Narrator's Death In The Scarlet Ibis By James Hurst

Is it possible for someone to die from too much physical activity? "The Scarlet Ibis", by James Hurst proves that someone can. Narrator has a new little brother who is physically disabled, but Narrator is determined to teach him to be just as athletic as everybody else. Narrator puts his brother, Doodle, through much physical labor. One summer day, Narrator puts Doodle through too much work, and on their way home, it starts to rain. Narrator runs ahead, leaving Doodle behind. When Narrator realizes that Doodle hasn't come home yet, he goes back and discovers that Doodle died underneath a red nightshade bush. Narrator had put Doodle through too much physical activity, and had ultimately killed Doodle. One reason why Narrator killed Doodle is that he completely disobeyed the doctor's orders. Doodle has survived, but he is still handicapped. So nothing bad happens to him, he isn't allowed to do much in his life. "The doctor had said that he mustn't get too excited, too hot, too cold, or too tired and that he must always be

Just after Doodle rowed them to shore, they realized it was going to rain. They decided to go home. Narrator started to run home, telling Doodle to catch up. Doodle slipped and fell, calling for his brother to not leave him. Narrator and Doodle knew they were not going to be successful with their plans, and "...that streak of cruelty within me awakened" (604). Narrator then ran home. Narrator couldn't have done anything worse than running away from his disabled little brother. He left Doodle in the middle of a huge thunderstorm, where Doodle probably felt really scared, and completely alone. Doodle needed to be at home, where he could recover from the row boat trip. Instead, Doodle was underneath a bush, probably crying, alone, and dying. That's a horrible death for anyone, especially a six year old. Narrator's actions made Doodle's death