In stories environmental changes often cause a big difference in the character. In "The Scarlet Ibis", by James Hurst, Brother acts out of pride and embarrassment towards his disabled brother, Doodle, and eventually causes Doodle's death. Mathilde in Guy Maupassant's story "The Necklace " wishes to be a member of the upper class, but her envy leads to devastating consequences when she loses the necklace she is lent. She end up lost everything and must work relentlessly for ten years to pay for the replacement, all because she didn't tell the truth. "The Most Dangerous Game, " by Richard Connell, demonstrates how fear can be a great motivator. Rainsford changes from a civilized individual into a murderous villain when he finds himself in a terrifying situation. These three stories clearly prove through the examples of pride, greedy, and fear, that the Environmental Changes played a big role in effecting people, and causes the change of the characters.
In "The Scarlet Ibis"" by James Hurst, it shows how pride can be beneficial in some ways, and harmful in others. Nobody really believes that Doodle will survive. Doodle is expected to die, so "they named him William Armstrong such a name sounds good only on a tombstone" "(Hurst 416). The narrator is ashamed of his crippled brother, Doodle, and tries to teach him how to fit in with the other children. Once he "succeeds in teaching Doodle to walk, he begins to believe in his own infallibility," and "prepares a terrific development program for Doodle" (421). But his true motivation for helping Doodle is for his own selfish reason, to save his own pride. "No one knows that he did it for himself; that pride, whose slave he was" "(419). However, Brother's pride takes him over and eventually kills Doodle. When Brother realizes that Doodle cannot meet his standards, he left Doodle behind in a storm in fit of the frustration. Brother fails Doodle, all because of the humiliation Doodle causes over the years.