as Doodle taught himself to crawl, crawling backward but still crawling, Brother taught Doodle to walk. Neither of them gave in, ever.

Doodle is afraid to learn to walk at first.  Everyone has told him he can’t, and he asks his brother not to hurt him.  However, Doodle’s brother is convinced that with enough hard work they can beat the odds again.

It seemed so hopeless from the beginning that it's a miracle I didn't give up. But all of us must have something or someone to be proud of, and Doodle had become mine. I did not know then that pride is a wonderful, terrible thing, a seed that bears two vines, life and death.

Walking is a monumental struggle for Doodle.  At first all he can do is stand, and then he can take a few steps.  The two boys work on it very hard, pushing and pushing past what seems like the limits of endurance.

Doodle does learn to walk, shocking his parents.  The two boys keep Doodle’s walking a surprise, and on his sixth birthday they reveal it to the family members.  

Unfortunately, Doodle’s brother pushes him too far.  He doesn’t just want him to walk.  Doodle wants a brother who can run and jump and do the things normal kids do.  Doodle tries, but he is too weak and he dies.  His brother feels terrible, realizing that he seems to be the reason for his brother’s early death.  Sometimes pushing too hard is not a good thing.

Both Doodle and the Ibis are out of place. Doodle's family recognizes his vulnerability and therefore they treat him as if he could die at any moment. They care for him but regard him as somewhat of an outcast. This only begins to change when he starts to exhibit more "normal" behavior. They keep him segregated in the front bedroom. When he learns to walk, they bring him into the living room and this is when he finally "became one of us." Likewise, the ibis is an outcast. Father supposes that a storm blew the ibis off course from the south. It is in an environment it is not used to and doesn't know how to appropriately adapt. 

The main similarity between Doodle and the ibis is vulnerability. Damaged from the storm, the bird's wings don't work properly. It should be able to fly down from the tree but it tumbles awkwardly and falls to its death. Doodle is also saddled with a body that doesn't work as well as Brother's does. He tries to run and do all the things Brother can do, but his frail and vulnerable body can not keep up. 

Doodle recognizes how he and the ibis are both vulnerable and out of place. He sees the bird struggle to survive only to awkwardly fail. Doodle struggles to live up to Brother's concept of a "normal" brother. Doodle is so affected by the ibis's death that he won't eat dinner and he insists on burying the ibis himself. When he comes in from burying the ibis, he is "pale," the color and (symbolically) the life drained from his face. Perhaps the ibis's death reminds him of his own little coffin and his own mortality. 

The scarlet ibis of the story's title is a magnificent bird that makes an all-too-brief appearance in the Armstrongs' backyard. With its bright red feathers, the ibis clearly hails from more tropical climes. Unfortunately, the bird is also injured, and it isn't very long before it dies. Even so, in the short time that the Armstrongs saw it, it stood out magnificently among the trees.

Doodle also stands out from the crowd, albeit for radically different reasons. A young boy with disabilities, he's not like anyone else in his family or anyone else around him. Unfortunately, poor young Doodle dies, just like the scarlet ibis. As he lies dead, the blood running from his mouth conjures up the image of the injured bird as it spent its last moments on earth in the Armstrongs' tree.

I think a good a place to start comparing and contrasting the scarlet ibis and Doodle is their physical abilities. Both Doodle and the scarlet ibis are physically limited. We are told that the family sees that something just isn't quite right about how the bird is moving in the tree.

At that moment the bird began to flutter, but the wings were uncoordinated, and amid much flapping and a spray of flying feathers . . .

The bird appears to be uncoordinated in its movements, and the description of its movements and death is quite sad. Soon after, Doodle attempts to bury the bird, and his movements are also described as awkward.

Now we were watching him through the front window, but he didn't know it. His awkwardness at digging the hole with a shovel whose handle was twice as long as he was made us laugh . . .

Doodle and the bird might be comparable in how their movements are limited and awkward; however, a difference also exists in those movements. The scarlet ibis is awkward in its movements because it is injured. The bird has likely been injured in the storm that brought it to Doodle's house. On the other hand, Doodle's limitations are not caused by an injury that he received. Doodle's awkwardness and physical limitations are a result of genetics. He was born the way that he is, and he is able to do much of what he can do because of Brother's hard work.

Doodle is extremely loyal to his brother and insists on tagging along wherever the narrator goes. Doodle cries when his brother leaves without him and participates in physically taxing exercises to please him. Doodle tells his brother on several occasions "Don't leave me" and ends up dying trying to keep pace with him.

Doodle is imaginative and the narrator mentions that he could tell the best "lies." The narrator recalls Doodle's fantastic stories about a boy named Peter, who had a pet peacock with a ten-foot tail.

Doodle is also sensitive and sympathetic. When a storm drives a scarlet ibis from its natural habitat and it dies in the narrator's backyard, Doodle buries the exotic bird while singing the hymn "Shall We Gather at the River."

The narrator is a prideful individual who does not want to have a disabled brother. In an attempt to make Doodle "normal," the narrator forces his brother to participate in a difficult exercise regimen so that he will be like the rest of his peers at school. The narrator even admits that his personal pride motivated him to teach Doodle how to walk.

