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 wonders to herself how old people are when they go to Heaven—whether they appear in their prime, or if people appear as they were when they died. Anna theorizes that people get a choice, that they fill out an application where they can specify (Anna wants to appear at 17). She thinks of when Brian once said that he was 21 in his heart and wonders if everyone has a certain point in their life that they always come back to. She wonders how it would work if people tied to find each other in Heaven but were drastically different ages. She wonders what would happen if Kate died at 16 but chose to appear 35, an age that she never reached in life, and worries that she’d never be able to find Kate.
Anna’s musings about Heaven come immediately after the end of the last chapter, when Sara spoke of seeing Kate in Heaven again after her own death. This connection between the two chapters reorients the narrative in the present and serves as a reminder that, although Kate survived her last brush with death, the Fitzgeralds are once again staring down the barrel of her imminent passing. Furthermore, Anna’s fear of not being able find Kate in Heaven contrasts with Sara’s assurance she’d see Kate again in Heaven, reflecting Anna’s fear of losing Kate forever.
Themes
At Campbell’s firm, Campbell and Anna meet Sara at the latter’s request. Brian is there as well. Sara is awkward and uncomfortable; she moves forward to hug Anna, then stops herself. She explains that she is here to offer Anna a deal: she will never ask Anna for another donation if the cancer comes back, so long as Anna donates her kidney. Anna observes how small Sara looks; it’s like she’s the child, and Anna is the mother. She thinks back to when she realized that Santa wasn’t real and realized that her parents weren’t what she wanted them to be. She rushes forward to hug Sara, who interprets this as Anna’s acceptance of the offer until Anna whispers that she can’t. Sara pulls away, smiles, touches Anna’s head, then leaves. Campbell asks Anna if this is what she really wants. Anna answers him.
Anna’s rejection of Sara’s deal marks a loss of innocence for her. This is signified by her feeling that she is the mother and Sara is the child, trying to convince Anna to give her something she wants. By rejecting Sara’s offer, Anna has taken a firm step away from her instinct to fold under her mother’s pressure and instead has begun to stand up for what she really wants. Her ability to firmly and immediately answer Campbell’s question at the end of the chapter reinforces the fact that she is beginning to come into her own.
Themes
