Doodle, one of the main characters, is supposed to die when he is young, the parents even got a coffin for him. Doodle survives, but is predicted to be unable to walk, ever. Brother is ashamed of Doodle, and he teaches Doodle how to walk. When Brother gets praise for teaching him to walk, he feels horrible because he only did it of his own selfish reasons. One day the family is gathered ‘round the dining room table when they see a lone Scarlet Ibis perch in the tree outside the window and die. Later that day, the boys go down to the river to finish teaching Doodle “all the things that a boy should know” for school, which starts in a few days. When Doodle fails at learning the skills, Brother leaves Doodle behind in a thunderstorm, and Doodle
