Scarlet Ibis Pride Quotes

“I did not know then that pide is a wonderful, terrible thing, a seed that bears two vines, life and death” (Hurst 354). Unfortunately in the “Scarlet Ibis” Doodle was killed at the hands of pride owned by his own brother. When Doodle was born he had a condition that made him extremely fragile. His older brother was very ashamed of him. When Doodle was older the narrator thought that despite what the doctor had said he would teach him how to do things that a regular boy could do. He did not do this out of love for Doodle, he did this to raise his own pride and ego. Eventually he was so over his head that when they had failed his brother was disappointed in Doodle. Doodle had so much hope that his brother would help him be able to be stronger

“I ran as fast as I could, leaving him far behind with a wall of rain dividing us”(Hurst 360). This moment is when the author begins to run away from his brother. He feels such disappointment in Doodle that he just wants to run away as fast as he can away from him. He feels no sympathy as he runs, he believes that this will not harm him and that he will eventually catch up. “I heard Doodle, who had fallen behind, cry out ‘Brother, Brother, don’t leave me! Don’t leave me!’ “ (Hurst 360). As the narrator was running faster and farther away from Doodle he felt no sympathy for him as he yelled for him to not leave him. At this point the narrator felt nothing for Doodle and just wanted to run from him. At this point it is clear that the author just wants to run from him and leave him behind on purpose. Leaving Doodle behind isn’t just bad just because he did it, but the condition of Doodle with his sickness makes it even worse. Doodle is not strong enough to be able to row up stream for awhile and then have to run hard to keep up with his brother and outrun the rain. Leaving him behind expecting him to run after him was hard for Doodle. With not enough strength to keep running he was beaten down by the rain. Doodle being left in the rain on purpose was hard on him not only because he is weak, but also because he is sick, no matter how much his brother tried to make him

On page 351 Hurst implies “It was bad enough having an invalid brother, but having one who possible was not all there was unbearable, so I began to make plans to smother him with a pillow. The narrator felt no positive feelings toward Doodle when he was born. He felt as if he didn’t even have a brother and that If he can’t be completely there, then what is the point in him being alive. Doodle was being over exhausted, and for what? Since the narrator felt embarrassed at the fact that he has to roll his brother around i a wagon, not because he wants to help him get better. He felt no sympathy for Doodle until he died and even then he doesn’t even mention that he loves him. Poor Doodle, he put all his faith in his brother thinking that he was trying to help him get stronger because he loved him and wanted to see him get better, but in reality he was just pushing his limits so he didn’t have to roll him around school. “ 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.” (Hurst 355) The narrator had no feelings of the brotherly love for Doodle. He only felt that he was a “slave to pride”, he pretty much thought that pride made him do it. He did not teach Doodle how to walk, run, swim, climb trees, and to fight because he