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This week in class, we read the short story "The Scarlet Ibis" by James Hurst. I observed in the story that Doodle, who I believe is the protagonist, is the Jesus like figure in the story. A Jesus figure in a story is a character who is usually sacrificed or dies for the sins of other people. Doodle dies for his brother’s sins. His brother sins because everything he does for Doodle is really for himself and not for the benefit of Doodle. He is ashamed of his crippled, disabled brother so he teaches him to walk; one thing that his disability restricts or makes it hard for him to do. He wants Doodle to be normal. He tries to “fix” him but then betrays him when Doodle really needed him so he could save himself. The brother betrayed Doodle right before he dies like Judas betrayed Jesus the day he was crucified. Since the brother put himself first and ultimately sinned, he lost his brother.
Doodle reminds me another character from a short story we previously read called “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. This was the first time I had learned about what a Jesus figure was. Tessie Hutchinson is sacrificed in the story and therefore was the Jesus figure. She died for the sins of her small town but also for her sins.
These two stories are very different in some ways. Doodle is like the light and the innocence in the story, whereas his brother is very self centered and cynical. Tessie Hutchinson is the complete opposite if Doodle in the story. She is more similar to the brother. She feels very important in her town and she is overly confident. She is sacrificed for the good of the town. On the other hand, Doodle was not sacrificed. He died because his brother wanted to save himself instead of saving both of them.
Although Tessie is not the light in the short story, she is still the Jesus figure because the whole town has sinned for having the lottery. She also died to save herself from more sinning.
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Doodle reminds me another character from a short story we previously read called “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. This was the first time I had learned about what a Jesus figure was. Tessie Hutchinson is sacrificed in the story and therefore was the Jesus figure. She died for the sins of her small town but also for her sins.
These two stories are very different in some ways. Doodle is like the light and the innocence in the story, whereas his brother is very self centered and cynical. Tessie Hutchinson is the complete opposite if Doodle in the story. She is more similar to the brother. She feels very important in her town and she is overly confident. She is sacrificed for the good of the town. On the other hand, Doodle was not sacrificed. He died because his brother wanted to save himself instead of saving both of them.
Although Tessie is not the light in the short story, she is still the Jesus figure because the whole town has sinned for having the lottery. She also died to save herself from more sinning.
.