If you left your brother behind because he failed, would you be considered innocent? Or would you be considered guilty, for that matter? If you did leave him, would you even forgive yourself? In the story, Doodle, the narrator's brother, died in a heavy storm one night. The narrator is to be blamed for his death, because he ran when Doodle could barely walk, the narrator wasn’t able to control his emotions when Doodle failed, and finally because the narrator left Doodle behind when he fell.
One of the reasons the narrator is to blame for Doodle’s death is because he ran when Doodle could barely walk. The text says, “Doodle was both tired and frightened, and when he stepped from the skiff he collapsed onto the mud,” (360, Hurst). This alone tells us Doodle could barely walk because of how tired and frightened he was, and the narrator noticed this. The Narrator mentioned, “The faster I walked, the faster he walked, so I began to run,” (360, Hurst). In this excerpt, it tells us that the narrator walked faster and faster the more Doodle was able to keep up with him, however, the narrator already knew that he could barely walk, so going faster was risky for his health and mentality. In conclusion, this is one of the main…show more content… The Narrator says, “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” (360, Hurst). The narrator knew that Doodle was ashamed of himself, but he was too caught up in pride to address it. The Narrator felt, “The knowledge that Doodle’s and my plans had come to naught was bitter, and that streak of cruelty within me awakened” (360, Hurst). Again, this highlights the fact that the narrator was so soaked up in his pride, that he left his own brother behind. Thus, this becomes another reason as to why to blame the narrator for his brother’s
