Verified Document

Jodi Picoult's 2004 Novel My Essay

The ways Mark and Anna react to the events that impact their lives illustrate how children are sometimes more morally mature than their parents are. Anna is her sister's keeper, and she devotes much of her life to caring for Kate. Anna's decision to take her mother to court was not based on selfishness but on moral righteousness. She knew that her mother was making the wrong decision to infringe on her personal liberties, and to view Anna as a tool to keep Kate alive. Anna might have very well opted to donate her kidney to Kate had she not died anyway. The lawsuit was fought on principle more than on the basis of Anna's willingness to help her sister.

Mark also has a clear right to challenge his parent's unfailing faith. His questioning religion does not mean Mark disrespects his father. Instead, it means Mark wants religion to become personally meaningful to him. Colin's cancer does make religion personally meaningful to Mark. The experience of meeting Colin, discussing science...

Mark and Anna are both precocious children who ask a lot of, and expect a lot from, the world. Mark's inquisitiveness about the universe is remarkable, as is Anna's willingness to avail herself of the legal system to challenge her mother in a court of law.
Like My Sister's Keeper, Ordinary Miracles addresses how people react when those they care about are stricken with a terminal illness. In both books, cancer changes people. Illness can alter a family dynamic. In some cases, terminal illness makes people stronger and relationships closer. In other cases, illnesses tear people apart. My Sister's Keeper and Ordinary Miracles reveal two different ways of developing compassion in the face of mortality.

Works Cited

Picoult, Jodi. My Sister's Keeper: A Novel. New York: Atria, 2004.

Tolan, Stephanie S. Ordinary Miracles. New York: HarperCollins, 1999.

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

Picoult, Jodi. My Sister's Keeper: A Novel. New York: Atria, 2004.

Tolan, Stephanie S. Ordinary Miracles. New York: HarperCollins, 1999.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Picoult, J. 2004 . My Sister's Keeper: A
Words: 630 Length: 2 Document Type: Thesis

Picoult, J. (2004). My Sister's Keeper: A . New York: Atria. Social Justice Issues. I hone ethical principles/theories expressed situation write thesis statement including principle/theory. Jodi Picoult's 2004 novel "My Sister's Keeper" puts across an account involving ethical dilemmas and ethical thinking that are likely to trigger intense feelings in readers. The novel is told from several perspectives, most probably with the purpose of presenting readers with an overall image of

Sister's Keeper -- Case Study Using Developmental
Words: 1567 Length: 4 Document Type: Case Study

Sister's Keeper -- Case Study Using Developmental Theories Anna Fitzgerald was given a life so that she could keep another person alive, her seriously ill older sister Kate. On the surface that seems terrible cruel and wholly unfair. Looking deeper into the issues surrounding the Fitzgerald family, Anna and her older sister Kate, it is more unfair and cruel than it appears on the surface. There are important ethical issues

Healthcare Nursing and Medical Ethics
Words: 1115 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

MY SISTER�S KEEPER 1 MY SISTER�S KEEPER 5 My Sister�s Keeper: An Ethical Perspective X. Ample zzzzz Ethical Issue: Genetic Technology in Healthcare �I was born because a scientist managed to hook up my mother�s eggs and my father�s sperm to create a specific combination of precious genetic material...because I could save my sister, Kate,� (Picoult, 2004, p. 7-8). Anna, the protagonist of Jodi Picoult�s novel My Sister�s Keeper bemoans her special status when she first introduces herself

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now