The narrator is insensitive and callous at times towards his younger brother. The narrator flips Doodle from his wagon in an attempt to discourage him from tagging along and also forces Doodle to touch his mahogany casket in the attic. He also pushes Doodle past his physical limitations, which ends up killing him.

The narrator is also ambitious. The narrator's ambition is revealed in his plan and dedication to helping Doodle walk. Initially, everyone believes that Doodle is incapable of walking on his own. However, the ambitious narrator comes up with a strict regimen, where he helps Doodle practice how to walk while they are spending time at Old Woman Swamp. Hurst writes,

It seemed so hopeless from the beginning that it's a miracle I didn't give up. But all of us must have something or someone to be proud of, and Doodle had become mine.

DOODLE

• He is a dreamer.
  Doodle makes up crazy lies and plans to marry his Mama and live in Old Woman Swamp.
• He is unusually small.
  He is "all head" with a "tiny body which was red and shriveled like an old man's."
• He crawled backwards when he was young.
  Doodle received his nickname because he crawled "as if he were in reverse" and would "back right up to you to be picked up."

BIGBROTHER

• He was a "slave" to his pride.
  He taught Doodle to walk to satisfy his own wants and so that he wouldn't embarrass him in front of his friends.
• He loved the water.
  The older brother loves to swim, row at Horsehead Landing, and play in Old Woman Swamp. 
• He desperately needed a playmate.
  Although he knew it would put a strain on Doodle, he pushed him to swim, fight, run and row.

In James Hurst's short story "The Scarlet Ibis," the bird's death foreshadows Doodle's death, and there are many parallels in the way that each of them dies.

The Scarlet Ibis was an exotic bird that wasn't normally seen around the area in which Doodle's family lived. The bird appeared in the bleeding tree (named for the color of its sap) one day. The father surmised it must have been blown in by a storm. The fact that the bird is battered and dies in a storm is similar to Doodle's death, which occurs when he tries to keep up with his brother, who is trying to run home during a storm.

Another similarity between Doodle and the bird is their awkwardness. The bird dies with its legs at odd angles, and its neck twisted into an "s" shape. This mirrors Doodle's physical awkwardness. The line that reads "even death did not mar its grace" is reminiscent of the grace and beauty of Doodle's heart, as we see in his unquestioning love for his brother and other family members.

At that moment the bird began to flutter, but the wings were uncoordinated, and amid much flapping and a spray of flying feathers, it tumbled down, bumping through the limbs of the bleeding tree and landing at our feet with a thud. Its long, graceful neck jerked twice into an S, then straightened out, and the bird was still. A white veil came over the eyes and the long white beak unhinged. Its legs were crossed and its clawlike feet were delicately curved at rest. Even death did not mar its grace, for it lay on the earth like a broken vase of red flowers, and we stood around it, awed by its exotic beauty.

Another similarity between the deaths is that when Doodle dies, Brother finds him with a red blood stain down his chest. This is a reference to the red color of the exotic bird, and also calls to mind the bleeding tree in which the bird landed.

Both Doodle and the bird died from exhaustion. Doodle's father says the bird probably was carried by a storm and when the family sees the bird, it is bloodied and battered from its fight to stay alive in the storm. It is far away from home and the struggle has been too much for the bird to survive. Doodle dies when he trying not to be left behind by Brother, who is purposely going too fast for Doodle to keep up. The struggle to keep up with Brother is too much for Doodles' fragile heart and he dies. Thus, both Doodle and the bird were away from home, struggling against forces that were too strong for them when their bodies gave out.

Doodle died when his brother pushed him too far physically.

When the narrator’s little brother is born, he is very disappointed.  He wanted a brother who could run and jump and be normal, but Doodle is so weak and crippled that everyone is sure he is going to die.  He doesn’t die, but he is slow to mature.

The narrator does his best to make his brother normal.  He teaches him to walk when he is five years old, because he is embarrassed to have a brother who does not walk.  By his sixth birthday, Doodle is walking.

It seemed so hopeless from the beginning that it's a miracle I didn't give up. But all of us must have something or someone to be proud of, and Doodle had become mine. I did not know then that pride is a wonderful, terrible thing, a seed that bears two vines, life and death.

The same thing happens when Doodle’s brother decides that he wants to run and play with his brother.  He thinks that he needs to do the same thing, and teach his brother how to run.  When he pushed before, he was successful.  He feels that Doodle will be okay.

Unfortunately, Doodle’s brother pushes too hard this time.  Doodle tries to do what his brother wants.  He pushes himself as his brother pushes.  Unfortunately, he pushes so hard that his body gives out and he dies.

He didn't answer, so I placed my hand on his forehead and lifted his head. Limply, he fell backwards onto the earth. He had been bleeding from the mouth, and his neck and the front of his shirt were stained a brilliant red.

Doodle’s brother does not intend to kill him, of course.  He was trying to help him in his own way.  His comment about pride was reflective of this incident.  He wanted so badly to make his brother normal that he pushed him beyond the limits.

Doodle can relate to the bird’s death because he was very sickly as an infant and almost died.

