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The narrator of “The Scarlet Ibis,” Brother remains nameless throughout the story and is only referred to as “Brother” by his younger brother Doodle. He narrates the story years after the events he describes took place, reflecting on Doodle’s short life and premature death. He is six years older than Doodle and is initially disappointed to have a brother with a disability because he wanted a companion with whom he could play. Although he comes to love and accept Doodle, he also has a mean streak towards his younger brother, initially trying to discourage him from coming outside with him by turning over his go-cart, and by forcing him to touch the coffin that his parents had built for him when he was born. When Brother realizes how much he comes to care for Doodle, he devises a “development program” for him so that he won’t be ashamed of Doodle. Brother plans to teach him to run, swim, and climb like other boys so that he can fit in at school. Although this initially pleases his family when Doodle learns to walk, Brother’s fierce determination to push Doodle beyond his physical limitations ultimately leads to Doodle’s death when Brother abandons him in a storm out of hurt pride over Doodle’s failure to make progress.
Brother Quotes in The Scarlet Ibis
The The Scarlet Ibis quotes below are all either spoken by Brother or refer to Brother. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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The Scarlet Ibis Quotes
It was in the clove of seasons, summer was dead but autumn had not yet been born, that the ibis lit in the bleeding tree. The flower garden was strained with rotting brown magnolia petals and ironweeds grew rank amid the purple phlox.
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The opening sentence of “The Scarlet Ibis” sets up several key ideas for what’s to come. Although readers have not yet been introduced to the narrator of the story, they are introduced to the central symbol of the ibis. The ibis doesn’t reappear in the story until much later, but this quote establishes that its appearance is, in many ways, the event toward which the story’s trajectory arcs. The description of the season as “dead” and the references to death that immediately follow also foreshadow Doodle’s death at the end of the story. Thus, this quote also establishes up how Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis.
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.
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“The Scarlet Ibis” revolves around Brother’s memory of Doodle’s life, so it follows that Brother’s story starts when Doodle is born. This initial feeling of disappointment and description of Doodle’s disability sets up the primary conflict of the piece. Importantly, Brother tells the reader first about his disappointment, and then describes the source of his disappointment. The quote supports the idea that it is not, in fact, Doodle’s disability that serves as the main conflict between the two brothers. Instead it is Brother’s disappointment in Doodle’s disability that propels the action and sets the brothers on the path to trying Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Pro
Renaming my brother was perhaps the kindest thing I ever did for him, because nobody expects much from someone called Doodle.
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Once Doodle is able to crawl, Brother gives Doodle his nickname because he can only crawl backwards, like a doodlebug. The name his parents had given him was William Armstrong, which Brother had previously remarked was “like tying a big tail on a small kite.” This quote demonstrates how much of Doodle’s life is determined and affected by what people expect of him. His doctor expects him not to live, his parents expect him to limit his experiences, and Brother expects Doodle not to let his disability affect his life at all. These pressures pull at him from all sides, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt.
Finally, I could see I was licked. 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.
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When Doodle’s father builds him a go-cart, enabling him to be more mobile, Brother initially laments that he has to take Doodle around everywhere he goes, and even tries to turn the cart over in order to discourage Doodle from joining him. Here, he realizes that the bond of brotherhood is not easily dissolved, and that he bears responsibility for his brother whether he likes it or not. He therefore determines that he must share with Doodle his love of the outdoors. This quote reinforces the brothers’ ties to the natural world, showing how their dynamic often mirrors what is Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provid
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.
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When Doodle turns five, Brother is ashamed of having a brother at that age who is unable to walk, so he sets out to teach Doodle. Each time Brother tries to put Doodle upright, Doodle crashes to the ground, but Brother refuses to quit. Here he admits that he wanted to be proud of Doodle, which is not inherently a bad thing. His future self, looking back his childhood, goes on to suggest that pride can be detrimental. Brother often uses metaphors that involve natural imagery, enhancing the connection between human experience and the natural world. Taken together with all Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedit
They did not know that I 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.
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When Brother and Doodle show off Doodle’s ability to walk to his parents and Aunt Nicey, Doodle tells them that Brother is the one who taught him. The family is overjoyed that Brother has done this, but he begins to cry out of guilt, and Brother confesses his real motivations to the reader. Once again, Brother references his pride, but this time his descriptions of his pride are much harsher. Describing himself as a “slave” to pride, and admitting that Doodle walked “only” because of his shame, Brother has a rare moment of self-reflection, seeming understanding that his actions are Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia ape
Sadly, we all looked back at the bird. A scarlet ibis! How many miles it had traveled to die like this, in our yard, beneath the bleeding tree.
