narrator has a doggedness about his plan, and he becomes even more intent about achieving his plan before Doodle starts school. The narrator is motivated in part by his wish to not be embarrassed by his younger brother and to make Doodle seem like every other kid. The narrator does not realize that, like the dead ibis they see in the tree, Doodle is a rare creature who is not like other children. In the end, Doodle, unable to live up to his brother's expectations, dies from exhaustion after collapsing while running after Brother in a storm.

Doodle dies at the end of "The Scarlet Ibis" as a result of his brother's pride.  The narrator pushes his brother to walk and run so that he can keep up with the other school boys.  While this may seem like a selfless act initially, the narrator admits it was done out of embarassment that his brother was crippled. 

It is clear that Doodle died when the narrator "placed his hand on his [Doodle's] forehead" and "limply, he fell backward onto the earth."  The reference to the blood coming from Doodle's mouth and staining his shirt red reminds the reader of the scarlet ibis's death.  Like Doodle, it tucked its legs under itself in death.  The narrator covers the body and refers to Doodle as his scarlet ibis and cries as he shelters the body from the rain that covers them.  The rain emphasizes the mood of sadness when Doodle dies.

Brother’s plans for Doodle to be “normal” by teaching him to walk and run were successful until Brother pushed Doodle beyond his physical limitations.  Brother was disappointed in Doodle because Doodle was born with physical disabilities. He was small with a large head and couldn’t crawl or sit up.  When Doodle smiled at Brother, Brother realized that Doodle was not mentally disabled, and Brother took on the task of teaching Doodle to walk. Brother was embarrassed by Doodle’s limitations, and he also wanted someone to play with on the farm and in Old Woman’s Swamp.  He pushed Doodle causing Doodle to become physically exhausted like the scarlet ibis that appeared at the farm beaten by the violent storm that brought it there.

As another violent storm suddenly appeared, Brother left Doodle behind in Old Woman’s Swamp where Doodle died.   Brother’s pride and lack of empathy caused the death of Doodle who never complained about Brother’s extreme demands on him.

While I do agree that Doodle's dies from a physical problem, I believe it isn't stated specifically because it is not really important. If it was, Hurst would have been careful to make it clear through the words of his narrator. The most important element to Doodle's death is his connection to the Scarlet Ibis. He died in a very similar way as the Ibis: far from home, overtaken by physical limitations in a harsh environment. He was physically very weak and lived longer than expected. Finally, however, he was blown far, far off course by the actions of his brother. The theme I stress is that of people accepting other people for exactly who and what they are, for not doing so could lead to serious consequences for all involved.

I hate to be contrary, but I disagree with both answers. If you take the ibis as a symbol for Doodle, which I believe you should based on thier similar appearance at death, then you must take into account that both the bird and the boy were struggling to survive in an environment that is unnatural and unsuitable for them. Doodle's stuggle is not only trying to cope with the physical demands set upon him by the narrator, but also the emotional demands. He loves his brother dearly and would do anything to please him. It is this love that helps him to walk and meet so many other challenges.

When his brother leaves him behind in the storm, he is devistated. He needs his brother's acceptance to help him belong in the world into which he was born--it is that acceptance that ties him to his "environment." When he thinks his brother has left him, he gives up. Though the story doesn't directly say how he dies, I think he was emotionally too weak to live without his brother's acceptance. While he does sustain some injuries during the storm, which are apparent since he was bleeding from the mouth, I think he could have recovered had his brother come for him. He dies of heart trouble, yes, but not a heart attack. He dies of a broken heart.

I don't really have a source to back up this opinion. It's just my gut reaction to the story. But, generally, my gut is pretty good at figuring things out.

Mrs. SO

I don't quite agree with the answer listed below. At the end of the story Doodle does exert himself to the breaking point rowing the skiff and trying to run home after his brother. The story never mentions a heart attack however. There is a storm that hits as the boys are headed home in the skiff and Doodle is frightened by the thunder and lightning. His brother, once again, leaves Doodle behind as he's running for home and lightning strikes a tree which falls over Doodle. When his brother realizes that Doodle is not behind him he goes back and finds the fallen tree and Doodle beneath it. He rolls Doodle over trying to wake him and see the scarlet blood on his face and realizes that Doodle will not be waking up. I would say that he did not die from a heart attack, but rather from being struck by the fallen tree.

In "The Scarlet Ibis", it is important to remember that Doodle is a fragile child who was never meant to live. He has pretty much lived up to this point to please his brother, but one of his greatest fears was being left behind by Brother. In the end, when he is left behind the sad and fragile little child dies of a heart attack. I ASSURE YOU THIS ANSWER IS CORRECT BASED ON THE INFORMATION AT THE LINK BELOW.  Brenda

Doodle died as the narrator and he are running through the rain. Doodle had already been forced to row their boat against the tide, and as the story says, Doodle is an invalid with a weak heart. Rowing and running are both acts which Doodle previously was unable to accomplish. He had overcome his inability to walk, and his small go-cart was put away, but in the victory that he won, Doodle went too far too fast; he overachieved. The act of running exacerbates his seemingly dormant medical condition, and he ends up bleeding internally.