The narrator’s little brother, nicknamed Doodle, is very special.  He was born small and weak, and they did not think he would live. 

Everybody thought he was going to die-everybody except Aunt Nicey, who had delivered him. She said he would live because he was born in a caul,and cauls were made from Jesus' nightgown. Daddy had Mr. Heath, the carpenter, build a little mahogany coffin for him.

Despite the odds, Doodle does live.  He is even able to learn to walk with his brother’s help.  His brother is not satisfied with having a little brother that can’t walk, so he teaches him.  Doodle can do a lot of things no one thinks he can do because his brother is persistent.

One day, the family finds a dead scarlet ibis in the yard.  It is a very rare bird.  Doodle wants to bury it, but his mother won’t touch it in case it has a disease. 

He took out a piece of string from his pocket and, without touching the ibis, looped one end around its neck. Slowly, while singing softly "Shall We Gather at the River," he carried the bird around to the front yard and dug a hole in the flower garden, next to the petunia bed.

Doodle looks silly burying the bird, because he has trouble with the shovel, and his family tries not to laugh.  He buries the bird all by himself.  It is that important to him.  He almost died, and he is drawn to the bird’s plight.

The ibis is a metaphor. It is weak, but special.  This also describes Doodle.  When Doodle dies after straining himself too much, his brother refers to him as his scarlet ibis.  He remembers Doodle’s reaction to the bird, and how they both were unique.

The narrator, Doodle's older brother, is characterized almost completely indirectly. We, the readers, must infer what his personal qualities are based on his thoughts and behaviors. We see, for example that he is rather selfish, as most kids are, and he is "embarrassed at having a brother" of Doodle's age who cannot walk. He says,

I didn't know then that pride is a wonderful, terrible thing: a seed that bears two vines—life and death.

He teaches Doodle to walk because he wants to soothe his own wounded sense of pride, and this happens to work out well for Doodle (in the short term). However, the cruel pride that rears its head later in the story, when the narrator pushes Doodle too hard and causes Doodle's death, shows the other, darker side of this quality. The revelation of his pride is a more direct characterization because the narrator, himself, tells us about this quality.

Doodle, likewise, is more often indirectly characterized. He is sweet and trusting, and he allows his older brother to manipulate him as a result. Doodle believes in his brother and so he acquiesces to the paces through which his brother puts him.

I believe that this question is asking about which characters are directly and indirectly characterized in this short story. As with most writing, the author uses a mixture of direct and indirect characterization for most of the characters in the story; however, the story is so focused on Doodle and Brother that readers get very little in the way of characterization for other characters.

Indirect characterization occurs when a reader is left to deduce for himself or herself the characteristics of a character by observing that character's thought processes, behavior, speech, appearance, and manner of communication with other characters. I like to use the mom in this story for a bit of indirect characterization discussion. Very early on in the story, readers get the following quote.

But Mama, crying, told me that even if William Armstrong lived, he would never do these things with me. He might not, she sobbed, even be "all there."

It's a great couple of sentences because it shows a lot about who Mama is. She is obviously caring and loving enough to cry about Doodle's situation, and she cares about how it will impact Brother. Additionally, the quote shows that Mama is an honest and tough woman. She's saying this to Brother. He's only a six-year-old child, yet Mama tells him the flat-out truth about Doodle.

As for direct characterization, this occurs when the author uses a character or narrator to tell the readers about a character. I like direct characterization because it is generally quick and concise, and this serves as a nice balance to indirect characterization, which generally takes a bit longer to develop. Brother's narration does a wonderful job of very directly and bluntly characterizing many aspects about Doodle. For example, Brother specifically tells readers that Doodle talks a lot. He talks so much that people just stop listening. Brother also tells readers that Doodle "was a burden in many ways." This is a great quote because it directly characterizes Doodle while indirectly showing readers that Brother has his mother's blunt honesty.

I think you are asking which characters are characterized directly, and which characters are characterized indirectly.

Remember, direct characterization only happens when the author actually states something about a character's traits.  One example of this type of characterization is the narrator's statement that "Doodle was about the craziest brother a boy ever had."

Indirect characterization happens when the author uses a character's actions or words to show us something about that character.  The author shows us that Doodle is an imaginative child by having Doodle tell beautiful stories.

None of the big characters in "The Scarlet Ibis" are characterized in one way or the other.  All are characterized directly and indirectly.

Authors develop and reveal character in a number of ways, most of which are indirect:

1. through a physical description of the character
2. through the character's actions
3. through the thoughts, feelings, and speeches of a character
4. through the comments and reactions of other characters

The only method of direct characterization is 

1. through direct statements giving the writer's opinion of the character. As an illustration of this, consider Guy de Maupassant's opening line about his character Mathilde Loisel in "The Necklace":

She was one of those pretty and charming girls, born as if by an accident of fate, into a family of clerks.

____________________________________

In James Hurst's "The Scarlet Ibis," the characterization of the narrator is indirect. For the most part, the reader learns about the brother through his (3) thoughts, feelings, and remarks and conversations. For instance, in the exposition of the story, he describes his brother Doodle as "the craziest brother a boy ever had," and "he was a burden in many ways." Then, he describes himself,

I thought myself pretty smart at many things, like holding my breath, running, jumping, or climbing vines....I want more than anything else someone to race to Horseshoe Landing, someone to box with, and someone to perch with in the top fork of the great pine....I wanted a brother.

