My Sister's Keeper
discussion
do you think its fair for Anna to die, or did Kate had to die?
I agree with Kathryn, even though I was sad when I read the ending I knew that it was like life. Not some happily ever after fairytale ending. In life things happen and sometimes there are no happy endings. Jodie Picoult has created a book with concepts that have been taken from life. It had a "real ending".
I will say that when Anna died in the book, I cried. I thought it was a vicious twist but necessary. We the audience and the family in the book were waiting for Kate to die. The mother fought it tooth and nail but we all thought Kate would die. Anna died b/c things like that happen all the time and we(the readers) and her family had to remember that. I believe in the movie, the audience that only watched w/o knowing about the book got cheated.
I think the Author took the easy way out by making Anna die accidentally. This allowed her to write a best-selling tear jerker that had no real impact on the subject matter the story was built around....I felt like the ending was a way to avoid upsetting fans or media on either side of the issue. It would have been a more fulfilling story if Anna had lived and a decision had been made one way or the other. Presenting the readers with possible consequences, good and/or bad, that forced us to think about the issue rather than just cry at every other chapter. I was hoping that Anna would be allowed to make her own decision and then maybe even change her mind and freely donate her organ to her sister.
I agree with a lot of you guys here. Anna did not have die. It was just stupid to me considering she just won her trial. Unlike others however, I was completely taken by surprise. I don't read the ending beforehand, and I just didn't predict this happening. To me, Anna's death seemed like a convenient way to end the book. I mean, sure I was crying and bawling my eyes out, but because the ending was so stupid and unfair.
Yes, I think it is fair for Kate to die. She is tired and at some point she should have a right to say stop. For this to continue it will eventually place her sister at risk as well.
Sophia wrote: "At the closure of this book anna gets what she wants but life takes her away from her just as quick. Though life may not be fair at all times, this time it crossed the line. I think none of them sh..."i totally agree i cried for the book and even the movie. the idea of death for anyone of them is unbearable.
Anna shouldn't of died.They needed to let go of Kate.It wasn't fair.But life isn't fair so...Kate didn't even want to fight for her life.She was going to give up.Anna wanted to fight.She went to court because she was scared she might get side affect in the future from the surgery.
That was exactly what I was thinking when I read the ending!!! I felt sad because I knew that Anna was wanting to fight because, as Denesha said "She went to court because she was scared she might get side affect in the future from the surgery." Anna was enjoying life, embracing every opportunity and then all of a sudden she died. That didn't really make sense to me. I mean, it seems like the "good guy" (or girl) always ends up dying or getting badly hurt in most good books (especially in the case of Nicholas' books).
Anna dying highlighted the central debate of this book - is it okay to take someone's organs to save a different person's life. That's a completely irrelevant question if the other person is going to die anyway, but since Kate is able to survive and have a whole and relatively normal life after getting her sister's organs, it is suddenly a vital, life-and-death sort of question. The whole book lends this sympathy to Anna's cause (she is a person and deserves to keep her own organs), and it gives the impression that it doesn't matter what Anna thinks because Kate is going to die anyway. And suddenly, nope! wrong!
So is Anna's view still sympathetic? The book doesn't decide this, it puts it back on the reader. It's what I enjoyed most about it to be honest.
I have to be hounest, but i never really cared alot about Kate. I always like Anna, and when she died, i couldnt believe it. I cried so much. I really didnt know that would happen. Yea i knew that someone would die, but i didnt think Anna would, just Kate.
Yup, I found it really sad. It was as bad as being adopted then finding out that you aren't your parents' actual child (by the way, I'M NOT ADOPTED!!!). Just saying......
I agree :) Jodi Picoult is a "real" author. She writes about real-life issues like tragety in the family, sickness etc
I wish that none of them had to die. But if either one of them had to than i think it's unfair for Anna to die because she's got life of her own. Although Anna was born because of Kate, Anna had never agreed to do such thing when she was a kid. I do feel sad for Kate but I still think it's unfair for Anna to die
I was soo shocked when this happened. I mean I'd watched the movie before so I hadn't expected it but Anna dying was also just so sudden. My answer would be ; yeah :(
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Life isn't fair. The twist at the end made the book so sad, but it made it my favorite book of all time. Someone had to go, you could tell at the beginning of the book, but you don't expect Ana to die.
Suri wrote: "I think it didn't matter how it ended i acually kind of liked it. The whole book was so amazing and the end managed to make you think about the whole story even more. I think that jodi picoult is a..."I totally agree! :)
I agree. I think none of them should die. I couldn't stop crying at the last chapter :(
ana "a kecil" wrote: "i think, if i was kate, i'd rather die than sacrifice my beloved sister."well, I read this book and saw the movie as well and Kate did want to die at a part of it. The family wanted to keep her alive, but she told Anna that she wanted to die, because she was ready. The movie ends totally different than the book though.
yeah, I know! None of them shoulda died. Anna fought so hard for medical emancipation and then it's just like.....over. I was crying and and so mad at the book at the same time!!!!!
