because of his desire to more increase his own pride. Doodle’s brother feels useless with what he had taught to Doodle. As the quotation
below: . . . I did not know then that pride is a wonderful, terrible thing, a
seed that bears two vines, life and death . . . Occasionally I too became discouraged because it didn’t seem as if he was trying,
and I would say, Doodle, don’t you want to learn to walk?
Once I had succeeded in teaching Doodle to walk, I began to believe in my own infallibility and I prepared a terrific
development program for him, unknown to Mama and Daddy, of course. I would teach him to run, to swim, to climb trees, and to
fight. He, too, now believed in my infallibility, so we set the deadline for these accomplishments less than a year away,
when, it had been decided, Doodle could start to school.
In both stories, too much having pride could bring damage even more it could bring death. As it was discussed above, both characters
who have to accept the damage of pride are Paul and Doodle’s brother. Paul has to lose his own life and Brother has to lose his brother’s life.
B. The Different of Themes of “The Rocking Horse Winner” and in “The Scarlet Ibis”
1. Seed of Destruction in Family Relationship.
Both stories has different root of problems which was driving the conflict in a family. In The Rocking Horse Winner, the character
who drives conflict is Paul’s mother. Her big desire of money makes her give a wrong perception to her son about luck and money. She
cares nothing but money. She tells clearly to his son that her husband is unlucky
person because he does not earn much money. She shows her
disrespect to her husband in front of her son. Paul feels disappointed of listening what his mother said about his father then
he tells his mother that he is actually a lucky person. “Well, anyhow,” he said stoutly,” I’m a lucky person.”
“why?” said his mother, with a sudden laugh He stared at her. He didn’t even know why he had said it.
“God told me,” He asserted, blazening it out. “I hope He did, Dear” , She said, again with a laugh, but
rather bitter. “He did, Mother”
“Excellent” said the mother.
From the conversation above, Paul feels that he has been doubted by his mother because her mother cynically says I hope
He did dear when Paul tells her that God has told him that he is a lucky person. It makes Paul get great effort to pursue luck through
money to get his mother’s attention. However, Paul’s mother is busy to fulfill her desire of luxury lifestyle. It makes her ignore her
duty to give attention, good advice, and a good example to respect the father to her children.
The first knowledge accepted by a child is in family. The first knowledge Paul recognize from his conversation with his mother is
that money will follow luck. If someone were lucky, he must have lots of money. Therefore, Paul tries to find luck and he finds it in a
rocking horse race. A game, must not be played by a boy like Paul. However, he needs to play it to find out that he is lucky. From the
races he wins, he can earn some money. He thought that by the
money he earned he will prove to his mother that what he had said to his mother that he is a lucky person was definitely true.
The fact that can be seen in The Rocking Horse Winner is; money is the reason for Paul to have a distance with his mother. It
is the seed of destruction in Paul’s family. He tried to break the distance by trying to prove to his mother that he can get what his
mother has been doubted: luck. Unfortunately, the little boy got his luck through doing gambling in a rocking horse race.
On the other side, the seed of destruction found in family
relationship in The Scarlet Ibis is pride. Pride is the motivation of
the brother who tried very hard to make his crippled brother Doodle to be normal just like other normal boys.
Brother feels that pride is something pleasant. It feels good for him to show to every body that he is the person who can make
his brother able to walk. The needs of pride grew eventually. It can be seen by the way he arranged the cruel treatments to teach
Doodle to run, to climb, to fight, and to swim. He did it to show to every body that he can make his brother to be normal just like other
normal boys. He did it for pride ignoring the physical condition of his brother.
Doodle told them it was I who had taught him to walk, so everyone wanted to hug me, and I began to cry.
What are you crying for? asked Daddy, but I couldn’t answer. They did not know that I did it for myself; that pride,
whose slave I was, spoke to me louder than all their voices;
and that Doodle walked only because I was ashamed of having a crippled brother.
. . . all of us must have something or someone to be proud of, and Doodle had become mine. I did not know then that
pride is a wonderful . . .
Pride has become the reason for Brother to push Doodle to do cruel activities to train him to be a normal boy. It makes Doodle
exhausted and finally died in making his brother get his pride. Therefore, the seed of destruction in The Rocking Horse
Winner is money and pride in The Scarlet Ibis. Money is the cause for Paul’s mother to lose his son and pride is the reason for brother
to lose his brother.
2. Living Beyond Limit