He also describes himself as having "a knot of cruelty borne by the stream of love...."

Further in the narrative, the character of the narrator is developed through a conversation with his family (4), who react to him. For example, after Doodle learns to walk, his father asks the brother why he is crying, "What are you crying for?" Yet another indirect method of characterization used with the narrator is (2) through his actions. Certainly, at the end of the story as the brother forces Doodle to run and harms him:

I ran as fast as I could, leaving him far behind with a wall of rain dividing us....Soon I could hear his voice no more. 
I hadn't run too far before I became tired, and the flood of childish spite evanesced as well....

The only indirect method of characterization that is not used in this story is (1) which gives a physical description of the narrator. 

In "The Scarlett Ibis," the roles of Brother and Doodle express the conflict between love and pride. Brother is the narrator. He tells a moving story of his relationship with his physically and mentally disabled brother. Brother loves Doodle but feels a burden at having to take care of him. Doodle cries to go everywhere his older brother goes. Brother pulls Doodle around in a cart. Doodle cannot walk or run and play with Brother.

As Doodle nears school age, Brother determines this will never do. Brother is embarrassed at the thought of the school children seeing Doodle in his handicapped state. Doodle serves the purpose of allowing the reader to see what is in the heart of Brother. Doodle brings out Brother's prideful and even cruel side:

Brother has a high opinion of his own ability to run, jump, and climb, and wants a brother with whom he can share these activities. When it becomes clear that Doodle is capable of little more than lying on a rubber sheet and crawling backwards, Brother grows ashamed of Doodle's limitations and regularly taunts him. Though Brother loves Doodle, the love is tainted with cruelty and embarrassment.

Brother teaches Doodle to walk, run and play due to his own pride. It will never do for the school children to make fun of Doodle's handicap. Brother goes to great lengths to see that Doodle learns to walk, run and play. He does this to keep from being embarrassed when Doodle begins school.

Doodle's role in the story teaches Brother an important lesson about life and death and the acceptance of others just as they are.

During the rain storm, Brother leaves Doodle behind. Doodle is begging his brother not to leave him. Doodle falls dead from exhaustion of trying to keep up with his older brother. Through Doodle's death, Brother learns how much his brother has meant to him.

Doodle's life and death taught Brother so much about himself. He learns about his awful pride. He learns about his cruel sense of humor. Most importantly, he learns how much he has loved being with Doodle. He will never get over his death. It haunts him. It teaches him about life and death. Doodle's existence shapes Brother into the person he becomes. He learns so much about himself. He learns to appreciate weaknesses in others. He learns to see the beauty in his handicapped little brother. The bond between brothers is evident when Brother stretches himself over Doodle's dead body:

He weeps, sheltering Doodle's body from the rain with

his own.

The theme of brotherhood is expressed between Brother and Doodle. The theme of acceptance is a major part of Brother's narrative. Brother becomes a better person due the life and death of Doodle. Oh what he would give to have another moment with Doodle!

Doodle was born physically very weak.

Doodle was born when the narrator was seven years old, and he was a disappointment from the start.

He seemed all head, with a tiny body that was red and shriveled like an old man's. Everybody thought he was going to die.

Doodle “crawled backward” and that is why his brother nicknamed him Doodle, like a doodlebug.  The name stuck.  He insisted on going with his brother wherever he went, but he couldn’t walk.  Brother pulled him around in a cart, because he could not walk.

Brother is embarrassed that his five year old brother can’t walk, so he sets out to teach him.

He collapsed on to the grass like a half-empty flour sack. It was as if his little legs had no bones.

Brother is convinced that he can teach Doodle to do everything other boys do, but he can’t.  The little boy is not able to learn to do anything else, and eventually the effort kills him.

Both Doodle and Brother are stubborn, but Brother is self-centered and Doodle is sensitive to others.

Both Doodle and Brother are very persistent.  When Doodle was born, everyone assumed that he would die soon.  His father even made him a coffin.  However, the boy survived longer than expected.  Even with physical and mental handicaps, he still managed to be fairly independent.

Brother teaching Doodle to walk is another example of their personalities.

Doodle was five years old when I turned 13. I was embarrassed at having a brother of that age who couldn't walk, so I set out to teach him.

This incident demonstrates both of their persistence, because Brother is determined to get Doodle to walk, and Doodle is determined to walk.  He does learn to walk.

The brothers are also different because while Brother is self-centered and has a cruel streak, Doodle is gentle and fascinated by the world.  When Brother shows him Old Woman swamp, he cries because it is “so pretty.”  He is also the only one who thinks to bury the bird.

In James Hurst's heart-rending short story, there are several similarities between Doodle and the scarlet ibis. 

Like the scarlet ibis, when Doodle is born he is out-of-the-ordinary. He is exceptionally frail and "shriveled like an old man." Also, he enters the world in a caul, an amniotic membrane that encloses his tiny body from which he must be removed. Although the scarlet ibis hatches from an egg formed from calcium, he, too, must emerge from his cover as a very delicate creature.

