Literature Analysis #1: The Memory Keeper's Daughter

The story starts out with a couple, David & Norah Henry who are about to have a set of fraternal twins. The boy, Paul, is healthy, but the girl, Phoebe, is born with Down Syndrome. Due to his panic, his wife's unconsciousness, the haunting of his childhood, and to avoid grief later on, David decides to give Phoebe away to the nurse, Caroline Gill at the clinic. David tells Norah that the boy is alive, but the girl had died. They go about their lives with the burden of having a dead daughter who's not really dead, and David's life is shaped by his lies. Little do they know that Caroline Gill had raised Phoebe as her own. This book follows a tragic story of betrayal, secrets, trust, and love.

I think the theme of this story is that telling the truth becomes apart of your past, while telling a lie becomes part of your future. I think Kim Edwards wrote this book to show the readers that telling the truth will set you free, regardless of the situation. 

I chose this book because when I looked it up to see what it is about, the whole story to this book interested me. The title made me want to know what it was about and actually read it. Once I started to read it, I couldn't put that book down. It definitely kept me wanting to read more.

I found the book very realistic. I'm sure there are a lot if situations like the one in the book that happens in real everyday life. There are really kids who have Down Syndrome and are given up by their parents because they are different & I don't think it's the right thing to do.

The author's tone is warm at the beginning when Norah and David are excited to be having their first child. The story then continues and the tone switches to be gloomy and depressing as they face the tragic "death" of their daughter. The tone then switches to an uneasiness and sort of confusion as Norah and David gradually drift apart while raising Paul. The story takes a turn and becomes an uplifting story as secrets are revealed and lives come together.

1. Symbolism: "Camera, his father told him, came from the French chambre, room. To be in camera was to operate in secret. This was what his father had believed: that each person was an isolated universe." (pg. 381) This symbolizes David as a person. He was not only a doctor, but a photographer as well. He captured every moment and worked in detail to discover hidden secrets each photo held, kind of like his life. He worked hard to fully hide his secrets within him, instead of letting others discover them. This is probably why he liked to capture every moment, not for a memory, but for secrets.
2. Flashback: "The doctor had felt transported back in time. His sister had been born with a heart defect and had grown very slowly, her breath catching and coming in little gasps whenever she tried to run...Then they knew there was nothing they could do." (pg. 17) Throughout the story, David has flashbacks of his childhood, especially of his sister June, who had died at 12 years old. One of the main reasons why gave Phoebe away was because he did not want to go through the loss of a child as his parents did, and he thought he was saving himself and his wife of grief.
3. Imagery: "Notes spilled from the church, into the sunlit air. To Paul, standing just outside of the bright red doors, the music seemed almost visible, moving among the poplar leaves, scattering on the lawn like motes of light." (pg. 391) The author uses imagery to describe many outdoor scenes. It brings a more vivid image into the readers mind.
4. Dramatic Irony: "He closed his eyes, and when he could speak again more words came, unplanned. "Oh, my love," he said, "I am sorry. Our little daughter died as she was born." (pg. 20) This is dramatic irony because the readers know that David really had gave away their daughter and she had not really died.
5. Simile: "And the thousands of others, one after another, his father layering image on image, trying to obscure the moment he could never change, and yet the past rising up anyway, as persistent as memory, as powerful as dreams." (pg. 400) The author is comparing how David tried to capture moments he wished he could change to how the past had really come out.
6. Consonance: "Leaves tapped lightly in the breeze, and the long grass rustled." (pg. 400)
7. Alliteration: "...hidden in the back of a darkroom drawer after the curators had gone; the single photograph of his father's family too.." (pg. 400)
8. Assonance: "He imagined the notes falling into the air likes stones into water..." (pg. 401)
9. Onomatopoeia: "A single wasp buzzed near the fiery azaleas and moved angrily away." (pg. 139)
10. Metaphor: "Her hair kindled-already the sun was a hot flat hand..." (pg. 185)

Direct Characterization: "His son, at least, he had sheltered from grief. Paul would not grow up, as David had, suffering the loss of his sister."(pg. 113) This shows that David had suffered, but is driven to be determined to do all it takes for his son. "No," David said, uncomfortable. "You don't want him to take after me." (pg. 113) This shows that David saw himself as someone not to be idolized or looked up to.
Indirect Characterization: "David let himself believe that things would be alright." (pg. 196) This shows that David is optimistic. "Then he folded the letter round the money without rereading it, put it all in an envelope, and addressed it." This shows that David is caring because even though he gave Phoebe away, he wants to make sure she's taken care of. (pg. 203)

The author's syntax or diction does not change about David. The choice of words used to describe him would always lead to him being depressed, yet very hard working and determined. He was this way throughout the story.

In my eyes, David went through situations that more defined him as the character he already was. In the beginning, he was lonely until he met Norah. Their lives were changing, yes, when they had Paul & Phoebe. However, after that and throughout the story, David continued to be even more lonely as him & Norah drifted apart from each other, especially because he didn't have that much of a bond with Paul. I think this defines him a static and flat character.

After reading this book, I didn't come away with feelings like I'd met a character in the book. To me, I was just reading what all the characters went through and said while creating an image in my head, but not actually feeling like I, myself, had known any of them.

One idea that I will probably remember from here on out after reading this book, is the topic of Down Syndrome. "Lucky." "I suppose," he said gravely, knowing suddenly that he was. The things he took for granted in life were the stuff of Phoebe's dreams. "I'm lucky, yes. It's true." (pg.390) I especially like this excerpt from the story when Paul and Phoebe meet for the first time, and during their conversation Paul realizes he's lucky because there were things in life that he was able to do, that maybe Phoebe couldn't understand. I feel that just because people who have Down Syndrome are different from people without it, doesn't mean they don't have the same capability of doing things as people without it. I think many people, including myself, take things for granted and we should realize that we're really lucky to have been given a life that is ours to live. Another idea that I will probably remember, is that you have the power to accept things that come your way, instead of trying to change them, and use it to learn from it. "Everything slowed, until the whole world was caught in this single hovering moment. Paul stood very still, waiting to see what would happen next. For a few seconds, nothing at all. Then Phoebe turned, slowly, and smoothed her wrinkled skirt. A simple gesture, yet it set the world back in motion." (pg. 401) To me, this book taught me that things don't always go the way we want them to. We can't change how things happen or fully understand why things happen, but we can always accept them, learn from them, and move on.