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
Campbell wakes next to Julia in the sailboat. He looks at her, noticing the little details about her that he never noticed when he was younger and more impulsive. He thinks about how the thing that he’s always loved about her is her fierce independence and the way that she never needed anyone. He doesn’t want to be the one to take this away from her. Unlike past women he’s been with, whom he has always slipped away from, he wants to stay with Julia longer—but Judge whines, and he knows that he has to get up. He does so, getting dressed and leaving Julia his car keys.
Campbell’s musings about Julia provide a hint about why he broke things off with her the first time: that it wasn’t due to her socioeconomic status but because he did not want to strip her of her independence. However, it is not clear why Campbell feels he would’ve done this to her. Furthermore, his decision to leave before Julia wakes up means that he will make her feel abandoned all over again.
Themes
At the courthouse, the front steps are overrun with reporters. Campbell fights his way in and finds Sara, who’s joined shortly by Brian. None of them know where Anna is. Brian wonders if the reporters scared her away. Julia comes in amidst the commotion. Both Campbell and Sara insist on being the one to find Anna, but they both realize where she is at the same time. As they go to leave, Julia catches up and points out what a bad sign it is that Anna hasn’t even shown up for her own hearing. Campbell tells her that everybody gets scared.
Although Anna was able to stand up to Sara during her plea deal, her absence at her trial suggests that she’s still struggling to face the reality of the lawsuit she’s begun. Her fickleness compromises Julia’s faith in her ability to commit to her decisions, but Campbell’s response suggests that he still has faith in Anna—or is at least determined to save face on her behalf.
Themes
Sara and Campbell arrive at Kate’s hospital room to find Anna curled up at the foot of the bed. As Campbell crouches down to tell her she needs to leave, Jesse enters, explaining that he’s here to look after Kate while everyone is at court. He says that Kate looks terrible, and Anna points out that she’s dying, once again piquing Campbell’s curiosity about Anna’s motivations. Everyone but Jesse leaves the hospital room to return to court.
That Anna has abandoned her hearing to visit Kate suggests that she is feeling guilty about the consequences of her winning her case. This is reinforced by Anna’s comment that Kate is dying—with the implication that she’s dying in part because of Anna’s decision.
Themes
On the drive to court, Campbell pulls over and asks Anna why they’re doing this lawsuit. Anna asks him why he has a service dog. He tells her that he got an ear infection that made him deaf in his left ear, which makes certain aspects of life more difficult. Thus, Judge serves as Campbell’s ears. He tells her that he hides it because he doesn’t want people’s pity. Anna tells him that she filed her suit because she wanted to be the center of attention for once. Campbell immediately clocks this as a lie, but Anna points out that he lied first; his story about an ear infection was false. Campbell laughs and tells her that she reminds him of himself, then takes her to breakfast.
Although Anna and Campbell both lie to each other in this scene, it actually serves as a bonding moment for them; Campbell recognizes Anna’s defiance as a trait that the two of them share. As a result, rather that continuing to grow frustrated with Anna over her evasiveness, he’s able to meet her where she is and empathize with her desire to keep certain things to herself, even though it makes his job significantly more difficult.
Themes
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Judge DeSalvo is displeased by Campbell and Anna being late, but Campbell makes up an excuse about Judge having a vet emergency. The judge asks if there’s any way to resolve the petition out of court, and although Campbell still does not understand Anna’s motivations, he respects her wishes and says no. Sara confirms that she’s still representing herself. The judge explains that, in family court, he tries to keep things as informal and painless as possible. As they move into the courtroom, Anna nervously asks if she’ll have to testify. Campbell thinks that Judge DeSalvo will probably want her to, but he doesn’t want her to panic, so he lies and says that he doubts it. He muses that there are two reasons to lie: to get what you want and to keep someone from getting hurt.
Although Campbell’s decision to lie to Anna about the likelihood of her having to testify comes in part from his more pragmatic side, his decisions in this moment show that he is giving much more consideration to Anna’s emotional state than he did when he first took her case and treated her as nothing more than a client. He continues to advocate for her despite not fully knowing her reasons, and even his decision to lie to her is in part to keep her from panicking during a trial that’s already causing her profound anxiety.
Themes
As the hearing begins, Campbell gives an opening statement (much to the chagrin of Judge DeSalvo). He tells the court that Anna has undergone medical treatments for the sake of her sister, rather than herself, and that although it’s indisputable that Sara loves her children and has prolonged Kate’s life, the court must question her judgment surrounding Anna. He looks at Julia and continues with an example of a homeless woman who started a fire and left the building without calling 911, causing six firefighters to die. The court didn’t hold the woman liable because, in America, individuals are not responsible for others’ safety. He uses this to demonstrate that what is legal and what is moral is not always the same thing.
Campbell’s opening statement sums up many of the issues that have been raised throughout the novel. Most notably, he highlights the contrast between Sara’s strong allegiance to Kate and her disregard for Anna’s wellbeing. He also makes an argument regarding the legal side of Anna’s predicament; rather than focusing on whether what Anna is doing is “right” or not, he advocates for her legal right to have control over her own body, even if it results in a tragic ending for somebody else.
Themes
Campbell calls Sara as his first witness. He tries to get her declared as a hostile witness and is denied. Campbell goes over basic information about Sara and the Fitzgeralds, then forces her to go through the entire history of Anna’s donations, emphasizing how Anna consented to none of them and pointing out the various side effects she suffered. Multiple times, Sara attempts to discuss Kate’s situation, but Campbell deliberately directs her back to Anna. Sara defends herself by saying that, although Campbell represents only Anna, she represents both of her daughters and loves them both equally. Campbell responds that she has favored Kate in all her decisions. Sara suggests that Campbell is asking her to do the same thing, just favoring the other daughter.
Campbell’s direct examination encapsulates the issues that have arisen from Sara’s attempts to save Kate. As usual, Sara’s instinct is to focus on Kate—which Campbell draws attention to when he repeatedly has to turn the attention back to Anna. In this way, Campbell forms his own narrative of the Fitzgeralds where Anna is not an unimportant sidekick for Kate’s struggle, but an extremely important person whose wants and needs are important outside of her relation to Kate.
Themes