Also, like the scarlet ibis, Doodle seems to be in an environment not suited for him. When his brother tries to make Doodle do things that others can do, Doodle does succeed in walking and swimming. But when he is forced to row against waves, Doodle's weak heart is strained. Then, after the boys pull the boat onto the shore, Doodle tries to keep up with his angered brother who runs ahead of him. Like the scarlet ibis who cannot withstand the storm winds and 

...tumbled down, bumping through the limbs of the bleeding tree and landing...with a thud....its legs were crossed and its claw-like feet were delicately curved at rest... [as] it lay on the earth like a broken vase of red flowers....

Doodle also collapses, huddled under a red bush on the side of the road. He seems to be sitting with his face resting upon his folded arms, not unlike the crossed legs of the bird. When his brother turns back to find Doodle, the small boy again resembles the delicate scarlet ibis:

He had been bleeding from the mouth, and his neck and the front of his shirt were stained with a brilliant red.

The brother, who acts as narrator, calls Doodle's name, weeping and "sheltering [his] fallen scarlet ibis" from what he thinks is the mockery of the rain. 

James Hurst's short story "The Scarlet Ibis" is about two brothers growing up in coastal North Carolina in the first part of the 20th century. The narrator, who is never named, is six years older than his brother Doodle. Doodle is born with physical problems and at first the family believes he may die. Although he doesn't, he is physically challenged and doesn't learn to walk until he is five. The ibis, which dies in the family's front yard after a bad storm, is a symbol for Doodle and has some of the same characteristics. 

The narrator could be considered active because he is a young boy who loves more than anything to run, swim and box. He's adventurous as he loves to explore the swamps around the family farm. He's confident in himself and, despite serious obstacles, is able to teach Doodle how to walk. He is at first independent and doesn't like taking Doodle with him on his adventures. He could definitely be considered masculine and he often clashes with his more sensitive brother. He's also sometimes mean and cruel:

There is within me (and with sadness I have watched it in others) a knot of cruelty borne by the stream of love, much as our blood sometimes bears the seed of our destruction, and at times I was mean to Doodle. 

Doodle and his older brother are very much alike in the face of a challenge. The older brother takes on the challenge of teaching Doodle to walk. He has a tenacious attitude. He is determined that he will teach Doodle to walk. He is embarrassed by his handicapped brother:

Driven by shame at having a crippled sibling, Brother forms a plan to secretly teach Doodle to walk. Eventually, he succeeds. This initial success is not, however, enough for Brother, who is determined that Doodle will not shame him by being seen as different when he starts school.

Doodle is like his brother in his tenacity. Doodle is determined he will make his brother proud of him. He repeatedly tries to walk. Every time he falls down, he gets right back up. He will prove himself strong in spite of his handicap. In the face of a great challenge, he is triumphant. He is victorious. He learns to walk and run because he refuses to give up.

Doodle and his older brother are alike in their determination. They both prove themselves triumphant. In the face of obstacles, they refuse to be discouraged. They contribute great strength and their efforts prove successful.

Doodle and his older brother differ in their reasons for confronting the challenge of Doodle learning to walk. The older brother is embarrassed of Doodle's handicap. He does not desire for Doodle to begin school handicapped. He pushes Doodle to walk so he will not have to face the children at school with a handicapped brother. His desire for Doodle to walk is motivated by his selfish image that he must protect.

Doodle is different than his older brother. He desires to walk to please his brother. He admires his older brother. He reveres his older brother. Doodle will walk to make his older brother happy. More than any thing, Doodle wants his older brother to be proud of him.

Even though both brothers share a common goal which is teaching Doodle to walk, they differ in their motivation to reach that goal. The older brother is selfish and ashamed of his handicapped brother. Doodle is selfless and so proud of his older brother. He idolizes his older brother. The older brother finds Doodle as a burden, one that he must deal with every day of his life. Doodle just wants to be with his older brother out of respect and devotion.

"The Scarlet Ibis" by James Hurst introduces the character of Doodle.  Along with Doodle comes the protagonist of the story, Brother. Doodle calls his older brother, Brother, who also serves as the narrator of the story.

Brother looks back at Doodle's story many years later.  It is only then that he can interject a more mature understanding of the events leading to Doodle's death. 

No one expected Doodle to live.  He was deformed with many internal problems.  Eventually, Brother does teach Doodle to walk,  and with tears, he proudly shows his little brother off to his parents.  This is when Brother admits that he has a cruel streak that rears its head sometimes with his brother.

One particular time, Brother made Doodle touch his own coffin:

I showed him his casket, telling him how we all believed he would die.  When I made him touch the casket, he screamed, crying 'Don't leave me, Brother!'

Brother would hear that cry again.

Later, everyone is seated at the lunch table at home.  A strange croak comes from the bleeding tree [it oozes red sap which is bright red in color].  Rushing to look, they find a large red bird up in the top branch looking dazed.  Suddenly, he falls to the ground; and with a jerk, he dies.  The father tells them it is a Scarlet Ibis, which normally lives in the tropics. A storm must have driven it off course, and it injured itself. 

