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
The morning sees heavy rain. Campbell gets up, and though he knows he should be preparing for his case, he watches the raindrops and thinks of how he used to watch the rain in his father’s car. Julia emerges and comments on the weather. Campbell says it’s good weather for court, but in reality, he’s dreading Judge DeSalvo’s verdict—not because he’s worried about losing, but because he wants to do right by Anna and knows that either verdict will lead to more pain. Julia comes over to Campbell and tells him that she hates his apartment. Campbell looks around, thinking about how sleek and sterile it is, and admits that he hates it, too.
Although the day is stormy, it marks a new dawn for Campbell. Not only has he reconciled with Julia, but his dread over the prospect of letting Anna down shows how much he’s come to care for her, as opposed to when they first met where he thought little of her wellbeing. His newfound dislike of his sleek, impersonal apartment symbolizes how he’s come to once again embrace his emotions and do away with the mask of coldness he’s worn for most of the novel.
Themes
