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Carley Tiano
April 8,2014
Mr. Probert
Research Paper
My Sisters Keeper
Sometimes children are born because their mistakes, I on the other hand was not. My
name is Anna Fitzgerald, I was created specifically to save my sister Kate. (Opening
Monologue, My Sisters Keeper) Kate was born like any other newborn, perfectly healthy. When
Kate was two years old she ran to her mother Sara to show her that when she pulled her fingers
through her hair patches drifted to the floor. From then on, Kates life has never been the same.
Kate was diagnosed with Acute Promyeloctic Leukemia. While many factors contribute to the
movie My Sisters Keeper: characterization and atmosphere are the primary devices used to
create the plot and suspense throughout the movie.
Characterization is the process of conveying information about a characters well being
throughout the film. Anna Fitzgerald, otherwise known as the savior sister played by Abigail
Breslin, is a conflicted character between herself and her sister Kate. Anna was created in a test
lab from vitro fertilization to be a donor for Kate. Anna feels that she was only made with the
purpose to be spare parts for her sister. Anna struggles with her parents to freely emancipate her
body, but also struggles with the feeling to want to keep her sister alive. Kate Fitzgerald played
by Sofia Vassilieva is the focal point of many events in the film. Kates cancer is the heart of the
story, and defines her as a character of her working up the courage to choose between life and
death. Cameron Diaz otherwise known as Sara Fitzgerald plays the mother in My Sisters
Keeper. She plays the role as a concerned mother and would do whatever it takes to keep her
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daughter alive. Sara doesnt always fill the role as a concerned mother, because she seems to
exert all her energy to saving one childs life, however sacrificing the quality of life of the other
two children often causing much conflict in the movie. The Fitzgeralds have a son named Jesse
and the father is named Brian. Although they are a part of the film their roles didnt define the
movie as a whole. The last character of this film that made a huge impact was Campbell
Alexander played by Alec Balwin. Campbell Alexander is a sarcastic, emotional opportunist and
represented Anna as her lawyer. He is a closed off man with very few friends, except his service
dog Judge. Campbell takes on the challenge to help Anna gain the rights to emancipate her own
body creating even bigger conflict in the Fitzgerald household.
A member in a family being diagnosed with any intense illness can cause a dramatic
downturn. The setting mainly flips back and forth from a hospital to the Fitzgeralds home.
Cassavetes shoots the family members in close-up, keeping the camera at eye level. Through
this intimate style, its easy for the audience to lock eyes with the characters and feel their
sadness. (Sarah Sluis, Film Journal) The Fitzgeralds have to deal with the fear of Kate
suffering with Leukemia, and the question if whether she will live or die. Secretly Anna is
pushed to cause a serious tone in the movie, by trying to emancipate herself under Kates will.
The atmosphere of the movie My Sisters Keeper has many conflicting pressures and emotional
traumas. It is a master of emotional connections about right or wrong. My Sisters Keeper is a
thought-provoking movie that deals with serious issues and addresses difficult moral questions.
Is it morally right for a mother to create a child to go under a vast amount of serious surgeries
such as bone marrow transplant, and white blood cell transfusions in hope to keep another child
alive? No its not. As Anna files to emancipate her body from her parents, conflicts rise. Sara
files a lawsuit against her own daughter Anna. The decision to avoid unnecessary sentimentality
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defines this film, elevating it to a more thoughtful if a touch less engaging arena, sacrificing
emotional escapism for conversation provoking tragedy. (Giles Hardie, Rotten Tomatoes) Jesse,
always forgotten, chose a path of delinquency just to be noticed. Kate knowing that she is
causing all this pain and suffering had a tremendous amount of pressure on herself.
