Understanding Sibling Dynamics Amidst Ailment and Ethical Choices in Jodi Picoult’s My Sister's Keeper

Abstract

This paper explores Jodi Picoult’s My Sister’s Keeper. It examines the ethics of using savior siblings as genetic material donors. It is about Anna Fitzgerald, a young girl who was conceived through in vitro fertilization to be a genetic match for her elder sister, Kate, who is battling leukemia. Anna has abundance of love for her sister. In the event of extending assistance, she maintains a type of autonomy in dealing with her. When Anna attains maturity, she begins to question the sacrifices she has made for her sister and grapples with the ethical implications of her role as a "designer baby" created to save others. The novel is open- ended, as the problem among the family is left inconclusive, leaving no definite solution to the ongoing conflict. The siblings have been shown extraordinary generosity in assisting each other in medical ethics to keep them healthy for a prolonged period. Jodi Picoult delves into the psychological development of the children. In the novel My Sister’s Keeper, she presents a character who questions her own way of conducting herself with siblings, and in the end when left with no option to deal with the issues at hand, the other provides a solution. This could be considered as a novel that provides a series of advice to  young children. It is arduous to accept the illness of Anna and the ethical choices made by Anna’s mother, Sara Fitzgerald. Through Anna's journey, Picoult informs readers to consider the true meaning of generous and the boundaries of familial love. As the story unfolds, it is clear that there is no easy answer when it comes to making choices that affect not only ourselves but those who care for us deeply. Ultimately, My Sister's Keeper serves as a poignant reminder of a parent who can have ulterior motives with children. In the care of Anna, the mother, Sara has given birth to her daughter for the purpose of donating an organ to her sister Kate. It is left to the parents to take decision about the number of children they can have. Also, they have been showing mother Sara wants her daughter, Anna to remain healthy to donate organs to her sibling sister, Kate. But Sara has been complaining about her health again and again, which the mother is not ready to accept. The mother, on the other hand, wants both of them to mutually accept in the process of donating organs and maintain their health there by.