Tragic Kinship: A Study of 'The Scarlet Ibis'

The story of “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, tells about a boy and his younger brother playing and their childhood. Until his younger brother, Doodle, is found dead. It is, the narrator’s fault. William Armstrong, Doodle’s real name, was not believed to live a long life, he was not as said in the story “all there” (Hurst, Pg 163). The older brother, the narrator always pushed him to his limits and wanted him to be more. Doodle was like a fragile but adventurous kind of kid. After the death of the scarlet ibis, Doodle changes. The narrator didn’t always seem to like his brother Doodle, he even wanted to get rid of him in the story it quotes, “so I began to make plans to kill him by smothering him with a pillow” (Hurst, Pg 163), but this

This happens whilst towards the end of Doodle’s training. The narrator takes Doodle out one last time. In the story Doodle doesn’t seem up to the challenge,

“Doodle said he was to tired to swim.. Doodle did not speak and kept his head turned away”

(Hurst, Pg 171).

Doodle was not expected to live past his babyhood, but in turn he did. His older brother taught him things about life, and grew up with him. Doodle was fragile but he grew up to be strong, but his brother always looked out and after him. When the storm hit of the day that Doodle didn’t seem like doing anything. The narrator ashamed of how all his “work” has gone to waste, he decides to outrun Doodle and leave him behind thinking that Doodle will catch up to him. Doodle yells ”Brother, Brother don't leave me! Don´t leave me!” (Hurst Pg). In the end of it, the narrator left him behind, so it was his fault. Doodle relied on his older brother, he was sort of flimsy. When the narrator tried one last push to make sure that Doodle could make it, it had just seem to much for Doodle to handle. So if the narrator would have just let his pride go and wait for Doodle, he could’ve survived and