Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in My Sister’s Keeper, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Bodily Autonomy
Siblinghood
Parenthood
Control
Illness and Isolation
Summary
Analysis
Anna recalls an instance in which she forced herself to imagine what life would be like if Kate was dead. She keeps at it for weeks, avoiding talking to Kate as much as possible and pretending she’s a ghost when she does. She has days where she can do nothing but cry, and others where she forces herself to go through the motions of life to avoid her grief. Eventually, though, she starts thinking of what it would be like to have the freedom to follow whatever dream she wants. She compares this to trying to wear too-small shoes, where you can make it for a few steps before taking it off. She can’t bring herself to deeply entertain a future without Kate.
Anna’s flashback here encapsulates her two conflicting desires: her desire to keep her sister alive and her desire to be free of being a donor. Imagining Kate dead devastates her, but it also leads her to fantasize about a future where she actually has control over her own destiny. Even so, because Anna’s identity is so intertwined with Kate, she has a mental block on entertaining these fantasies too deeply.
Themes
Anna sits with her parents in the hospital cafeteria. Sara admits that she and Brian might need to listen to Anna a little more, but that they don’t need a judge for that. When Anna asks if this means they can stop, Sara agrees, filling Anna with relief. She offers to tell Kate that she won’t be a donor anymore, at which point Sara clarifies that she only meant stopping the lawsuit. Anna refuses this, angering Sara. As Anna shouts that they aren’t listening to her, Sheriff Vern arrives to serve a temporary restraining order to Sara. Anna insists that she never asked for this, but Sara doesn’t believe her and tells her that if she doesn’t know what’s going on, she shouldn’t make decisions for herself. With that, she leaves.
Sara’s conversation with Anna reveals her continued penchant for attempting to manipulate her daughter. She attempts to keep the terms of her agreement with Anna vague by promising that they can stop without initially specifying that she only means stopping the lawsuit, an attempt to get Anna to drop her lawsuit without actually obtaining her agency. As a result, when Vern serves the restraining order Campbell evidently decided to file, it feels somewhat karmic—but it also shows that Anna and Campbell are still not on the same page, given that Anna is shocked.
Themes
Anna thinks back to a time three months ago when she stole makeup from Kate in order to impress her crush Kyle during her movie date with him. When she gets home, Kate is initially furious at Anna, but then teases Anna, asking who she was wearing the makeup for. She tickles Anna, leading to the two of them roughhousing on the floor. Kate gives up first, telling Anna to stop by saying “you’re killing me.” They both stop playing immediately, lying next to each other in a heavy silence.
This flashback is another example of how the normal moments of adolescence and sisterhood are often overshadowed by the threat of Kate’s death. A date with a boy and arguments over makeup are typical sister behavior, but this light mood ends immediately upon Kate’s inadvertent reminder to Anna that she is dying.
Themes
During the drive to the courthouse, Sara and Brian argue about whether to hire another lawyer for their case, with Sara insisting that she can advocate for Kate better than anyone. At the courthouse, there are reporters in the front of the building. One of them calls Anna a “designer baby,” infuriating Sara. Anna, however, has known about her conception for six years and has never been especially bothered by it. After all, if her parents really wanted an ideal baby, they would have conceived a more obedient and grateful child.
Sara and Brian are once again not on the same page. Brian recognizes that Sara representing herself is causing a conflict of interest, but Sara refuses to let go of any control she has over Kate’s treatment. The reporters calling Anna a designer baby heightens tension, but interestingly, Anna doesn’t have as much issue as her parents do with this term, since she does not feel that she is an ideal child.
Themes
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Inside the courthouse, Sara and Campbell argue while Anna and Brian sit in silence on a bench. Julia arrives and asks if Anna wants Sara out of the house. Anna, tearing up, says no and tells Julia that she doesn’t want to do any of this anymore. Julia goes to talk to Judge DeSalvo. Brian asks Anna if she meant it, but Anna doesn’t answer. He continues, telling her that if she’s still not sure, she can stay with him at the station to think about it in a safe space. Anna accepts, and the two of them leave the courthouse together.
The stress inflicted by the potential disruption to the Fitgerald household causes Anna’s conflicting desires to come to a boil, resulting in her apparently abandoning her lawsuit. However, Brian recognizes that this is not actually due to Anna not wanting independence—rather, it’s the result of her feeling overwhelmed. His offer for her to stay at the station reflects his concern for her and his desire for her to figure out what she truly wants.
Themes
