1.) “Daddy had Mr. Heath, the carpenter, build a little mahogany coffin for him.” (Hurst 1)
This quote is important because the family thought that Doodle wouldn’t live for long. So they got him a coffin for him in case he died early.
2.) “He seemed all head, with a tiny body which was red and shriveled like an old man's.”(Hurst 1)
This quote is important because Doodle was born different from other babies. He wasn’t the size of a normal baby.
3.) “It was bad enough having an invalid brother, but having one who possibly was not all there was unbearable, so I began to make plans to kill him by smothering him with a pillow.” (Hurst 1)
This quote is important because the narrator was going to kill his brother. He didn’t want an invalid brother.
4.) “Doodle was my brother and he was going to cling to me forever, no matter what I did, so I dragged him across the burning cotton field to share with him the only beauty I knew, Old Woman Swamp.” (Hurst 2)
This quote is important because the narrator took Doodle to Old Woman Swamp. That’s where he taught most of what he knows.
5.) “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. One day I took him up to the barn loft and showed him his casket, telling him how we all had believed he would die.” (Hurst 2)
This quote is important because the narrator was mean to Doodle for no reason. It was really rude to show him the coffin. The narrator wasn’t a good brother.
6.) “When Doodle was five years old, I was embarrassed at having a brother of that age who couldn't walk, so I set out to teach him.” (Hurst 2)
This quote is important because the narrator taught Doodle how to walk just because he was embarrassed. Which made him have to deal with the consequences in the end.
7.) “I helped Doodle up, and when he was standing alone I let them look. There wasn't a sound as Doodle walked slowly across the room and sat down at his place at the table. Then Mama began to cry and ran over to him, hugging him and kissing him.” (Hurst 3)
This quote is important because Doodle and his brother surprises the family by showing them that Doodle can walk. The whole family is happy and proud.
8.) “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.” (Hurst 5)
This quote is important because Doodle was caught in a moment. He was so upset that the Scarlet Ibis died that he buries it.
9.) “I helped him up, and as he wiped the mud off his trousers, he smiled at me ashamedly. He had failed and we both knew it, so we started back home, racing the storm.” (Hurst 6)
This quote is important because it starts storming. The storm symbolizes Doodle and what happens next in the story.
10.) “He had been bleeding from the mouth, and his neck and the front of his shirt were stained a brilliant red.”Doodle! Doodle!" I cried, shaking him, but there was no answer but the ropy rain. 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.” (Hurst 6)
This quote is important because Doodle dies. He probably died because he was so scared because his brother left him. Or he had a heart attack.