Despite the narrator’s guilt over the situation, he is not to blame for his brother death. His pride and his constant pushing had a hand in it, but there are many other reasons why Doodle died which didn’t involve the narrator at all. We as readers know that his heart and physical condition eventually led him to his death and that from beginning Doodle was supposed to die from very young age. The narrator said, “ Everybody thought he was going to die --- except Aunt Nicey, who had delivered him (Hurst #428).” His body was fragile and thin. Doodle’s parents had also built ‘ a little mahogany coffin for him’ because he was supposed to die, but he didn’t. Doodle had a weak heart as the doctor said in the story, “...With his weak heart this strain …show more content…
Since the narrator was young, he ignored all of it and immediately acted on his feelings. Adults usually control such urges, but children are more likely to act on their immediate feelings. Also, the juvenile brain doesn’t have the ability to foresee the consequences. Besides that, as Doodle is nearing his school age, the narrator feels an urgency to teach Doodle to walk and run. The narrator said, “ Time was short, and Doodle still had a long way to go if he was going to keep up with the other boys when he started school (#440).” The narrator doesn’t want the school children to make fun of his brother. In addition, Doodle is represented by the scarlet ibis in the story. Doodle was weak, small, and fragile just like the scarlet Ibis. The narrator describes the scarlet Ibis as, “Amid much flapping, … it tumbled down, bumping through the limbs of the bleeding tree … It’s long graceful neck jerked twice into an S … Its legs were crossed and its clawlike feet were delicately curved at rest. Even death did not mar its grace … awed by its exotic