In Los Angeles, an eleven-year-old Anna Fitzgerald seeks a successful lawyer, Campbell
Alexander with the hope to earn rights to her own body. Under the secret will of her sister Kate,
Anna files an emancipation case against her parents. Its hard to imagine that there was a time
before all this happened, when the kids were just kids and everyone was happy. (Sara
Fitzgerald, My Sisters Keeper) Since the age of 2 years old Kate was diagnosed with Acute
Promyeloctic Leukemia. After numerous surgeries there wasnt much good news. Kates kidneys
were now failing, and Anna is the only one with the match to save her sister. Anna being
conceived under virto fertilization is a genetic match to her sister Kate. After many surgeries
since the age of 5 years old, Kate tells Anna its time for her to be free because shes ready.
Kate does not want to live anymore, she needs to be free from all the pain and suffering that felt
she was causing among the family. The mother Sara refuses for Anna to file a case, which
caused them to go to court. Sara was confused and beside herself why Anna doesnt want to save
her sister. Kate wants to die!(Jesse Fitzgerald, My Sisters Keeper) Jesse demands. To his
mother Sara. As conflict rises Kate dies at the hospital in her sleep after not getting the
transplant, as she wished. Anna won the case to the right to her own body, and finally tells her
mother the reason she filed a case in the first place was due to Kates wish. The family moves on
with their lives, but always remembers in their hearts their loving daughter and sister Kate.
Acute Promyeloctic Leukemia (APL) is subtype of acute myeloid Leukemia (AML). This
rare form of cancer, due to abnormal form of white blood cells called granulated promyelocytes.
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This accumulation of promyelocytes in bone marrow and peripheral blood, replaces normal
blood cells causing you be sick. Acute Promyeloctic Leukemia in children is similar if an adult
were diagnosed. Children tend to have a higher incidence of hyper leukocytosis. Hyper
leukocytosis is defined, as your white blood cell counts to be 10 times higher than normal.
Approximately 50 children diagnosed with APL out of 500 children diagnosed with AML each
year n the United States. APL represents 1 percent of childhood leukemia found in children ages
two or three. The survival rate of young patients is 75 to 80 percent if the patient receives
chemotherapy and ATRA Treatment, otherwise known as All Trans- Retinoic Acid.
When suffering through a hardship like cancer the internal conflict can tear your
confidence down and the ability of being able to live a normal life. Kate was only two years old
when she was diagnosed with this rare form of cancer. Kate dealt with the trauma her entire life.
Im a freak!(My Sisters Keeper) as Kate would say to her mother. She had no hair, social life,
or even her first boyfriend. Saras ultimate support caused her to shave her head so Kate will feel
like she fit in. Kate caused a lot of internal and external conflict throughout the film. The biggest
cause was causing haphazard among her family because she didnt want to be alive anymore. An
internal conflict Kate dealt with was the lose of her former cancer patient boyfriend, Taylor
Ambrose. He died the day after the prom. In Kates despair she finally felt normal when she was
with Taylor, but when he left this world without even a goodbye she felt empty again.
It was very difficult for a family dealing with cancer like the Fitzgeralds. Jodi Picoult is
widely acclaimed for her keen insights into the hearts and minds of real people. Sara and her
Husband Brian Fitzgerald struggles to maintain their marriage due to fighting, no attention, and
financial problem. Anna being gracious, but wounded, felt like she was only created to be spare
parts for Kate. Jesse, the middle child, often forgotten, choose a path of delinquency to be
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noticed, but wasnt. Sara often acted to nurture Kate more than everyone else in the family, not
even noticing that Anna filed a case against her to free Kate. Cancer is an alarming topic for
most families and patients, needing much love and support through out the process. My Sisters
Keeper is most memorable for how it tinges its sad moments with happiness, and happy
moments with sadness. When you live on the brink of death, each emotion is linked with the
other. Though it pulls our heartstrings the same way a few too many times, the tearful results are
unchanged. (Sarah Sluis, Film Journal) This movie is very relating to the insights and lives
of many families dealing with cancer. My family and millions of others have dealt with a
member diagnosed with cancer. Although some things in the movie arent portrayed, as you
would like them, an insight of what the audience is feeling, to reveal a film of real world issues.
