The Memory Keepers Daughter Character Analysis
The Memory Keepers Daughter
Almost everybody has done something that they have regretted later on in life. David Henry, a character in The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards, shows that sometimes the past can be too heavy of a burden to carry. Damaging not only ourselves but also the people around us. David grew up in West Virginia with parents who worked hard but struggled to put food on the table and a sister with Down syndrome. When his sister died his parents were so overwhelmed that they never got over it. They rarely left the house and they withdrew mentally and physically. David recognized this and never wanted to feel that pain again. He would do anything to never feel that pain. Years later David’s traveling …show more content…
It would grow and strengthen. (88)” Was formed between David and his family when he made that decision. Everything he did he no longer cared about thinking that he should be punished and all of his happiness should be taken away. In the end the choices from his past greatly impacted the relationship he had with his family, in a negative way. He could never fully enjoy the time with his son or tell his wife that he loved her and after a while none of them could take it. Paul ran away to enroll in Julliard, Nora after having several affairs finally got a divorce and found somebody else, and David had a massive heart attack while doing plumbing for his ex- wife. David died unhappily with his life decisions.
From the beginning to the end of this book the theme was carefully shaped. Pieces and pieces formed to create a very strong and powerful theme. “David Henrys secret is so powerful it destroys his marriage and keeps him away from his son.” David's action becomes a major turning point in the lives of Norah, their son Paul, and Caroline Gill, who decides to raise the baby as her own child. After seeing the home she was told to deliver Phoebe to, she realizes that she can't leave the baby there. In the back of her mind she knows she can give Phoebe a better …show more content…
It was David's need to protect Norah from the sorrows of raising a child such as his sister that forced him to give Phoebe away, not understanding how the death of a child would impact his wife, or any mother. At the same time, David acting as if the baby was never born causes Norah to turn away from him as he begins to frustrate and anger her as the years go by.
The novel’s title refers to the present Norah gives David for their anniversary, a camera called “the Memory Keeper.” More than a camera, her gift is a hobby intended to decrease David’s work time, the most visible sign of the problems in his marriage. Photography, however, becomes an obsession for David: he turns to photography as a means to create some control in his life, using it to capture what he feels is life around him. He becomes obsessed to the point of alienating Norah even more, while Norah discovers "interests" outside the
Almost everybody has done something that they have regretted later on in life. David Henry, a character in The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards, shows that sometimes the past can be too heavy of a burden to carry. Damaging not only ourselves but also the people around us. David grew up in West Virginia with parents who worked hard but struggled to put food on the table and a sister with Down syndrome. When his sister died his parents were so overwhelmed that they never got over it. They rarely left the house and they withdrew mentally and physically. David recognized this and never wanted to feel that pain again. He would do anything to never feel that pain. Years later David’s traveling …show more content…
It would grow and strengthen. (88)” Was formed between David and his family when he made that decision. Everything he did he no longer cared about thinking that he should be punished and all of his happiness should be taken away. In the end the choices from his past greatly impacted the relationship he had with his family, in a negative way. He could never fully enjoy the time with his son or tell his wife that he loved her and after a while none of them could take it. Paul ran away to enroll in Julliard, Nora after having several affairs finally got a divorce and found somebody else, and David had a massive heart attack while doing plumbing for his ex- wife. David died unhappily with his life decisions.
From the beginning to the end of this book the theme was carefully shaped. Pieces and pieces formed to create a very strong and powerful theme. “David Henrys secret is so powerful it destroys his marriage and keeps him away from his son.” David's action becomes a major turning point in the lives of Norah, their son Paul, and Caroline Gill, who decides to raise the baby as her own child. After seeing the home she was told to deliver Phoebe to, she realizes that she can't leave the baby there. In the back of her mind she knows she can give Phoebe a better …show more content…
It was David's need to protect Norah from the sorrows of raising a child such as his sister that forced him to give Phoebe away, not understanding how the death of a child would impact his wife, or any mother. At the same time, David acting as if the baby was never born causes Norah to turn away from him as he begins to frustrate and anger her as the years go by.
The novel’s title refers to the present Norah gives David for their anniversary, a camera called “the Memory Keeper.” More than a camera, her gift is a hobby intended to decrease David’s work time, the most visible sign of the problems in his marriage. Photography, however, becomes an obsession for David: he turns to photography as a means to create some control in his life, using it to capture what he feels is life around him. He becomes obsessed to the point of alienating Norah even more, while Norah discovers "interests" outside the