Read the excerpt from “The Scarlet Ibis.” At that moment the bird began to flutter, but the wings were uncoordinated, and amid much flapping and a spray of flying feathers, it tumbled down, bumping through the limbs of the bleeding tree and landing at our feet with a thud. Its long, graceful neck yanked twice into an S, then straightened out, and the bird was still. A white veil came over the eyes and the long white beak unhinged. Its legs were crossed and its claw-like feet were delicately curved at rest. Even death did not mar its grace, for it lay on the earth like a broken vase of red flowers, and we stood around it, awed by its exotic beauty.

–“The Scarlet Ibis,”

James Hurst

Use the passage to think about the story’s central symbol.

What symbol does this passage describe?

What is the literal meaning of this symbol?

What does the symbol represent?