My Sisters Keeper is a practical parable about the debate between pro life and pro
choice. The choice between if Anna will save her sister or not created tremendous amount of
suspense. With Kates prognosis not being stable, the count down continues to slim. She is
dying Sara, she will die either tonight, or tomorrow, or maybe a year from now if were lucky
(Dr. Chance, My Sisters Keeper), said Dr. Chance. The major question of this film was will
Kate die, and why does she want to? To show suspense in the film Sofia Vassilieva shaved her
eyebrows and hair to fit the part of a cancer patient and show how sick she was. To expose the
ravages of her disease and the effects of the grueling treatments to cure it, Sofia Vassilieva wore
contacts that caused her eyes to appear bloodshot and cloudy, and a subtle ghostly layer of make
up that mottled her skin and sunk her eyes, giving her a pallor that reflected her characters
increasing debilitation. (Emanuel Levy, Page 1)
The camera angled and focused mainly on Kates appearance and how she was not getting any
better. With Kates body disintegrating and giving out the suspense rises. Annas kidney is the
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only thing that will keep Kate alive, but refuses to take it. Sara does not understand that Kate
wants to die. Kates last wish before her death was to go to the beach with her family. She was
released rom the hospital however Sara was concerned whether or not it was a safe choice. It
didnt matter to Kate; she just wanted a taste of paradise for the last time of her life The beach
scene was incredibly sad with a song in the background called It Feels like Home by Edwina
Hayes that is a real tearjerker to an audience eyes. This beautiful song hit many peoples hearts
bringing them to tears by revealing the lyrics Feels like home to me Feels like I'm all the way
back where I belong showing Kate is back where she belongs, thats with her family, happy.
The suspense decreases when Kate dies at the hospital after returning from the beach with
her mother. Anna won the case, and now has the rights to her own body. Even though Campbell
Alexander wasnt supposed to take on this case he was fond of Anna because he knew what it
felt like to have control over his body due to epilepsy. Anna told Sara the big news of why she
caused such a hassle in the first place. Sara being dumbfounded couldnt believe it but had to
accept it. Every year the family goes to Kates favorite place on earth, Montana for her birthday
to remember her. As Anna said, Ill see Kate again and that in the meantime, their relationship
will continue. (Anna Fitzgerald, My Sisters Keeper)






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Works Cited
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2014.
"My Sister's Keeper." SparkNotes Mobile Web Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
"My Sister's Keeper." IMDb. IMDb.com, 28 June 2009. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
"My Sister's Keeper :Monologue: By Blossomheart1 on DeviantART." My Sister's
Keeper :Monologue: By Blossomheart1 on DeviantART. 2011-2014 Blossomheart1,
n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
"For Spouses, Families, and Friends." For Spouses, Families, and Friends. 2014
American Cancer Society, Inc. All Rights, 28 July 2012. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
"Filmtracks: My Sister's Keeper (Aaron Zigman)." Filmtracks: My Sister's Keeper
(Aaron Zigman). N.p., 5 July 2009. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
"My Sister's Keeper -- Film Review." My Sister's Keeper -- Film Review. N.p., 21 June
2009. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
"Plot Summary." IMDb. IMDb.com, 2009. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
"My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult (2003)." My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult (2003).
N.p., 24 Apr. 2009. Web. 13 Apr. 2014.
"Childhood Acute Myeloid Leukemia/Other Myeloid Malignancies Treatment
(PDQ)."Childhood Acute Myeloid Leukemia/Other Myeloid Malignancies Trea.
National Cancer Institute, 4 Mar. 2014. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
"Acute Promyeloctic Leukemia." Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia. Copyright 2014. St.
Jude Children's Research, nod Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
My Sisters Keeper Movie by Jodi Picoult
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Hardie, Giles. "My Sister's Keeper." - Rotten Tomatoes. N.p., 29 July 2009. Web. 04
May 2014.
Sluis, Sarah. "Film Review: My Sister's Keeper." Film Review: My Sister's Keeper. Film
Journal International, 24 June 2009. Web. 04 May 2014
"Edwina Hayes Feels Like Home." Last.fm. CBS Interactive 2014, 2009. Web.
04 May 2014.