“The Memory Keeper’s Daughter” is a novel by Kim Edwards. It explores the lives of characters Dr. David Henry, his wife Norah, their son Paul and twin sister Phoebe, and the nurse that helped deliver the babies (Caroline Gill). In a small town in Kentucky in 1964 Dr. David Henry decides to give away his daughter who is born with downs syndrome. His decision changes the lives of his family and the nurse who helped deliver the baby forever.
The setting in this novel starts in Lexington Kentucky on a snowy winters night. Norah goes into labor and the doctor cannot get to the clinic to deliver the babies because he had a wreck. Caroline Gill a nurse at the clinic is there when Dr. Henry and Norah arrive. He delivers their child and it is a healthy …show more content…
First, Phoebe represents innocence and purity. She was a helpless, a handicapped little baby who depended on those around her. Her dad did not want her, her mom thought she died, and Caroline Gill raised her as her own. As the years go by Phoebe only knows love and kindness. Caroline writes David in the story and states how great Phoebe is. “Phoebe was confirmed yesterday. She was so sweet in her white dress, eyelet fabric with pink ribbons. She sang a solo at the church.” Caroline painted such a sweet, innocent picture of Phoebe. Another way the author used symbolism is through the camera. The camera was given to David by his wife and it was called the memory keeper. It is symbolic of David wanting to capture every moment and try to feel less guilty about lying to his wife about their daughter dying. The ironic part is that in taking photos he misses those closest to him. The author states “You can’t stop time. You can’t capture light. You can only turn your face up and let it rain down.” I think that she meant that you can not capture everything in a photo. Life is continuous and constantly changing. Instead of trying to stop time a person should embrace and feel it, like standing in the rain and looking
The setting in this novel starts in Lexington Kentucky on a snowy winters night. Norah goes into labor and the doctor cannot get to the clinic to deliver the babies because he had a wreck. Caroline Gill a nurse at the clinic is there when Dr. Henry and Norah arrive. He delivers their child and it is a healthy …show more content…
First, Phoebe represents innocence and purity. She was a helpless, a handicapped little baby who depended on those around her. Her dad did not want her, her mom thought she died, and Caroline Gill raised her as her own. As the years go by Phoebe only knows love and kindness. Caroline writes David in the story and states how great Phoebe is. “Phoebe was confirmed yesterday. She was so sweet in her white dress, eyelet fabric with pink ribbons. She sang a solo at the church.” Caroline painted such a sweet, innocent picture of Phoebe. Another way the author used symbolism is through the camera. The camera was given to David by his wife and it was called the memory keeper. It is symbolic of David wanting to capture every moment and try to feel less guilty about lying to his wife about their daughter dying. The ironic part is that in taking photos he misses those closest to him. The author states “You can’t stop time. You can’t capture light. You can only turn your face up and let it rain down.” I think that she meant that you can not capture everything in a photo. Life is continuous and constantly changing. Instead of trying to stop time a person should embrace and feel it, like standing in the rain and looking