Doodle struggle to overcome his challenges had been difficult on his heart. He was not even supposed to live but he learned to walk and to talk thanks to the constant pushing of Brother. Unfortunately, Brother is not satisfied with all the challenges he helped Doodle overcome. His motivation for helping Doodle was to have a "normal" brother. He was never able to accept Doodle for himself and his limitations. So, in spite of all Doodle's progress, Brother kept pushing. Doodle tried valiantly to keep up but his heart was not strong enough. When Brother pushed him one last time, Doodle's heart gave up. It was only then that Brother realized how remarkable Doodle really was.

The conflict of any story is the struggle between opposing forces. Brother's struggle is between his pride and Doodle's disability. Doodle struggles with his own body to please his older brother. Therefore, the main conflict for both boys is man vs. nature because both boys struggle with the physical disabilities of Doodle's birth defects. Furthermore, Brother wants Doodle independent enough to walk and run so he won't be embarrassed at school for having a disabled family member. Without Doodle's character, there wouldn't be any conflict to solve or goal to achieve; and that goal, as dictated by Brother, is to help Doodle to become independent. Brother shares his feelings about his brother as follows:

"He was a burden in many ways. The doctor had said that he mustn't get too excited, too hot, too cold, or too tired and that he must always be treated gently. A long list of don'ts went with him, all of which I ignored once we got out of the house."  

Brother calls Doodle a burden. From this passage, and others like it, Brother changes the man vs. nature conflict to man vs. man. He makes it personal--as if Doodle purposefully inherited his disabilities simply to burden Brother. Brother never seems to see Doodle as a human being, which causes him to do some pretty cruel things to his brother. In the end, Brother pushes Doodle to run too far and he dies trying to please his brother. Again, without Doodle, there would have been no story and no conflict, so his character is instrumental to the tale.

The father of Doodle (referred to as "Daddy") doesn't really play a very major part of the novel. We can imagine his sadness at the birth of Doodle, and we are told that it is Daddy who asks the carpenter to build a coffin, obviously predicting an early death. But also, perhaps to make up for this, it is Daddy who makes Doodle a go-cart. Daddy of course shares a tremendous sense of pride in Doodle's ability to walk.

Interestingly, during the blight of 1918 we receive more information, particularly in his response to what has happened to his crops:

Doodle and I followed Daddy out into the cotton field, where he stood, shoulders sagging, surveying the ruin. When his chin sank down onto his chest, we were frightened, and Doodle slipped his hand into mine. Suddenly Daddy straightened his shoulders, raised a giant knuckly fist, and with a voice that seemed to rumble out of the earth itself began cursing heaven, hell, the weather, and the Republican party.

This shows Daddy in a more human light, especially as we are told that after this Doodle and his brother knew that "everything was going to be alright." It was silence that they feared from Daddy.

It is Daddy who identifies the Scarlet Ibis, and during the meal time conversation Daddy shows preference to Doodle, ignoring the narrator's protestations and denials. It is clear that although he is a minor character in this short story, he plays an important role in providing love and security for Doodle and being a role model for both of the boys.

In James Hurst's only short story, "The Scarlet Ibis," the narrator, who is never named, wants a brother who can run, swim, box, and basically do all the things a healthy young boy can do. Unfortunately, the brother he gets is physically challenged. Even his name, Doodle, suggests weakness. In fact, the doctor didn't give him much chance of surviving the first few months of his life. So, from the very outset he is not what the narrator expected:

He was born when I was six and was, from the outset, a disappointment. He seemed all head, with a tiny body which was red and shriveled like an old man's. Everybody thought he was going to die...

At the end of James Hurst's story "The Scarlet Ibis," Doodle dies. His official cause of death would probably be listed as heart failure, for his heart has been weak ever since his birth. He has, in fact, lived longer than anyone expected.

Yet there is another indirect cause of death for poor Doodle. On the day that he dies, he has been on an outing with his brother, the story's narrator. Doodle is already exhausted, but his brother makes him row home against the tide. Then the storm breaks over the boys. The narrator begins to run through the rain, and the thunder crashes around the brothers.

Doodle quickly falls behind, lacking the strength to keep up with his brother. He calls out plaintively, "Brother, Brother, don't leave me! Don't leave me!" But the narrator, upset because Doodle isn't making better progress, ignores him and keeps on running until he can no longer hear Doodle's cries. When he finally goes back for his brother, he finds Doodle dead.

Had the narrator walked slowly and allowed his brother to keep up with him, Doodle might not have died. Had he found a place of shelter during the storm and kept his brother next to him, calming his fears, Doodle might not have died. Had he picked up Doodle and carried him, Doodle might not have died. But the narrator does none of these. He leaves the weak, terrified Doodle to fend for himself, and Doodle wears out his heart and collapses.

The narrator, then, is at least partly responsible for Doodle's death. He knows of his brother's struggles and fragility, yet he fails to help Doodle. He does not intend to cause his brother's death, of course, but his actions help to cause it.