“The Scarlet Ibis” opens as the unnamed narrator recalls the season in which a scarlet ibis, a brilliant tropical bird, landed in his backyard. This reflection prompts him to remember Doodle, his younger brother, and he begins to narrate the story of Doodle’s birth.
Doodle is born small and unhealthy; his family anticipates he won’t live long and builds a small coffin accordingly. Only Doodle’s superstitious aunt Nicey believes he may survive, citing as evidence the caul (or amniotic membrane) in which he is born. Doodle proves her right, and when he reaches the age of three months without further health complications, the family decides to name him William Armstrong.
Longing for a playmate who can keep him company in his outdoor adventures, the narrator, six years old at the time of his brother’s birth, is disappointed to learn that William Armstrong may never be the companion he envisions: his mother tells him the child may always be feeble and “not all there.” The narrator, deeply dismayed, plans to smother his little brother with a pillow but changes his mind when the infant smiles at him from his bed. The narrator takes this as a sign that his brother’s mind remains unaffected by his physical disabilities.
At the age of two, William Armstrong begins to move about, and at three he learns to crawl. Though the doctors fear the damage physical exertion may inflict on the child’s weak heart, he persists, and with his backward crawling earns the name “Doodle” from his older brother, who thinks he looks like a “doodle-bug.”
As Doodle learns to talk, he develops a deep affection for his older brother, who dutifully but unenthusiastically pulls the smaller boy around in a go-cart. Despite rough treatment, Doodle continues to idolize the narrator and never complains. The narrator, accepting his fate, brings Doodle along on his adventures in Old Woman...
(The entire section is 792 words.)