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Just before school begins, in the season that Brother references at the very beginning of the story, the scarlet ibis appears in the family’s “bleeding tree” (that is, a tree that is oozing sap or other liquid). As soon as it appears, however, the ibis tries to fly away, and crashes to its death because its wings are mangled. In this way, the appearance of the ibis in the story is a use of symbolism that ties directly to Doodle, whose life is similarly cut short by disability. Thus, Brother’s quote here comes to apply just as easily to Doodle, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam el
He had failed and we both knew it, so we started back home, racing the storm. We never spoke (What are the words that can solder cracked pride?), but I knew he was watching me, watching for a sign of mercy.
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Just after Doodle buries the ibis in their yard, the two brothers race out to try and practice swimming before the impending storm arrives. Doodle is too tired to swim, and after the brothers try to row, Doodle collapses from exhaustion. Brother acknowledges that Doodle hasn’t been able to improve enough to measure up to the other boys in school, but instead of showing his brother compassion, Brother simply wonders what words could fix the shame he felt towards his brother. Brother had set up himself and Doodle for disappointment when he began to expect too much of Doodle. Another Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut
I screamed above the pounding storm and threw my body to the earth above his. For a long time, it seemed forever, I lay there crying, sheltering my fallen scarlet ibis from the heresy of rain.
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In the final sentence of the story, several of the themes culminate in a full impact brought on by the weight of Doodle’s death. Brother’s pride directly, though inadvertently, causes his brother’s death when he abandons Doodle in the storm. The symbolism of both the ibis and the storm come full circle as Brother explicitly acknowledges the connection between the fallen bird and his fallen brother; likewise, the storm is directly connected to Brother’s cruelty, as its climax coincides with Brother’s abandonment of Doodle. The very last words can be a bit hard to interpret, as “heresy” doesn’t have the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Ac
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Brother Character Timeline in The Scarlet Ibis
The timeline below shows where the character Brother appears in The Scarlet Ibis. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
The Scarlet Ibis
Brother opens his narration by describing the end of a summer in his past, during which...
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Doodle is born when Brother is six, and Brother remarks that Doodle is a disappointment. He has a large head...
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To everyone’s surprise, Doodle lives, and his parents decide to name him William Armstrong. Brother explains how excited he was to have someone to accompany him racing and boxing and...
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...to crawl, and he joins the family outside of his bedroom for the first time. Brother takes it upon himself to give his brother the nickname Doodle because he only crawls...
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Doodle’s father builds Doodle a go-cart so that he can join Brother outside, and soon it becomes Brother’s responsibility to take him outside whenever he wants to...
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Brother finally realizes how much he loves Doodle, and is able to share his love of...
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Brother admits that he also has a mean streak towards Doodle. One afternoon he takes Doodle...
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Doodle is now five years old and still unable to walk. Brother is embarrassed at having a brother of that age who can’t walk, so he decides...
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Eventually, Doodle is able to stand by himself for a few seconds, which encourages Brother to keep trying. On Doodle’s sixth birthday, they reveal his ability to his family, and...
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...and his go-cart is put in the loft next to his coffin. When he and Brother walk together, taking frequent breaks, they tell lies and stories to pass the time. Doodle...
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Now that he has taught Doodle to walk, Brother believes that he could teach Doodle anything. He plans a development program in which he...
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Doodle and Brother don’t make much progress in the winter because Doodle is sick and Brother is in...
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...the family’s cotton and corn fields. That same summer (the summer of 1918), Doodle and Brother hear whispers of strange names: Chateau-Thierry, Amiens, and Soissons. At dinner, Mama also comments on...
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The storyline has now arrived at the end of the summer to which Brother referred at the story’s opening. Doodle has not made as much progress as Brother would...
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A few days before school starts, Doodle, Brother, their parents, and their Aunt are having lunch. They hear a strange sound in the...
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When Doodle and Brother have finished eating, they rush off to continue their development program. They race out to...
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Lightning starts to appear in the sky, and Doodle and Brother return to shore. Doodle collapses in the mud out of exhaustion. Brother reflects that Doodle...
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Brother confesses that the fact that his plans had come to nothing awakened “a streak of...
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Brother finds Doodle under a red nightshade bush, but when he goes to pull Doodle up,...
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