Blog Post #8

As we approach the end of the novel, we finally learn about Kate and her true personality. Throughout most of the novel we assume Kate is very dependent on others. She is sick and isn’t able to do much without the assistance of others. We assume she is patiently waiting for the day she can finally be healed of this horrid disease. But, at the end of the novel, Anna reveals something that is not anticipated. Anna is in court being question by Campbell when she is asked who convinced her to file for emancipation. She seems unsure and doesn’t know if she should tell the truth or not but finally she chokes out the word, Kate. People are appalled and can’t believe Kate wants to die. Kate now appears as a very independent person who knows exactly what she wants. One may think she wants to die for selfish reasons but, this isn’t true. She is really doing it for the good of her sister. She wants Anna to be able to live her life without having to protect her. Kate is sharing with Anna the benefits her death will bring and she states, “You could go to you hockey camps. You could choose a college in a whole different country. You could do anything you want and not worry about me” (390). She is tired of being a burden to her parents and wants Anna to finally be free.

At the end of the novel, an unexpected event occurs. As Campbell and Anna are returning from the court house, they get in a deadly car accident which kills Anna instantly. At the hospital, Anna’s parents are asked whether they wish donate her organs and, undoubtedly, they say yes. Throughout the novel, we wonder if Brian and Sara love Anna as much as they love Kate. They always seem preoccupied with Kate and have no time for Anna. But when she is killed, we are able to see that they love Anna just as much although, they regret the time not spent with Anna. This is illustrated when Brian states, “You may see a blue star, for example, and realize only later that it has a while dwarf as a companion-that first only shines so bright, by the time you notice the second one, it’s really too late” (416).

This book relates to our summer reading novel, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Both novels show us how the death of a loved one affects a person. When Oskar’s dad dies, he feels so much regret that it affects his ability to go on living a normal life. Similarly, the death of Anna made her parents realize the amount of attention they hadn’t been giving to Anna. Now that she is gone they regret it immensely.