A person should treat others well so they won't regret it later. In the short story
"The Scarlet Ibis" by James Hurst a young boy named Doodle, who is suffering from a
weak heart is trying to be friends with his twelve year old brother. When Doodle was
born the family knew he was going to have a handicap. His older brother was hoping for a
brother who he could teach to do things he does, like racing, boxing, and other typical boy
things. Doodle couldn't do those things so his brother would be mean to him to try to
make up for his losses. At the end of the story doodle and his brother are at the swamp
and going home when a storm is coming, his brother got scared so he started to run
leaving Doodle behind crying, "Brother, Brother, don't leave me! Don't leave me!" After
a little while his brother came back to find Doodle lying down on the ground with blood
coming from his mouth, he died because his heart exploded. The story is told from his
brother as an adult remembering Doodle and regretting he was mean to him. When a
reader finishes the story he or she will remember the story later on in life when he or she is
being mean to another person and they might just help or compliment that person instead.
The author uses this story to teach the reader that he or she should always be thankful for
the people you know and let them know it because they might be gone before you know
The brother was really cruel to Doodle. He did things that could endanger
Doodle's life. He would pull the wagon doodle rode around in as fast he could to try and
hurt Doodle by tipping. He made Doodle go up in the loft of the barn and touch his own
coffin just to be mean. In the story his brother thought "There is within me (and with
sadness I have watched it in others) a knot of cruelty borne by the stream of love, much
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