My Sisters Keeper, by Jodi Picoult: Hiding From The Truth
While reading the book My Sisters Keeper, by Jodi Picoult I started to see theme where characters were hiding from the truths that were around them. I saw it in Sara, during the trial, and in Julia, when she starts to realize she loves Campbell again but doesn't want to, and lastly in Anna, when one moment she wants to go through with the trial and then as soon as she sees Kate she no longer does. I think that the idea of 'hiding from the truth' is something humans do naturally when something bad comes up, or a harsh reality kicks in, or something you don't want to happen, happens. I think that the characters are going through problems with similar ideas and find it easier to ignore iit that truly confront it, full on.
During the trial, from pages 295 to 297, Campbell lists all the medical procedures Anna has undergone and also all the side affects or problems that could have occured in going through them. He also states blankly that Anna was born to live her life like this and genetically conceived simply to help Kate. The entire time Sara is trying to take what Campbell says and state it in different ways, to make it seem less harsh and true, and more harmless. For example, he says, "you and your husband decide to conceive a child who would be genetically programmed to be an organ donor for Kate, so that she could be cured?" This is definatly the truth and yet Sara tries to cover it up by saying,"Not the word I would choose, but that was the story behind Anna's conception" As if she id trying to play it down as though thats not exactly or truly what happened. I think that this shows that if Sara had known for sure she had did the right thing, she would have no objections and let Campbell tell the court exactly what happened. Also, the fact that she knows she made a mistake, but is trying to cover it up, to me shows her trying to hide from the truth.
I also saw a the character Julia trying to hide from the truth. She had been in love with Campbell in high school, and they hen parted ways messily with Julia promising she would never fall back in love with him. They are brought together again through the trial and Julia is trying so hard to act as though she doesn't love him, yet deep down I think she does. On page 253 Anna asks Julia if she "thinks Campbell is cute?" Julia responds by basically freaking out and saying "What?" she then says "I could see where some women... might find him attractive." She is very jumpy and nervous around this topic because she doesn't want to say yes, and finally admit it to herself, or say no, because she and Anna both know thats not the truth. Also, on page 278 Campbell asks Julia to go out to dinner with him, even if its only because they need to talk about the trial. Julia panics and doesn't want to go. I think that she doesn't want to because if she does she knows she can no longer hide from the fact that she's in love with him. I think that the character Julia is another example of the theme of trying to hide from the truth.
Lastly, I think that Anna is trying to hide from the reality that even though going through the trial is best for her it will kill Kate and make her mother incredibly disappointed in her. For example, Anna always tells Julia and Campbell that she wants to go through with the trial and is confident in her answer. Then later on, whenever she enters the hospital and is with Kate of her Mom she pretends that she's not going to go through with the trial, so that she can hide from the sadness and that will come from admitting the truth to them.
I think that in the book My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult one theme in many of the characters and conflicts is people hiding from the truth, or what they're scared will happen. I saw this mainly in the characters Sara and Anna Fitzgerald and Julia, Anna's Guardian Ad Litem in the courtroom, and the relationships in the Fitzgerald family and between Julia and Campbell.
