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His favorite lie was about a boy named Peter who had a pet peacock with a ten-foot tail. Peter wore a golden robe that glittered so brightly that when he walked through the sunflowers they turned away from the sun to face him.

Doodle’s “favorite lie” is a lovely fantasy about a boy with a magical golden robe. It is clearly an aspirational fantasy in that Doodle would like to be this boy, Peter. It also illustrates his vivid imagination, and gift for creativity. The golden robe suggests Doodle’s innocence and love of nature. He imagines sunflowers turning toward Peter as he walks through them, an expression of Doodle’s own desire to be loved and valued, which explains his determination to go along with his brother’s plan: he hopes to prove himself worthy of his love.

Of course, I was old enough to know this wouldn’t’t work out, but the picture he painted was so beautiful and serene that all I could do was whisper yes, yes.

Brother’s response to Doodle’s optimistic dreams for the future emphasizes just how innocent Doodle is, compared to Brother’s ruthless realism. Still, Brother cannot argue with Doodle’s poor reasoning because his dream is too “beautiful.” This dream suggests Doodle wants love and peace in his life, a stark contrast to what Brother wants for him, as evidenced by his rigorous program of development.

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