James Hurst's "The Scarlet Ibis" details a very complex
relationship between the narrator and his brother,
Doodle.
At different times in the novel, the narrator
explains that he's ashamed of Doodle. First, he says,
It
was bad enough having an invalid brother, but having one who possibly was not all there
was unbearable, so I began to make plans to kill him by smothering him with a
pillow."
Later, the narrator teaches Doodle to walk--not
because he wants to be helpful, but because he's ashamed of having a "crippled"
brother. When the family thanks the narrator for having taught Doodle to walk, he feels
bad that his motives were born out of shame.
Throughout the
course of the story, readers come to see Doodle as a very sensitive, kind person.
Doodle views his brother as "infallible," and looks up to him with the admiration that
many younger brothers have for their older siblings.
The
ending of the story is certainly a sad one, and we can assume that the narrator's guilt
over his treatment of Doodle continues to haunt him after the story's
conclusion.
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