The Memory Keeper’s Daughter – Sum/WW – Last Post – Heather Kinney
Last post =)
Words to Watch -
tarnished – to diminish or destroy the purity of
galvanized – to stimulate or treat with induced direct current (medical def.)
congealed – to make or become fixed; as ideas, sentiments or principles
deft – nimble; skillful; clever
chiffon – a sheer fabric
episiotomy – an incision to allow a clear path for birth (sorry guys, didn’t know what it was.)
jocular – chariterized by joking or jesting
Summary -
1982 -
Paul and Phoebe have turned eighteen. Caroline shows up at David’s art show in Pittsburgh. She brought with pictures of Phoebe. Caroline leaves in digust after he broke off their conversation to talk to an art critic that came to the show. David is deeply devastated, and goes to his abandoned parent’s house. He finds a pregnant sixteen year old girl named Rosemary. David invites her to come and live with them. Paul and Norah are surprised by the way he is acting now, and Paul runs away, but only for a few days. We learn he was accepted to Julliard.
1988 -
Rosemary and her six year old son, Jack, move out to live with their family. Norah and David have been divorced. Norah has moved on to dating again. David dies of an aneurysm, and Norah goes through all his things. She is sorting through his pictures and realizes things about David that she could only understand through his photographs. Paul is in France, studying music and traveling.
Meanwhile, Phoebe is in love with Robert, who has Down Syndrome, who wants to get married and live in a place with more independence. Caroline is worried about this and Phoebe’s future out on her own. When she learns that David is dead, she seeks out Norah on her own and tells her the truth and about Phoebe. Norah and Paul and Phoebe all meet for the first time. Norah is getting married, and the twins attend the wedding. Phoebe ends up going to David’s grave with Paul.
What do you guys think about David’s death? Do you find it ironic that he never really met Phoebe, but Norah and Paul, who knew nothing of her, did?
Do you think Caroline did the right thing by seeking out Norah right after David died? Or should she have just told Phoebe and let her search for her family herself?
Category: Uncategorized 4 comments »
April 19th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
Brett Pallas
I do think that it is ironic. David worked so hard to meet Phoebe after he made a wrong decision.I don’t think that Caroline did the right thing by not letting David see his own daughter.
I think that Caroline shouldn’t have told Norah about ther daughter. It wouldn’t be as if she had a daughter mother relationship. It would be awkward.
April 19th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
I also think it is ironic that this happened. However, I disagree with Brett. I think it was kind of mean for Caroline not to let David see his daughter. Even if he did mess up, everyone deserves a second chance right?
I don’t think she should have done either thing. I think she should have just let Phoebe live life not really knowing and let the past be the past.
I hate this with a passion,
Derrick Truax
April 19th, 2009 at 8:39 pm
See Derrick you do have some caring feelings (the second chance thing) for other people. Stress on some.
April 19th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
I’m not sure if ironic or the idea of irony would be the right terminology in this case. I think it just happened and the two do not have much of a connection. I think that it was very sad that David died and was not able to see his son and daughter meet. It was his fault that they never did meet in the first place anyway.
I do think that Caroline did the right thing by seeking out Norah and Paul. Because she did this, the connection of the family became, in my opinion, very strong in the end even without the physical David being there. I also believe that David’s death is what happened that brought the family together and this can relate to many situations in real life when a large tragedy occurs which brings distant family close once again.
~Megan Douglas