My Sister’s Keeper

My Sister’s Keeper Characters

Anna • Initially Anna comes across as being insecure. • She refers to herself as: • the definition for the word ‘freak’ • Brian calls her the family’s ‘constant’ stating that she is always reliable and bubbly no matter what

Anna • Anna acts like a typical teenage girl- she is often confused and insecure. Many of Anna’s chapters begin with comments which illustrate this: • “When I was little, the great mystery to me wasn’t how babies were made, but why.” (p. 7) • “I used to pretend that I was just passing through this family on my way to my real one.” (p. 49) • “I don’t think anyone would come to my funeral.” (p. 85) • “If Mr Webster had decided to put the word ‘freak’ in his dictionary, ‘Anna Fitzgerald’ would be the best definition he could give.” (p. 9) • “Did you ever wonder how we all got here?” (p. 249)

Anna • Each of these quotes help readers to relate to the character and the important questions Anna is asking as we are/were all teenagers as well and have probably had similar questions, thoughts and insecurities.

Anna • First impressions lead readers to believe that she is selfish: • She seems to think only of herself when she makes starts the lawsuit for the rights to her body.

Anna • But first impressions can be misleading and readers learn that Anna loves her sister deeply, her actions are anything but selfish. Anna wants her sister to live… • “I don’t want her to die, but I know she doesn’t want to live like this, and I’m the one who can give her what she wants.” (p. 389) • “Ten years from now… I’d like to be Kate’s sister.” (p. 412) • This shows how much Anna loves her sister and how important Kate is to Anna.

Sara • Our first impressions of Sara are of a mother who is worried about her sick child. But many of our opinions of her quickly begin to change when we witness her response to Anna’s lawsuit. • “’What the hell is this?”, “She slaps my face hard enough to make my head snap backward.”

Sara • Sara’s actions at Anna’s birth reveal how deeply she wants Kate to survive. She does not say “look at my beautiful daughter” instead Sara says “The umbilical cord… be careful”, because the cord is needed to save Kate.

Sara • Anna’s thoughts suggest to us how unwanted she feels within the family. • “A photo says, you were so important to me that I put down everything else to come watch.” • This comment is made when Anna is referring to the living room being covered in photos- but most are of Kate, rather than Anna and Jesse.

Sara • As the book progresses we see how important Sara’s children are to her. During the court case she states: • “You want your child to have more than you ever did. You want to build a fire underneath her and watch her soar. It’s bigger than words…” • This clearly illustrates the feelings Sara has about her children.

Sara • She compares her situation to a burning building that has your child trapped inside. She notes that the only way to save your child is to send in her other daughter because…”she was the only one who knew the way.” • She sums this up by saying “I knew that it was the only chance I had to keep both of them.” • This helps to give us an insight into the predicament Sara is in and reasons why she behaves inappropriately in some circumstances throughout the book.

Kate • As Kate’s voice is confined to such small sections of the novel readers do not find out much about Kate’s personality from her own perspective. Therefore, we must interpret what she is like based upon the perceptions of others.

Kate • While we may assume Kate is a weak, sickly girl, we later find that she is anything but. Kate purposefully sets events in motion to allow her sister to begin living her life. She does not fear death and often speaks to Anna about it “What do you think is the best way to die?”

Kate • Readers later find out the truth about the court case. When Anna is telling the court about this the lawyer asks Anna how Kate responds when she tells her she will refuse to be a donor. Anna replies with “’She said thanks.’”

Kate • Above anything else Kate wants to be ‘normal’ something which is increasingly difficult the longer she is ill. When she is playing rugby in the backyard with Jesse he tackles her. He later states that “’I forgot.’” However, Kate responds by saying “’It feels great… He forgot!’”

Kate • In the final chapter of the novel we finally, knowingly, hear Kate’s voice and gain insight into Kate’s feelings. • In this chapter Kate expresses thoughts that show her connection to Anna: she keeps a photo of Anna under her pillow (in-case one day she forgets what she looks like), she always looks at her scars, and the comment she makes is: • “I think about her kidney working inside me and her blood running through my veins. I take her with me, wherever I go.”

Julia • Julia is appointed the guardian as litem for Anna. This means she is to get to know the Fitzgerald family and situation and make a neutral judgement on the situation.

Julia • It is made clear to readers that Julia and Campbell have had a relationship in the past. Julia holds some bitterness towards Campbell as she does not understand his reasons for breaking up with her. • Julia makes it evident to Campbell that she still has feelings for him: “When he smiles at me, I’m lost.” • They eventually marry: “we are close to Campbell and Julia, even went to their wedding.”

Julia • Ultimately Julia is unsure of what her decision should be with regards to the Fitzgerald family because she can see it from all perspectives: • “You’re not asking me to split a baby in half. You’re asking me to split a family.”

Brian • Brian is the glue that binds the Fitzgerald family together. He has a calm and patient persona and is a real family man. When he and Sara find out about the court case, Brian cares about how Anna is feeling. He offers he a bed in the fire station so she does not have to feel uncomfortable.

Brian • Brian is a keen astronomer, and often refers to the night sky and the stars. He even named Anna after a constellation. • His references to the night sky often refer back to the situations within his family. • E.g. “Things don’t always look as they seem.” • This is a reference to the stars in the sky, but also comes after Anna reveals that it was Kate’s idea to stop the treatments.

Brian • When Anna dies, Brian refers to the brightest stars in the sky as being the only ones that get noticed, when really there are two there: “that first one shines so bright, by the time you notice the second one, it’s really too late.” • This symbolises his feelings towards Anna, and how she went unnoticed for so long because of Kate, and now it is too late because she is dead.

Brian • When Brian discovers that Jesse is the one that has been lighting the fires he does not react angrily. Instead he realises what is behind Jesse’s actions and reaches out to him to comfort him. • “So I do what I know will destroy him: I pull Jesse into my arms as he sobs.”

Jesse • Jesse has a number of different sides to his personality. Initially he appears to be a rebellious teenager with no respect for anyone or the law. • His commentary describes his antics: crazy driving, smoking and lighting fires- all of these descriptions include swearing.

Jesse • Jesse does however have a sensitive side when dealing with his sisters. • He helps Anna talk to Kate alone by stopping their mother from being in the room. • He also volunteers to be a donor to Kate when she is unwell.

Jesse • We cannot ignore the fact that Jesse does feel some bitterness towards his family. • When he was younger his needs were ignored while his mother dealt with Kate’s. • E.G. He does not get a new pair of soccer boots and his dentist appointment is cancelled to look after Kate. • “Those don’t rate quite as high in the grand scheme of things right now.” (Sara)

Jesse • Jesse does turn his life around though. In Kate’s epilogue chapter we discover that Jesse has graduated as a police officer and that he won a “citation from the mayor for his role in a drug bust.”

Campbell • Campbell comes across at the beginning as being arrogant and focused solely on his career. There is continuing reference to his dog, Judge, including a number of excuses her gives about the dog’s presence. • Iron lung- keeps him away from magnets • SARS- tallying up the people he infects • CPR- the dog is CPR trained • Colour-blind- tells him when traffic lights change • Eventually we discover the truth- Campbell suffers from grand mal seizures and the dog can scent the electrical impulses and can warn him.

My Sister’s Keeper