In the final two paragraphs of "The Scarlet Ibis" the narrator is making the association between Doodle and the ibis. The description of Doodle in the second to last paragraph is almost identical to how the ibis is portrayed as it dies in the family's yard. The color red figures prominently as the ibis is a deep scarlet color. Doodle's neck is described as "vermillion" and his shirt is stained with blood. The ibis too...
In the final two paragraphs of "The Scarlet Ibis" the narrator is making the association between Doodle and the ibis. The description of Doodle in the second to last paragraph is almost identical to how the ibis is portrayed as it dies in the family's yard. The color red figures prominently as the ibis is a deep scarlet color. Doodle's neck is described as "vermillion" and his shirt is stained with blood. The ibis too had a very "long, graceful neck" and is compared to a "broken vase of red flowers." The ibis dies under the bleeding tree and Doodle dies under a red nightshade bush. The legs of both Doodle and the ibis are thin and fragile. The bird dies after traveling far in a storm. Likewise, Doodle dies while chasing his brother in the rain. The bird is referred to as being rare, because it is not common to North Carolina. The same could be said for Doodle because of his physical shortcomings and because he is more thoughtful and imaginative than his brother.
In the final paragraph, the narrator makes an explicit comparison:
For a long time, it seemed forever, I lay there crying, sheltering my fallen scarlet ibis from the heresy of rain.
Looking back, the narrator realizes how special his brother really was. At the time, all he wanted was for his brother to not embarrass him so he sought to change him. Ultimately, the narrator wants to show that, like the ibis, Doodle was very unique and their deaths mirrored each other.
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