James Hurst creates The Scarlet Ibis with an abundance of many literary devices, but the main device is symbolism. Nature and the color red are the main symbols used by Hurst in his short story. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The scarlet ibis is a bird that Doodle finds dead on the ground next to the bleeding tree. It was not a common bird where they lived, so it must have traveled a great distance before it died. It is a symbol in many ways that exemplifies Doodle. Much like a Scarlet Ibis traveling a great distance, Doodle also accomplishes a great number of things, including surviving birth against all odds and learning to walk even though the doctor told him he could never do so. Along with this, Doodle and the bird's lives were shorter than expected. Throughout the story, Hurst references the color red which not only symbolizes death but also foreshadows Doodle's death. The first encounter with this tragic color is in the second paragraph when Hurst describes Doodle after his birth as a "little red body." Hurst uses this symbolism to warn the reader of Doodle's impending death. Later, Hurst uses the Scarlet Ibis, a red bird, which dies at the feet of the bleeding tree. The last time in the story that Hurst uses the color red to symbolize death is at the end, when Doodle dies. “He was bleeding from the mouth, and his neck and the front of his shirt were stained a bright red” (page 6). Hurst uses this last symbolic phrase to describe Doodle's death, but instead of illustrating the color red as terrible, he described it as brilliant. He does this to connect the graceful and beautiful death of the Scarlet Ibis to the death of Doodle. Nature is a recurring motif throughout this story. The beauty of the natural world enhances the lives of Doodle and the narrator. There are recurring descriptions of locations such as Old Woman's Swamp, Horsehead Landing, and the family home itself, before and after the events of the story. Doodle is fascinated by the beauty of the swamp's wildflowers from his first visit. This recurring natural motif connects Doodle to the ibis and the natural world itself, and accentuates the beauty of his life, even though it is very different from that of most children his age. The color red is a powerful motif throughout this text. The title itself is "The Scarlet Ibis", and scarlet is a shade of red. The ibis is perched in the bleeding tree, which also reminds readers of the color red. When Doodle dies, his blood stains his skin and shirt red. Besides these obvious references, the narrator also describes Doodle's body as being red when he was a baby: "a tiny body that was red and shriveled" (Part I). In this story, the color red symbolizes death, but it also symbolizes beauty, through the beautiful ibis, its tree and nature. This may seem paradoxical, but it is an apt representation of the jumble of contradictions that make up Doodle's life. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Personalized Essay There's a reason why Doodle is so reluctant to reach out and touch the coffin that was built for him as a baby when his brother takes him to the barn and tries to put him in there force. The coffin is a symbol of the death that Doodle escaped, and he fears that if he physically connects to it, he will invite death into his life. The coffin represents what was supposed to happen to Doodle, but..