Describe the narrator's attitude at the beginning of "The Scarlet Ibis."

The narrator, Brother, has returned to his childhood home to reminisce and take responsibility for Doodle’s death.  His attitude is reflective and sentimental as he recounts the circumstances surrounding how Doodle died.  Brother is older now and has had time to understand and come to a conclusion as to how his pride affected his relationship with Doodle.  Brother wanted a “normal” brother, and Doodle was physically handicapped.  Brother sets out to make Doodle normal by pushing him to walk, run, and play with him like an ordinary person.  He was embarrassed by Doodle and could not accept Doodle for who he really was.  The unrealistic expectations Brother had for Doodle eventually led to Doodle’s death. 

Brother feels guilty for what happened, and as his recollections travel to the time of the story, he slowly starts to reconcile his guilt over Doodle’s death.  He understands that it was his pride that led to the tragic outcome of the story.