William Mason High School

Open Question Essay: The Memory Keeper’s Daughter

by Kim Edwards

Kelly Wu

AP English Literature

Mrs. Wilson

Monday, May 2, 2016

Prompt: 1997. Novels and plays often include scenes of weddings, funerals, parties, and other social occasions. Such scenes may reveal the values of the characters and the society in which they live. Select a novel or play that includes such a scene and, in a focused essay, discuss the contribution the scene makes to the meaning of the work as a whole.

Academic Honesty Statement: I have read and understand the sections in the Student Handbook regarding Mason High School's Honesty/Cheating Policy. By affixing this statement to the title page of my paper, I am certifying that I have not cheated or plagiarized in the process of completing this assignment. If it is found that cheating and/or plagiarism did take place in the writing of this paper, I understand the possible consequences of the act, which could include a "0" on the paper, as well as an "F" as a final grade in the course.

Kelly Wu

Mrs. Wilson

AP English Literature

2 May 2016

We all grow up, at least most of us , thinking that parental love, and even just familial love, is infinite and unconditional. Sometimes, however, this is not the case. In The Memory Keeper's daughter, by Kim Edwards, a father weighs selfishness and compassion for him, his wife, and son in order to decide the fate of his son's twin sister immediately after seeing that she has down syndrome. The ceremonious occasion of their children's birth is marred by the father, David Henry, revealing his scarring past and showing what has become important to him.

A birth is a huge change in a family, "when [they] come back... [their] world will never be the same" (Edwards, 11). Though these occasions are often met with happiness, sometimes they are filled with sorrow. David Henry's decision to give up his daughter may be ruthless when taken without context but when considering history and emotion viewpoints change.

Throughout the book the story reveals more and more about the mysterious past of Dr. Henry, a flashback and narrative story telling revealing more and more about why Henry decided to give his daughter away and tell his wife that she died. As life goes on he still wonders what will become of his daughter and thinks back to his sister. First, we know she died young, then she had heart trouble, is diagnosed with down syndrome, and eventually the story of her death is told. This separation and limitation of the reader's knowledge allows us to more fully grasp Henry's motives. We are able to apply one piece of information to the story at a time, re reading the complexity of Henry's decision. Henry's love for his wife and son is so powerful he wishes to spare them more grief, but in the process he shuts out the love he could have had for his daughter. Unfortunately mother's intuition is not changed by words alone and Henry's wife still suffers from post-pardum depression, still causing her a great deal of emotional pain and is unable to reveal this in the conservative 1960s era.

The Henry's daughter lives on under the care of Caroline Gill, a nurse who once worked for Dr. Henry and she cares for the little girl with everything she has to offer. The trials that Caroline goes through convey how love can be unconditional if you find the right person, who is not always what you expect. The decisions Caroline makes, to ignore the blunt predictions of medical studies and love the girl anyways shows Caroline's compassion. Caroline's past is also revealed in the story. Her strict parents and their rules. We are able to understand how Caroline's past helps her to care for the girl, the dual layer of her own parents decisions shows love is expressed in different ways.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards conveys to its readers the complexity of love. By comparing two characters and strategically revealing their different parts show us emotions are very powerful yet never entirely correct on their own. The decisions Dr. Henry and Caroline make when the two children are born reveal how pasts affect futures and no matter how logical or emotional we try to be, that will always be true. It is in great changes we find where our priorities lie.