Everyone in Doodle’s family thought he was going to die early because he was born in a caul: “Everybody thought he was going to die. . . Daddy had Mr. Heath, the carpenter, build a little mahogany coffin for him. But he didn’t die, and when he was three months old, Mama, and Daddy decided they might as well name him”(Hurst 462). Doodle, even though he lived, was not expected to crawl or do anything that normal boys did like walk, run, or swim: “The doctor said that with his weak heart this strain would probably kill him”(Hurst 464). When Doodle was two years old, when he was laid on his stomach he would begin to move himself with much effort. Doodle’s brother, however, sets out to teach Doodle how to walk, but not because the brother cared about Doodle. The reason Brother is teaching Doodle how to walk is he is ashamed of having a crippled brother. Brother is successful with teaching Doodle to walk, but Brother is ashamed of teaching him to walk because of his pride, regardless, he is successful: “Doodle walked slowly across the room and sat down at his place at the table. . . They did not know that. 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 468). Throughout the story, Doodle becomes stronger and stronger until he is pushed too far causing his …show more content…
Brother develops a plan for Doodle to learn how to run, to swim, to climb trees, and to fight. Doodle, after learning to walk, believed in his brother to teach him these things and went along with the plan:”I would teach him to run, to swim, to climb trees, and to fight. . In the winter Doodle and Brother did not have much success because Doodle suffered from a cold one after another. When spring came, Brother, and Doodle believes they can do it and their success lays at the end of the summer and they are both determined to achieve their goal:”Success lay at the end of the summer like a pot of gold, and our campaign got off to a good start” (Hurst 469). Doodle, at the end of the summer with only a few weeks until school, a scarlet ibis flies and lands in Doodle’s backyard on the bleeding tree. The scarlet then falls and dies right in front of Doodle and his family. Doodle is the only one drawn to the bird and is determined to bury it. After Doodle buries the ibis, Brother, and Doodle set off to go to Horsehead Landing. Doodle tries telling Brother that he is too exhausted from burying the ibis, but despite his exhaustion, Brother makes Doodle row a boat against the current for his last test of strength, but Doodle fails this last test of