The Scarlet Ibis

Study Guide

Literary Devices

Motifs

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Literary Devices Motifs

Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text’s major themes.

The Color Red

The color red appears at important points in the story. Firstly, Doodle’s face turns red when he tries to lift himself as a baby. Then, the scarlet ibis is described as “a broken vase of red flowers on the ground.” Aunt Nicey warns of bad luck when the red bird dies. Doodle also huddles beneath a red nightshade bush when Brother goes back into the storm to look for him. Finally, Doodle bleeds red from his mouth at the end of the story. The blood goes down his neck and the front of his body, so that he resembles the red-feathered ibis who just previously died. The color red relates to the theme of life and death, and its prevalence signifies that death is always looming for the two brothers.

Weather

There are two major storms in the story. A hurricane destroys crops and trees on the family’s farm, but more importantly it brings the scarlet ibis into their midst. The ibis has been blown northward, out of its territory, by the storm. This storm appears just before the storm that brings about Doodle’s death. These storms signify life’s fragility in the face of indiscriminate nature. The death of the father’s crops in the field, and the destruction of the trees in the yard, are visual symbols of Doodle’s coming death. The motif of severe weather is used to convey the idea that nature can be full of life and vitality, but it can also be unyielding and catastrophic, not unlike Brother’s pride.

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