Symbolism in The Scarlet Ibis

1. Symbolism in The Scarlet Ibis By James Hurst http://web.umr.edu/~gdoty/classes/concepts-practices/symbolism.html

2. What is a symbol? • A symbol has complex meaning; it has not only "literal" meaning, but also additional meaning(s) beyond the literal. Sometimes the literal meaning of a symbol is absurd, so that the symbolic meaning over-rides and cancels out the literal meaning. A symbol may have more than one meaning. In fact, the most significant symbols do convey an indefinite range of meanings.

3. In the context of Christian symbolism, a tree can refer to the cross on which Jesus was crucified. Thus, in the right context, a tree can suggest a much wider range of meaning than its simple, literal meaning.Symbols with fairly fixed meanings can be used as ciphers; that is, the symbols can be arranged to encode a meaning that only someone who understands the cipher system can decode. • (Symbols used in this way are not really signs because the literal meaning is not intended; the reader is supposed to decipher the symbolic meaning). In using symbols in this manner, the author has a clear "story" (set of ideas) already in mind; the author simply transposes that pre-existing story item by item into a symbolic system, matching each element in the story with an appropriate cipher. The reader then decodes the cipher by transposing back into the original meaning.

4. Ranges of Meaning • Symbols may have very narrow or quite wide ranges of meaning. The range may be limited to an individual, or perhaps to a small group. People other than the individual or group will not understand that meaning of the symbol. A symbol's range may be cultural, meaning that it is known by members of cultural groups: ethnic groups, religious groups, national groups, and so on.

5. Why use symbolism? • “Just as characterization and dialogue and plot work on the surface to move the story along, symbolism works under the surface to tie the story's external action to the theme. Early in the development of the fictional narrative, symbolism was often produced through allegory, giving the literal event and its allegorical counterpart a one-to-one correspondence.” - Karen Bernardo

6. Importance • Symbolism is unmistakably an important element in the style of this story. Hurst once said there, “…are three characters in this story- Doodle, the narrator, and the setting, which comments on the inner action.” What do you think he means by this? How does Old Woman Swamp function as a character in this story?

7. Key Symbols • Doodle's "lies," the ten foot tail of the small peacock refers to the author's description of Doodle's full name, "William Armstrong," as "a big tail on a small kite" like the long fancy tail on the small bird.  • The grindstone grinds away the years, revealing the brother's memories of Doodle.  • The mahogany coffin symbolizes Doodle's death when his brother forces him to touch it. 

8. Continued • Old Woman Swamp symbolizes paradise for the two boys; there they spend their happiest days.  • The rare Scarlet Ibis symbolizes Doodle.  Both are rare and wonderful, and both die the same day.  Also, Doodle's neck, red with blood, and legs, thin and stiffly jointed, liken him strongly to the ibis. 

9. So should one always read literature looking for symbols? • No. Relax and read for pleasure and feel the story • Ask, what do the symbols mean to you? • Don’t look for something that is not there • Understand symbolism as a device writers use to bring meaning to a text • If a symbol perks your interest, examine it further