It lay on the earth like a broken vase of red flowers and even death could not mar its beauty.

Doodle wants to immediately bury the beautiful bird.

Brother makes Doodle go to his swimming lessons.  He does not want to go because he tells Brother that he is tired.  A storm come up and scares Doodle who falls down in the mud.  Angrily and with the cruel streak rising again, Brother leaves Doodle and runs for shelter.

All he can hear is Doodle crying, asking him not to leave him.  Eventually, Brother goes back for his little brother.  It is too late! Doodle is found under a poisonous nightshade bush with blood on his shirt, bleeding from his mouth like the Ibis.  Brother realizes what he has done and screams.  Finally, he understands the value of his brother and cries to himself, sheltering Doodle, his fallen scarlet ibis.

As he remembers the events through his flashback,  the older Brother is able to better understand his actions as a thirteen year old boy.  With a more mature outlook, he accepts his responsibility for his part in the death of Doodle.  

The character of Doodle in "The Scarlet Ibis" has many strengths and weaknesses.  One of his strengths is his love for his brother.  Doodle loves his brother so much he willingly allows himself to be taught by him.  In secret, Doodle learns to walk because of his desire to please his brother.  

Doodle's other strength is his love of nature.  When they find the dead scarlet ibis, it is Doodle who lovingly buries the creature.  

Doodle's weaknesses are mostly mental and physical in nature.  He is born with a disability that makes it difficult for him to learn to walk.  In fact, he is nicknamed "Doodle" by his brother, because Doodle can only scoot backward like a doodle-bug.

Doodle's brother, only known as "Brother," influences Doodle greatly.  Because Doodle's parents insist that Brother take Doodle with him everywhere, Brother becomes a significant person in Doodle's life.  Brother takes a special interest in teaching Doodle to walk.  However, he teaches him out of shame, not love.  

Brother describes Doodle as someone who likes to tell lies.

My lies were scary, involved, and usually pointless, but Doodle's were twice as crazy. People in his stories all had wings and flew wherever they wanted to go. His favorite lie was about a boy named Peter who had a pet peacock with a ten-foot tail. Peter wore a golden robe that glittered so brightly that when he walked through the sunflowers they turned away from the sun to face him. When Peter was ready to go to sleep, the peacock spread his magnificent tail, enfolding the boy gently like a closing go-to-sleep flower, burying him in the glorious iridescent, rustling vortex. Yes, I must admit it. Doodle could beat me lying.

These lies are revealing.  Perhaps Doodle sees himself as the boy Peter, who is plain compared to the gloriously beautiful peacock.  Or perhaps Doodle sees himself as the peacock, different in his looks, but beautiful in his love and worship of his brother.

Based on the above, readers may have differing opinions about Doodle.  Some readers may identify with Doodle and understand his willingness to push beyond his limits to win the approval of his brother.  Some readers may think that Doodle is unwise to put so much trust in a brother who clearly would rather not be around him.  Some readers may see the parallel between the scarlet ibis and Doodle, understanding that like the ibis, Doodle is out of his element and is unable to survive in a harsh environment for very long.

As has already been mentioned, there is a deep symbolic connection between the scarlet ibis and Doodle. The two can be interpreted as beautiful rarities who do not quite "belong" in the setting in which they are found and both ultimately die beneath a tree for seemingly senseless purposes. Once the ibis dies, about two-thirds of the way through the story, Doodle shows a deep compassion and understanding for the bird. While his family chuckles at the awkward time Doodle has of burying the creature, Doodle, struggling, manages to provide the bird with a funeral. The narrator, who is Doodle's older brother, says:

Slowly, while singing softly "Shall We Gather at the River," he carried the bird around to the front yard and dug a hole in the flower garden, next to the petunia bed. Now we were watching him through the front window, but he didn't know it.

Doodle's actions, although they exhaust him greatly, are necessary in his mind because he senses a kinship and empathy for this beautiful and exotic bird. The death of the scarlet ibis also foreshadows Doodle's own death at the very end of the story since they die in similar situations. However, the readers sees the stark difference between how Doodle reacts to death and how Doodle's older brother does. Thus, the story weaves symbolism, foreshadowing, and character foils through the interaction between the scarlet ibis, Doodle, and the narrator.

You might like to consider how the opening description of setting foreshadows the eventual death of both the scarlet ibis and of Doodle, who you are right to identify as being linked through symbolism in a very profound way. Consider the description that opens the story, and note the way that death is refered to:

The flower garden was stained with rotting brown magnolia petals, and ironweeds grew rank amid the purple phlox. The five o'clocks by the chimney still marked time, but the oriole nest in the elm was untenanted and rocked back and forth like an empty cradle. The last graveyard flowers were blooming, and their smell drifted across the cotton field and through every room of our house, speaking softly the names of our dead.

Note the way that this opening paragraph becomes strongly symbolic of the dead and the dying. Words such as "rotting" and "untenanted" and "rank" all bring to mind the death of various forms of nature, and let us not forget the way that in the opening sentence of the novel, the tree where the scarlet ibis settles is described as "bleeding." Lastly, the scent of the flowers in the graveyard provide an unescapable reminder of death and mortality.