My opinion was that Jodi Picoult didn't know how to end the book or was tired of writing it, and just decided to kill her off. It was like she just cut it off and that was that. It didn't seem like a good literary move.
Yes - I think that's what made the book. It was SO unexpected!!
At first, I felt it was a horrible ending and I was honestly upset for days. But when I thought about it, it really was a perfect ending. Yes, the car crash was a bit too coincidently. Though, Anna was born to save her sister: that was her only purpose. And that’s how she died. With her dying, it showed how she was so much more than something to be picked and prodded for Kate, but it seemed like sometimes the family didn’t realize this. And really, if Kate died, everyone would be complaining about how predictable that was. If both lived, everyone would complain that it was a fairytale ending.
Stephanie wrote: "At first, I felt it was a horrible ending and I was honestly upset for days. But when I thought about it, it really was a perfect ending. Yes, the car crash was a bit too coincidently. Though, Anna..."You sum it up nicely!!
Yes, I agree with Julia, you do sum it up nicely. When I read the end I cried because it was sad but now I know that Anna had died to save her sister (kind of). If Kate had died then it would have been predictable.
i loved the ending of the book. I think when anna died it taught her family a lesson
The ending was actually unpredictable to me, I though that Annie was going to live and Katie was going to eventually die. I would`nt have liked it if they both died, that would have been too much for me. It was sad enough, having them both die would be incredibly sad.
Glenn wrote: "Perhaps I missed them, but I didn't see any spiritual effort extended on Kate. I don't know if this is just hollywoods version of “post Christian” America, or if this is really where we have come? We [Americans, as a society:] don't understand death anymore. We think it is simply the end. It is not.
..."
I believe it's because Americans do not like having someone else's version of christianity preached at them & it doesn't sell very well. Plus not everyone believes in a god. I like my freedom FROM religion given to me by the constitution. I don't read authors who seem overly preachy. When I run across that I warn other people about it.
Annalisa wrote: "I think the ending was a cop out. I like the idea of Anna dying on the table if she was going to die. It's still tragic but would make more of a point of her being used instead of them getting to u..."I agree with you, the random accident was in my opinion a total cop out. Appearantly Picoult wanted Anna to make the ultimate sacrifice for her sister but didn't want it to be the more tragic dying on the operating table or from complications afterwords.
It was still sad :(
Sophia wrote: "At the closure of this book anna gets what she wants but life takes her away from her just as quick. Though life may not be fair at all times, this time it crossed the line. I think none of them sh..."Sophia wrote: "At the closure of this book anna gets what she wants but life takes her away from her just as quick. Though life may not be fair at all times, this time it crossed the line. I think none of them sh..."
Sophia wrote: "At the closure of this book anna gets what she wants but life takes her away from her just as quick. Though life may not be fair at all times, this time it crossed the line. I think none of them sh..."
I actually agree with you there, Sophia. I think it was a bit of a thin ending. It fell a little worng, as it were. Thats not exaclty a true portrayal of reral life becsue it was unpredictable. Im not saying such things could not happen in real life, but it was just, like you said, so predictable and a bit too dramatic. Although it would be out of Joudi piccoults interests to make this book end happily, I still thought it was a great peice of workmanship to be honest.
I don't like the ending either, but I guess it would be very difficult for Anna if Kate died, maybe a sequel would be justified for Anna to overcome the trauma.I guess it's not a matter of fairness, it's more about choice. Anna didn't want to abandon Kate, she just asked for her own right to make the choice. Whether donate or not, it's about her body, so it should be her decision.
When Kate persuaded Anna to sue, she tried to put the right back into Anna's hand. To be a burden to her younger sister was also a heavy burden for Kate. She's trying to get some decent attention to Anna from their parents, especially the desperate mother.
If one of them must die, it's better to be Anna. Anna was too innocent to live such a tangled life. (Even if she could survive all the donates, she would never live a life she wanted, like to be a hockey player.)
I mean it's a happy ending because Kate doesn't end up dying but it's still sad that Anna was the one who ended up dying in the end.
