Expectations and Disappointment Theme in The Scarlet Ibis Essay Example

It is often overlooked that high expectations lead to higher disappointments. In the short story, The Scarlet Ibis, One of the main characters, Brother, sets out to teach his disabled brother Doodle how to walk. As the story develops, Brother starts to expect too much of Doodle, and Doodle begins to feel exhausted. Eventually Doodle is pushed too far past his limits, that he is no longer able to exceed Brother's expectations. Due to these events, the central theme that the author of The Scarlet Ibis, James Hurst, develops throughout the story is that high expectations can lead to disappointment.

From the day Doodle was born, Brother was unsatisfied with his abilities. Brother decided to teach Doodle to walk, despite what his parents and the doctors said. For instance, Brother states, “When Doodle was five years old, I was embarrassed at having a brother of that age who couldn’t walk, so I set out to teach him” (Hurts 7). Essentially, this quote spotlights the fact that Brother wanted to teach Doodle to walk, not for Doodle’s sake, but because he was embarrassed that Doodle could not walk or participate in activities that siblings usually do together. As a response Doodle states, “I can’t walk, Brother.” Brother then asks who had told him that and Doodle responds, “Mama, the doctor—everybody”(Hurst  8). Brother then stands Doodle up and tells him that he can and will be able to walk. This dialogue highlights the fact that even though everyone said that Doodle could not walk, Brother was determined to change that. The author uses this quote to draw attention to the fact that Brother knew that Doodle wasn’t supposed to walk, but once he got the image of Doodle being able to walk in his head, he wasn’t able to let go of the expectation, even if it meant pushing Doodle past what he was capable of.

As Brother continued to make progress with Doodle’s ability to walk, Doodle began to grow tired and worn out. They had a goal that Doodle would start school soon and Brother would not let Doodle quit even if he was pushing Doodles limitations. For example, the narrator explains, “Doodle was both tired and frightened, and when he stepped from the skiff he collapsed onto the mud . . . He had failed and we both knew it”(Hurst 17). This quote emphasizes the fact that Brother kept pushing Doodle harder and harder until it got to the point where Doodle could not keep up any longer. Brother knew that school was just around the corner and Doodle was not ready yet, he knew that they had failed to reach their goal. This information suggests that It was the unrealistic expectation that Doodle would attend school in less than a year in the first place, and the hope that Brother would finally have the brother he always wanted, that caused Brother to push Doodle too far. 

The expectation that the two brothers had set, that Doodle would attend school in less than a year, is what caused Brother to take matters too far. What he didn't know is that it would lead to something that could not be undone. For instance, Brother states, “‘Doodle! Doodle!’ I cried, shaking him, but there was no answer but the ropy rain. He lay very awkwardly, with his head thrown far back, making his vermilion neck appear unusually long and slim. His little legs, bent sharply at the knees, had never before seemed so fragile, so thin” (Hurst 18). This quote displays the tragic occurrence that takes place when Brother leaves Doodle behind out of anger due to his failure to prepare Doodle for school. Although never directly stated, the readers can infer that Doodle's death was the result of overexertion caused by Brother pushing Doodle far past his capacities. Doodle had such a fragile body that he was never cut out for any of the things that Brother was having him do. Eventually he could not withstand the exhaustion any longer.

Essentially, after reading about what happened with Brother and Doodle, one of the main takeaways from the story is that high expectations can lead to disappointment. Throughout the story Brother provided exceptionally high expectations for Doodle, which caused Doodle to push himself far past his limitations. It started from Brother deciding to teach Doodle how to walk, all the way up to Brother preparing Doodle to attend school in the near future. Brother would not let Doodle rest. In the end, the author leaves the readers to explore the tragic notion that Doodle had died due to the overexertion of his fragile body with all these activities that Brother had ordered him to do. Ultimately, these high expectations were the cause of Doodle’s death, which was something that could never be undone.