    The "red, dead bird" in the James Hurst short story, "The Scarlet Ibis," does indeed symbolize the frailty of Doodle, the beautiful but imperfect child whose life is also suddenly cut short. Like the ibis, which has traveled a great distance only to discover that he is lost in a strange land, Doodle is also a misplaced youth who has lived longer and covered more ground than anyone could have imagined. But there are other symbols in the story.
    Hurst places the ibis in the appropriately named "bleeding tree." It is from here that the bird tumbles and dies. The only person that thought Doodle would live was--also aptly named--Aunt Nicey, who likened him to Jesus. The hurricane which brought the ibis also symbolizes a bad omen, as do the black storm clouds which cause the final rains.

The sun disappeared and darkness descended, almost like night.

The early darkness symbolizes the approach of death.

The scarlet ibis and Doodle share some similarities. This particular species of bird isn't native to Doodle's home in North Carolina; it should be located in a more tropical climate. Finding this bird at their home near the swamp is unexpected, just as Doodle's physical condition is unexpected. While the family had planned for another (healthy) baby, they were met with quite a different reality. Like the bird, Doodle is different, and his challenges are unexpected to his family.

The scarlet ibis is also frail, struggling to move independently:

At that moment the bird began to flutter, but the wings were uncoordinated, and amid much flapping and a spray of flying feathers, it tumbled down, bumping through the limbs of the bleeding tree and landing at our feet with a thud.

These movements are similar to the physical struggles of Doodle, who struggles with movements that are typically innate to humans: walking, running, swimming, and climbing. In fact, as Doodle steps from the boat in the final scene, his fall into the mud is similar to the scarlet ibis's fall from the tree:

Doodle was both tired and frightened, and when he stepped from the skiff he collapsed onto the mud, sending an armada of fiddler crabs rustling off into the marsh grass .... He had failed and we both knew it.

The scarlet ibis also dies in relative isolation, with no members of its own species nearby. Likewise, Doodle dies alone, abandoned by the brother who has given up on him.

The scarlet ibis thus symbolizes the struggles of Doodle, reflecting his physical inability to exist in a world which isn't constructed for his success. In the final lines, the narrator connects the symbolism of the scarlet ibis to his brother:

I lay there crying, sheltering my fallen scarlet ibis from the heresy of rain.

The narrator realizes that he has created a metaphorical storm that has tragically ended the life of his young brother, much like the natural storm altered the course of the scarlet ibis and placed it in an unnatural habitat it could not endure. Its death is symbolic of Doodle's death as well, reflecting his inability to exist in a world that isn't designed for differences.

The narrator of the story is described as loving, yet with a capacity to sometimes be cruel. Doodle, on the other hand, is described as sensitive, dependent and, of course, different.

The narrator, therefore, could be symbolized by a heart with a crack running through it. The heart would symbolize the love he has for his brother, and the crack running through it would symbolize his tendency to sometimes be cruel.

The narrator is, for the most part, an elder brother that Doodle depends upon, so another good symbol for the narrator might be a cane. People who need help depend upon a cane, and in the same way Doodle depends upon his brother. You could make this symbol even more appropriate, and take into consideration the end of the story, by having the symbol become a broken cane, symbolizing how, ultimately, the narrator lets his little brother down.

As for Doodle, he might be symbolized as a feather. This would obviously link to the fact that in the story he is symbolized by the scarlet ibis, but a feather also symbolizes sensitivity because it changes its course according to the slightest variation in the wind.

A second appropriate symbol for Doodle might be a snowflake. Every individual snowflake is different, and unique, and so a snowflake would be a good symbol to represent how Doodle is likewise different, and unique.

I hope you like some of these suggestions. Good luck with your assignment!

Doodle, from James Hurst's short story The Scarlet Ibis, can be symbolized by many different things. Given that you are not allowed to use anything from the novel, and the text is very specific about symbolism and Doodle, your world of choices is actually very open to different symbols.

Here are some suggestions:

1. Doodle is "broken." It is stated at the very beginning when the narrator states that his father has already made him a coffin. Therefore, a broken toy could symbolize him based upon his age and the fact that he is "broken" himself.

2. Doodle could also be represented by a butterfly. The symbol of the butterfly represents regeneration. Those who believe in life after death can use this image to represent Doodle after his death (with hopes that he will not be "broken" like he was in life).

3. Similar to the butterfly, Doodle could be represented by the symbol of the phoenix. Again, the phoenix represents rebirth. Given that the phoenix is a fire-bird, this symbolic image would parallel that of the scarlet ibis (which is red as well).

Rare creatures, such as the symbolic scarlet ibis and Doodle, are those that Henry David Thoreau once described as "march[ing] to the beat of a different drummer."

Like the ibis, there is a creative and magical quality to Doodle that Aunt Nicey is first to point out when he is born in a caul. "She said caul babies should be treated with special respect since they might turn out to be saints." Indeed, Aunt Nicey has perceived a unique and creative spirit in Doodle. When the brother takes Doodle to Old Woman Swamp, declaring it the "only beauty I knew," a wide-eyed Doodle begins to cry because he is so emotionally moved by how "pretty, pretty, pretty" the area is. The brother then weaves flowers into necklaces and crowns with Doodle.

