Compare `The Scarlet Ibis` with `Flowers For Algernon`, see the similarity? In fact, Doodle is a perfect image of Charlie, they are both disabled; Charlie mentally disabled while Doodle physically disabled.
They both shared the same dream, to overcome the disability and they both wanted acceptance, to fit in, to live the life of a free person; a normal person. They both wanted love and attention, which they lacked. Charlie was treated badly by his `friends` while Doodle was neglected by his bother.However, they both did not get what they wanted in the end, and it took a turn for the worst.
While there are similarities, there are also differences.`The Scarlet Ibis` is told from the point of view of a person related to someone disabled while `Flowers For Algernon` is told from the point of view of a mentally retarded person.`The Scarlet Ibis` also has more emotion, it shows the whole process of the brothers trying to overcome Doodle's disability, the bond between the two brothers and the tragedy of the narrator losing his only brother, the impact on the reader is indeed much stronger. In `Flowers For Algernon`, it is just Charlie's journal, it does not show the whole process of the sufferings he endured, there is also a tension in the ending and we do not know if Charlie will die, because of these, the impact on the reader will not be as strong.
Doodle only has his brother to confide in, to trust and to count on him to help overcome his disability, but as the saying goes`blood is thicker than water` so there is a stronger bond between him and his brother compared to the bond between Charlie and all his `friends` add up.
Charlie's boost in his intelligence is artificial and it is precisely why it soon backfired and Charlie lost everything. Doodle's will power and perseverance is what spurred him to overcome his disability, but it backfired when his brother pushed him too much and unable to take it, Doodle suffered from a heart failure.
However, the storyline and the characters in both stories are somewhat similar and besides some difference, I feel that Doodle is like Charlie, the scarlet ibis is like Algernon, and Doodle's brother is like Charlie's `friends`.
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In my opinion, Doodle's brother is not to be compared with Charlie's friends as their differences are far too great.
ReplyDeleteCharlie's friends are too looking for acceptance as they are the lowest in society. However, Doodle's brother truly loved Doodle but his pride got in the way and the love became tainted with cruelty.
Charlie's friends' emotions towards him did not become purified at the end of the story but Doodle's brother did. This is because Charlie's friends did not love him and only made use of him by making fun of him. In Doodle's scenario, his brother's love for him was true, despite being tainted with pride and cruelty; when Doodle finally dies, it is not the absence of Doodle that matters to his brother, it was his presence that purified his brother's love. After all, they have gont through thick and thin and if not for brother's pride, they would be very close brothers.