use of the narrator actions and speech, expresses to the reader that Doodle is a great burden and must be provided for all the time. Further more, the narrator describes his brother as "different from everybody else" (Hurst 3) and a disappointment or failure" (Hurst 1). Doodle is constantly portrayed with negative words which allows the author to convey the idea that Doodle is more of a burden and a great hardship than most. In conclusion, the Hurst allows the reader, with the use of indirect characterization, to feel sympathetic toward the narrator and empathize the hardship and strain that has been placed with him. This leads to the idea that despite the difficulties, the narrator is a caring and loving brother with regrades to providing for Doodle, despite the extra burden.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
How Does Hurst Use Characterization to Portray the Brotherly Relationship in the Scarlet Ibis?
In the short story the Scarlet Iris, Hurst uses indirect characterization to illustrate to the reader that Doodle is overly dependent with regrades to his brother: "'I'm going to teach you to walk Doodle' I said 'Why?' 'So I won't have to haul you around all the time'" (Hurst 1). Due to Doodles physical condition of being disabled, he relies heavily on his brother to provide, support, and care for him. Although Hurst does not directly reveal to the audience that Doodle is immensely dependent on others, Hurst through the use of the narrator actions and speech, expresses to the reader that Doodle is a great burden and must be provided for all the time. Further more, the narrator describes his brother as "different from everybody else" (Hurst 3) and a disappointment or failure" (Hurst 1). Doodle is constantly portrayed with negative words which allows the author to convey the idea that Doodle is more of a burden and a great hardship than most. In conclusion, the Hurst allows the reader, with the use of indirect characterization, to feel sympathetic toward the narrator and empathize the hardship and strain that has been placed with him. This leads to the idea that despite the difficulties, the narrator is a caring and loving brother with regrades to providing for Doodle, despite the extra burden.
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I really liked your topic of how Doodle is dependent on others, it was very interesting. However, I would like more clarity on why you think this is indirect characterization. This story has many things that tell the reader instead of shows the reader. There are times in the story such as when the narrator states that "If I so much as picked up my hat , he'd be crying to go with me;" where there are good examples of direct characterization. When you said "Hurst through the use of the narrator actions and speech expresses to the reader that Doodle is a great burden" you sort of contradict yourself in saying that things in the story tells us about Doodle and how much of a burden he is. Overall this is a great paragraph and I really enjoyed reading it.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great paragraph, Julia. You focus on specific diction to convey ideas and present a clear argument. Review the paragraph for grammatical and spelling issues though.
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