The Scarlet Ibis Argumentative Essay

The Scarlet Ibis Argument Essay Some people are selfish in such a way that they only affect themselves, but others’ selfishness can hurt those they care about. In the story, The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst, brother was one whose selfishness not only affected him, but everyone surrounding him, especially his brother, Doodle. Doodle was not like most kids, he had physical disabilities that were not hard to miss if one was looking at him. Brother didn’t want Doodle to be different, he wanted him to be a normal boy who ran, played sports and everything that he was not. Brother is a very narcissistic person who only wants to make himself look better for having a disabled brother. In the beginning of the story, Brother is beyond excited to have a sibling, but when he finds out that he is not what he considers normal looking, or physically able, he lashes out. He starts to plan ways that he could actually murder Doodle. One way he wanted to do that was by “smothering him with a pillow.”(158) Brother is a person who only cares about himself, he at first didn’t want Doodle in his life because he was embarrassed that he was the way he was. Doodle was born when Brother was six and “was from the outset, a disappointment.” (158) Brother never gave Doodle his full attention, he was too concerned about himself and the way other …show more content…
His selfishness destroyed a person he loved and cared for. It was his fault that Doodle was dead, he was the one who kept pushing him harder and harder, telling him not to stop. Selfishness is a very strong emotion, it can impact an individual positively, by setting goals and dreams and working towards what you want as a person, but it can also be a very negative thing, it can hurt oneself and other people they may love. Brother proves himself no better then Doodle, showing himself to be as morally destitute as Doodle is physically