Anna's death absolutely surprised me! I'm serious! The entire time I thought Kate was going to pass. To be honest the ending of the movie I liked better. Even though it was really awful that Kate died, it made a bit more sense to me because they described her condition practically incurable. But then again I give Jodi Piccoult complete props for surprising me completely as a reader! :)
This was a tough read but then so was The Pact.
i was so pissed off when anna died. my sister walked in the room and i was sobbing my eyes out and i had to ask her to get me the tissues. it was so unfair that right when she got what she wanted anna had to die. and then how her family spirals out of control and ends up detaching from the world and stuff. that was just annoying and then kate feels guilt ridden for the rest of her life that her sister died. it was just so depressing
Yumi wrote: "i was so pissed off when anna died. my sister walked in the room and i was sobbing my eyes out and i had to ask her to get me the tissues. it was so unfair that right when she got what she wanted a..."I know right!
I fet depressed too. That was so not what i had exppected!
;/
ana "a kecil" wrote: "i think, if i was kate, i'd rather die than sacrifice my beloved sister."Which is why Kate had Anna hire a lawyer to medically emancipate from her parents? She had had enough!
Fadhilah wrote: "HAve you read the Tenth Circle?"Yes , another Picoult favorite of mine - it my introduction to this author.
I hated the film and I understand so did Jodi. They so totally changed the book.
The ending of the book is actually the main reason why I like it. I really hate that they changed the film ending. The ending in the book was perfect the way it was.
I hated that Anna died... I'm sorry but Kate had to go. I flinched when I read about Anna, it just didn't seem fair and it seemed too sacrificial.
Sadly I think Anna had to die. The movie did it differently and it didnt work.
Ashley wrote: "Sadly I think Anna had to die. The movie did it differently and it didnt work."Now this is true... Strange, I didn't think of it like that. I think in the book, it would have worked for me though but on screen it just didn't... Can't explain it.
I completely hated the ending of this book, I mean why did she had to die? it wasn't fair, not a single part of the facts of the story are thought to be fair with Anna, her parents created her to be a donor JUST a donor for her sister, it makes me think that if Kate hadn't had leukemia Anna would have never existed, and YES I do know that asking for emancipation was a way to take care of Kate but neither of them deserved to die, Anna got what she needed, a way to live her life and be able to help without having her sister suffer because of a mother that would keep making them get surgeries, anyway Picoult did a very good book and a really sad (but good) story, but I strongly disagree with the end of the book.
Diana wrote: "Ashley wrote: "Sadly I think Anna had to die. The movie did it differently and it didnt work."Now this is true... Strange, I didn't think of it like that. I think in the book, it would have worke..."
yeah on page it might have but not in the movie
I've read each of Picoult's books at least three times apiece (she's my favorite author) and always cry on and off when I read each one because she has this way of just reaching in and touching your soul. But the line that gets me every time I read the last chapter of My Sister's Keeper is at the end, when Kate's talking about how she still sees Anna in the girls she teaches ballet to, and how she thought the stitches from her kidney transplant spelled out her name, and she says, "I take her with me, everywhere I go." That, to me, says that even though Anna is gone, she's not -- she's still in the hearts and thoughts of her family, and her kidney, an indelible part of her (is indelible the right word? IDK, it's late and I'm tired, but I hope you know what I mean), is what keeps Kate alive. Anna is still keeping her sister alive and is still with Kate, every single day.
Ok, at the beging I hated the book. It was actually incredibly stupid because I was reading it to my sister while she was in the hospital, because it was something she made me promise to do. My sister, is two and a half years older than me. Honestly, I took care of her because my parents had thier stuff and really didn't have time for us. I would have given her everything I had to make things ok, to make things better. She didn't have cancer, but she had sezuires. She passed April 21, 2010 and if I could trade places with her I would in a heart beat. She was the best person I've ever known, and all those that did know her were blessed as well. This touches something so special in me, that no one can imagine. I finished this book a week before she went into the coma that took her, and she was thinking one night and tured to me. She said, "Heather I really hope our story doesn't end the same way." Now at this time I was half asleep and it was just us, and I didn't understnad, so I said, "What do you mean sis?" She said, "I hope you don't turn out like Anna does, everyone knows she is really the stronger of the two. Like you are to me. Your my rock, and if you were gone I'd break. If someone dies I hope it's going to be me, I love you too much to lose you." With tears in my eyes I kissed her on the head and assured her that everything was going to be ok, yes she passed away. But, I promised her I wouldn't die before her, and I promised her if I lived I would actually live. I just thought I'd share with yal. Rest in Peace S.E.S Love you Big sis.
I thought it was fair that Anna died, because if Kate had died that would be to predictable. And if neither of them had died, then it wouldn't be a good story.
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I disagree. I think that by making everyone come out happy in the end, it would have been ignoring the nature of the story and pushing for some pretty ending against the meaning of the book. I think it would feel too Hollywood-esque for everyone to have lived and been happy in the end.