Which excerpt from “the scarlet ibis” most foreshadows that the narrator will feel regret for something he has done to doodle?

but sometimes (like right now), as i sit in the cool, green-draped parlor, the grindstone begins to turn, and time with all its changes is ground away—and i remember doodle.

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.

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.

once i had succeeded in teaching doodle to walk, i began to believe in my own infallibility and i prepared a terrific development program for him, unknown to mama and daddy, of course.

The answer is: 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.

In this excerpt the narrator shows regrets bean mean with Doodle, Brother made awful things to  Doodle, like making him touches the coffin that was bought for him when he was a baby and at the tragic end, he leaves Doodle alone only to find him dead when he gets back, all of this situations makes Brother feel really guilty for how he acted.

Once I had succeeded in teaching Doodle to walk, I began to believe in my own infallibility and I prepared a terrific development program for him, unknown to Mama and Daddy, of course. Excerpt (D.) above is from “The Scarlet Ibis” most foreshadows that the narrator will feel regret for something he has done to Doodle.  

EXPLANATION  

A novelist named James Hurst has a very famous short story called "The Scarlet Ibis". This short story was first published in July 1960 in The Atlantic Monthly. “The Scarlet Ibis” won the Atlantic First Award. This story is included in the classic American literature which is still often republished and usually used in high school anthology or library collections.

Ibis scarlet is a representation of Doodle. It is a small, fragile Ibis scarlet like Doodle. The Scarlet Ibis is an unknown bird where it came from. Just like Doodles that are not considered in their environment, they are likened to birds that do not know their origin.

A Glimpse Story of The Scarlet Ibis Story

The story is written from the perspective of a man named "Brother" who tells the life of his younger brother, William Armstrong. Armstrong was nicknamed "Doodle". Doodle was born as a weak child. He was ill very often. His family did not expect him to live because of his birth defects. The Armstrong family even has a small coffin to prepare for his death. They chose the dashing name 'William Armstrong' because it would look good on a tombstone.  

Doodle survived, but for most of his childhood, he could not move or respond to his environment. Brother also has a plan to kill him with a pillow. When Brother finally witnessed Doodle's corpse, he noticed a physical similarity between Doodle and the red ibis. They both have broken necks and red blood coming out of the mouth. From here, the ibis scarlet becomes a symbol of death.

LEARN MORE

If you’re interested in learning more about this topic, we recommend you to also take a look at the following questions:

• In “The Scarlet Ibis,” how does the death of the scarlet ibis foreshadow the death of Doodle?  

KEYWORD: American Literature, James Hurst, The Atlantic

Subject: English

Class: 10 – 12

Subchapter: The Scarlet Ibis