Clearly, Doodle has the creative spirit, a spirit that places him among artists, musicians, and the like. They are rare creatures who see things that others do not; they imagine things that others cannot, and they hear "the beat of a different drummer." They are the rare "beautiful birds" whose loss are mourned by many because they bring a refreshing uniqueness to the world. They are the creatures who feed the souls of others. The brother realizes his loss as Doodle dies. He cries, holding him and "sheltering [his] fallen scarlet ibis from the heresy of rain."

The opening paragraph of the story immediately offers some clues as to the character of the narrator. The first line begins, "Summer was dead," which immediately establishes a rather melancholic tone. The final line, "But sometimes (like right now) I sit in the cool green parlour, and I remember Doodle," implies that the narrator is reflective and thoughtful. After one has read the story, one might also infer from this line, in combination with the beginning of the first line, that the narrator is also mournful and regretful.

Throughout the story there is a somewhat callous, uncaring streak to the narrator's character. When he is trying to teach his brother how to walk, for example, and his brother asks him not to hurt him, the narrator replies, "Shut up. I'm not going to hurt you." When his brother asks him why he is teaching him how to walk, the narrator replies, "So I won't have to haul you around all the time." We should, of course, bear in mind that the narrator at this time is a thirteen-year-old boy, which perhaps makes these comments more understandable. He is, after all, going through the hormonal turbulence of his own adolescence.

At the end of the story, as an indirect consequence of the narrator's unthinking cruelty, his brother dies, scared and alone. The narrator weeps and screams "above the pounding storm" and throws his body "to the earth." He is overwhelmed with grief. The author here uses pathetic fallacy to reflect the feelings of the narrator. The torrential rain and the "pounding storm" reflect the emotional turmoil that the narrator experiences when he holds his dead brother in his arms.

In "The Scarlet Ibis," the author uses various examples and details to show the character of the narrator. The narrator is the older brother of Doodle. As the older brother, he admits that he is ashamed of Doodle because Doodle is handicapped. He admits that he has a mean streak. This is evident when the narrator shows Doodle the little coffin that had been made for him when he was first born:

When I made him touch the casket, he screamed. And even when we were outside in the bright sunshine he clung to me, crying, 'Don't leave me, Brother! Don't leave me!'

The author reveals more about the character of the narrator as he is so ashamed of his handicapped brother until he decides he will teach Doodle to walk.

I was embarrassed at having a brother of that age who couldn't walk, so I set out to teach him. We were down in Old Woman Swamp. 'I'm going to teach you to walk, Doodle,' I said.

This took great effort, but the narrator finally accomplished his goal and taught Doodle to walk. When the family saw that Doodle could walk, the mother began crying for joy. Next, the reader sees the true character of the older brother when he begins crying:

'What are you crying for?' asked Daddy, but I couldn't answer. They didn't know that I did it just for myself, that Doodle walked only because I was ashamed of having a crippled brother.

Clearly, the older brother had taught Doodle so much. However, his motives were selfish. He did everything for Doodle out of shame of his little brother's handicap.

In the end, Doodle dies, and the narrator is hard on himself, feeling that Doodle's death is his fault. When the narrator stretches himself over Doodle's body,  he begins crying because Doodle is dead. At this point, the reader realizes how much the narrator has truly loved his brother Doodle.

The scarlet ibis, an exotic bird with a disproportionate wing span and awkward legs, is compared to Doodle in James Hurst's story, which is named after the bird. In fact, it is symbolic and portentous, as well.

In the final scene of the story, the brother takes a listless Doodle out on the water and hands him the oars in order for Doodle to row back against the tide. With a storm brewing overhead, Doodle tries to pull the oars a little harder than he usually does; consequently, he becomes exhausted and frightened both by the approaching storm; as he steps out of the skiff, he falls onto the mud. Regaining his stance, he tries to wipe the mud from his pants ashamedly. But, in his "cracked pride" the brother affords Doodle no mercy; instead, he begins to walk hurriedly in the storm. Doodle, too, walks quickly, so the brother begins to run. Doodle calls out, "Brother, Brother, don't leave me! Don't leave me!"

The knowledge that Doodle's and my plans had come to naught was biter, and that streak of cruelty within me awakened. I ran as fast as I could, leaving him far behind with a all of rain dividing us.

As the wind and torrents of rain fall, the brother peers through the curtain of rain, but no one comes. Finally, he backtracks and finds Doodle seated on the ground, "his face buried in his arms." The brother calls to him, "Let's go, Doodle."  When there is no response, he lifts Doodle's head that limply falls backward. On his shirtfront is a bright red stain. Instantly, the brother cries, "Doodle, Doodle!" but there is no answer. Much like the scarlet ibis, 

He lay very awkwardly, with his head thrown far back, making his vermilion neck appear unusually long and slim. His little legs, bent sharply at the knees, had never before seemed so fragile, so thin....

Then, the brother learns the symbolism of the scarlet ibis as well as its role as a portent of what would come. 

For a long, long time, it seemed forever, I lay there crying, sheltering my fallen scarlet ibis from the heresy of the rain.