Premonitions and flashbacks in “The Scarlet Ibis”Regrets are one of the few factors that all people have in common. A study was conducted asking hundreds of American citizens if they regretted anything from their past. Although the majority decided that the failure of romantic relationships was their most important regret, about 16% said that their greatest regrets were in family matters (Johnson). In James Hurst's short story, “The Scarlet Ibis,” Hurst uses foreshadowing and flashbacks to establish a reminiscent tone. As the main character and narrator of “The Scarlet Ibis,” the brother reflects on his childhood, and chooses to focus on the part of his life he shared with his younger brother, William Armstrong, whom he called “Doodle.” The story begins early in Doodle's life, when a small, clumsy child is born. As he grows, Doodle faces many obstacles such as difficulty crawling and walking, leaving his older brother as his primary transportation and primary caretaker. Doodle's brother is ashamed of his "invalid brother" and feels the need to push Doodle back to normalcy, which leads him to the source of his ultimate remorse. From the very first paragraph, Hurst's use of vocabulary evokes an emotional response to the plot. His choice of words as a narrator describes his surroundings and hints at a fateful event that awaits the reader's attention. Hurst uses words and expressions such as “dead autumn”, “rotten brown magnolia”, “cemetery flowers”. The last sentence, “…speaking softly the names of our dead” adds a final melancholy statement (91). The images throughout the paragraph help you imagine an eerie swampy land surrounded by death and depressing memories. This melancholic setting foreshadows... half of the paper......t red from the blood flowing from his mouth. Hurst's foreshadowing correlates to events that occurred throughout Doodle's life. Abandonment, death, and the scarlet ibis all result in the fate that has befallen Doodle due to his brother's pride and abandonment. It seems truly a shame that it took the narrator's death to realize the mistakes he had made, and his flashback to describe the story of pride's ultimate consequence. Works Cited Hurst, James. "The Scarlet Ibis." Literature and Language: 9th Grade Edition. McDougal Littell, 2008. 91-102. Press. Johnson, Melissa. “Shoulda, Coulda, Coulda: What do you regret?” The 10 biggest regrets in life. Daily Health, March 28, 2011. Web. May 18 2014. .