Symbolism in “The Scarlet Ibis” An Introduction and A Cheat Sheet

Colors Red is the most common color in “The Scarlet Ibis”… as you can probably guess from the title. Red may represent: Excitement, energy, passion, desire, speed, strength, power, heat, love, aggression, danger, fire, blood, war, violence, all things intense and passionate, the exotic In other countries (playing off the exotic), red may represent purity and joy

Green is also abundant, both in Old Woman Swamp and elsewhere. Green may represent: Nature, health, good luck, renewal, youth, vigor, spring, generosity, jealousy, inexperience, envy, misfortune, illness (when pale or yellowish), rot The “Paris Green” rat poison in the barn loft is an unnaturally bright green color

Gold: Joy, happiness, wealth, philosophy, idealism, imagination, hope, empire, betrayal, jealousy, covetousnes, illness, danger Purple: Royalty, spirituality, nobility, mysteriousness, transformation, wisdom, enlightenment, cruelty, arrogance, mourning White: Purity, reverence, youth, innocence, youth, cold, clinical, sterile In Eastern and Latino cultures, white is the color of mourning. Black: Death, power, fear, evil, secrecy, unhappiness, sadness, remorse, underground/depth, misfortune

Birds Birds in general often represent the “winged soul”, or the spiritual in opposition to the materialistic. Plumage or songs can be associated with beauty, exoticism, and peace. Bird flight represents freedom. Some of the specific birds that follow are relevant to this story, and some will come up later.

Doves: gentleness, truth, wisdom, purity, peace Ibis: spiritual, exotic, otherworldliness Larks: morning (they sing at sunrise), renewal Nightingales: love, loss of love, longing, beauty (particularly their song), night (they sing at sunset/ dusk)

Owl: nocturnal, guardian of the afterworld, creature of omens/ prophecy, inner-knowing, psychic ability, intuition Peacock: immortality, royalty, dignity, compassion; they are protective and powerful Ravens/Crows: solitude, melancholy, wisdom (or the lower mind/base desires in some cases), the devil, sin, death; Crows are scavengers and opportunists. They are bullies.

Other Animals Again, some of these may not be relevant to “Ibis”, but will show up later. Cats: worshipped as divine in some cultures; black cats are often considered a bad omen and may be guardians of the afterlife; 9 lives align them with immortality and a lucky number. Foxes: appear when danger is near, tricksters, possessors of magic/shapeshifting abilities, cleverness/wiliness more than wisdom

Plants and Trees If healthy: a symbol of life and/or immortality If undernourished and withered: a strong symbol of death Bleeding Tree: a tree from which sap runs like blood when the bark is cut; also a possible reference to the cross on which Jesus was crucified Nightshade: a poisonous plant Gardens: enclosed, they represent Eden, safety, innocence (hortus conclusus)

Water Symbolizes purity, cleansing, rebirth, baptism… particularly in the context of calm rivers/streams/lakes As a storm or rough current: a symbol of conflict As rain: a symbol of grief, associated with tears Absence of water: death

Man-made Objects Mahogany Coffin Go-cart… keep an eye on this! Its meaning changes as the story progresses. You might need several quotes! Grindstone? WWI… I know it’s not an ‘object’, but it is relevant Rooms in the house

And for good measure… The number 6, Doodle’s age at the end of the story and Brother’s age when Doodle is born, is the number of creation (in the Biblical book of Genesis, all the universe is created in six days). It symbolizes divine power, majesty, wisdom, and love. There are a lot of Christian allusions in the story. Keep an eye on them and how they add layers of meaning to some of the symbols (like the ibis).