The narrator is six years old when Doodle is born.

Don’t leave me!” Doodle was five years old when I turned 13. I was embarrassed at having a brother of that age who couldn’t walk, so I set out to teach him. We were down in Old Woman Swamp.

From the outset, his older brother is not impressed and refers to the baby as a “disappointment” and describes him as having “a tiny body which was red and shriveled like an old man’s.” This description is ripe with symbolism and foreshadowing. Doodle does indeed seem to be like an old man.

Doodle died when his brother pushed him too far physically. When the narrator’s little brother is born, he is very disappointed. He wanted a brother who could run and jump and be normal, but Doodle is so weak and crippled that everyone is sure he is going to die.

Brother relates that Doodle’s “favorite lie” is about a boy named Peter, who has a resplendent peacock for a pet. According to Doodle, Peter’s golden robe shines brighter than the sun itself, and when he walks past the sunflowers, they turn towards him.

In the James Hurst short story “The Scarlet Ibis” the narrator is responsible for Doodle’s death. Throughout the story, the narrator tells us of the displeasure and of the embarrassment caused by his brother.

It is hard to blame the narrator (“Brother”) completely because he is just a kid himself. He openly admits his responsibility in tormenting Doodle and pushing him too far, though, so the narrator is largely to blame. Brother says Doodle was “a disappointment” from the beginning.

Why does the narrator cry when everyone congratulates him for teaching Doodle too walk? The narrator is crying because he is proud that Doodle can walk, and that he was the one who helped him how to walk.

In “The Scarlet Ibis,” Brother runs off and leaves Doodle because he is frustrated at Doodle’s failures and weaknesses.

“The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst. In this story the main characters are boy named Brother and his younger, disabled brother Doodle. Brother is on trial for killing Doodle. Brother is guilty of killing Doodle because he didn’t want a brother who was disabled so he always planned to kill him.

Brother is kind to Doodle because he taught him how to walk and run, but he is also cruel to Doodle because he made him work until he could not move anymore; that is how he died. Doodle reacts to the death of the scarlet ibis by being very sad. Doodle buried him in the yard.

He feels sorrow for the actual death of his younger, weaker sibling, whom he realizes now is a human being worthy of love and care. He feels guilt because of the cruel, selfish, unthinking and uncaring way he dealt with his brother.

There are elements of the story that were from the author’s own life, but it is a work of fiction, and not autobiographical in nature. James Hurst grew up on a farm in coastal North Carolina, so most of the aspects of the setting of “The Scarlet Ibis” were part of Hurst’s experiences growing up.

Even though some of Brother’s motivations come from pride and shame, he really does forge a genuine connection with Doodle. The bond between Doodle and Brother is largely based in a mutual appreciation for natural beauty. Doodle wants to be with Brother and he wants to share Brother’s life.

William Armstrong

Doodle is born with a heart condition and is expected to die as an infant. According to his doctor, he’ll never be able to walk. If the doctor had his way, Doodle would live a sheltered life, cut off from experiencing the physical and sensory joys of the outdoors.

We can imagine his sadness at the birth of Doodle, and we are told that it is Daddy who asks the carpenter to build a coffin, obviously predicting an early death. But also, perhaps to make up for this, it is Daddy who makes Doodle a go-cart.

Doodle seems afraid of being left behind by his brother. Perhaps, it is the fact that the narrator is the one who urges Doodle to make physical accomplishments that effects Doodle’s dependency upon his brother.

Doodle was born physically very weak. Doodle “crawled backward” and that is why his brother nicknamed him Doodle, like a doodlebug. The name stuck. He insisted on going with his brother wherever he went, but he couldn’t walk. Brother pulled him around in a cart, because he could not walk.

“Doodle” is the nickname (given to him by his older brother) because his real name (William Armstrong) was too formal a name. The nickname “Doodle” came about because when he was little he used to crawl backward, making him look just like a doodlebug.

Answer: The narrator is ashamed by having a disable brother so he decides to do something about it. The influence the narrator has over the theme is that he teaches Doodle how to walk. His pride and selfishness gets in the way of the real reason he should have taught his brother to walk.

Why did the narrator cry at Doodle’s birthday, when Doodle showed everyone how he could walk? He was overcome with joy, like the rest of his family. He felt guilty for teaching Doodle to walk for his own personal gain.

The narrator cries after Doodle demonstrates that he can walk because he is proud that he has taught his brother to be able to do so. Also, he is somewhat ashamed because he has instructed Doodle from the selfish motives of being embarrassed by Doodle’s failure to walk at age five.

One day, the family finds a dead scarlet ibis in the yard. It is a very rare bird. Doodle wants to bury it, but his mother won’t touch it in case it has a disease. Doodle looks silly burying the bird, because he has trouble with the shovel, and his family tries not to laugh.

His own family expected him to die soon after birth. Doodle probably sees his own reflection in the bird, and he feels a great deal of compassion for the dead bird. That would explain why Doodle is so adamant that he properly bury the bird.

The narrator is ashamed of his brother Doodle and is constantly pushing him to act like a normal kid. The two brothers go to row the boat at Horsehead Landing, and a storm comes. The narrator knows his brother failed rowing the boat, and in anger runs home leaving Doodle behind.

In James Hurst’s story “The Scarlet Ibis,” Doodle bleeds from the mouth before he dies. This literally suggests the overexertion of his weak heart and lungs, but it is also symbolic of Doodle’s constant efforts to pour himself out to please his brother.

Death rattle is the scary sound a person often makes in the hours or sometimes days before death. It is fluid that accumulates in the lower throat. The person is not swallowing.

Blood in your mouth is often a result of trauma to your mouth or throat, such as chewing or swallowing something sharp. It could also be caused by mouth sores, gum disease, or even vigorous flossing and brushing of your teeth. If you’re coughing up blood, it might appear that your throat is bleeding.

It is a settling of the blood in the lower, or dependent, portion of the body postmortem, causing a purplish red discoloration of the skin. When the heart stops functioning and is no longer agitating the blood, heavy red blood cells sink through the serum by action of gravity.