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CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS
This chapter analyzes the problem formulated in the first chapter. In order to know the mother’s love toward her dying daughter, the description of main and
minor characters and the relationship between Sara and her children are important. Thus this chapter is divided into three parts. The first part concerns with the
general description of characters: Sara as the mother and her children, Kate, Anna and Jesse. The second part describes the relationship between them. The last part
describes the meaning of love toward Kate, her dying daughter for Sara.
A. The Description of Main and Minor Characters
Based on the theory proposed by Abrams and Henkle, there are two types of characters. The first type is main character that becomes the focus of the story.
The second type is minor character that plays less important role. Sara and Anna are categorized as the main major characters. They appear from the beginning
until the end of the story. Kate is also described as the main character. Even though Kate does not present as many as Sara and Anna, she stays holding
important role in the story. She is the focus of the story events. Without her presence, the story will not be created and developed. She becomes the primary
reason for the raising problems in the story and gets the amount attention from others.
On the contrary, Jesse is considered as a minor secondary character. He is not fully developed character. Jesse’s presence is less than the main characters
in the story. He just appears in a certain time and place. However, Jesse has a role for the story development.
In the novel, Sara is considered as a loving and caring mother. She gives her attention and cares about her family especially for her dying daughter, Kate.
Her love and care can be seen through her reaction when something happens to Kate. She immediately brings Kate to the hospital whenever her daughter shows
the symptoms of her illness. When Kate gets fever, she announces to carry her to the hospital. She spends the night in the hospital sitting beside Kate’s bed. She
smoothes the cover over Kate’s leg and compares her own temperature with Kate’s Picoult 80-82.
Further, Sara is a person who is tough, vigilant, and single-minded. She has a purpose in her life to save Kate even though there is just a little hope. She
never gives up realizing her dream even though she has to fight again Anna, another daughter, in the trial. One of her toughness can be seen when she decides
to be an attorney again and to fight again her healthy daughter. Sara stays to be strong although she tears in her insight. She is fighting in two sides. She struggles
to save Kate’s life and fights against Anna in the trial Picoult 266. In her vigilance, she gives over attention and protection to Kate. She becomes very
anxious when Kate complains that her feet hurt. She thinks that Kate relapses from her bony pain. Thus, she rushes Kate to the hospital Picoult 198. To avoid
Kate’s health gets worse, Sara conceals the death of her boyfriend Picoult 384- 385. Sara’s love to her dying daughter leads her to be a single-minded person that
can create inharmonious relationship with other children, Jesse and Anna. She
only focuses on Kate’s health and decides everything from Kate’s side without thinking about other children’s need and feeling Picoult 24.
Kate is portrayed as a weak, sensitive, and inferior person. Getting leukemia causes her to be a weak person who needs others’ help. Kate does not have
strength to get rid of her sick even it is just an infection. Because of her weaknesses, Sara has Anna give her sister white blood cell Picoult 231. When
Kate gets kidney failure, she feels tired of her pity life that is like waiting her death. Thus, she convinces her sister to kill her Picoult 461. She becomes a
sensitive person whenever others talk about her illness and people look at her appearance. Kate is angry because a saleswoman looks at her scarf that covers her
bald Picoult 379. Further, she feels inferior to show herself in public. She is ashamed with her appearance that it is not as beautiful as other girls at her age.
Thus, she does not want to go to mall and other public places Picoult 288-289. Because of her weaknesses and inferiority, she gets support, excessive protection
and attention from Sara. However, Sara’s excessive protection and attention creates friction in her relationship with all her children.
Anna is a sort of person who is envious, brave, and smart. Anna feels left out because Sara devotes most of her attention to Kate and ignores Anna’s rights.
Thus, she feels envious and thinks that Sara does not really love her. Anna often wonders her better life when she is born in other family. If she lived in other
family, she would be happy. She will show her happiness to Kate Picoult 57. She is brave enough to struggle for her own rights. She sues her mother for the
sake of her own body. She says, “I want to sue them for the rights to my own
body” Picoult 21. Besides, Anna fights against her mother whenever Sara asks her to call off the lawsuit. Anna’s envious feeling and her bravery to sue her
mother create conflicts between them. Anna is also a smart person. She masters medical vocabularies that make her succeed convincing Alexander to be her
lawyer Picoult 24. Anna also has a good talent in playing hockey so she gets a scholarship to join a hockey camp and to practice with the goalie on USA team
Picoult 322. Her smartness has influenced the inharmonious relationship with her mother.
Jesse is described as a person who is envious, naughty and stubborn. He feels envious with her sister, Kate, because she gets more attention from his
mother. Jesse feels that his mother gives her love and attention unfairly. He is angry because Sara cancels her promise to buy a pair of cleats and thinks that Sara
only revolves her life around Kate Picoult 201. His envy causes her to be a naughty boy. He is addicted to the alcohol. He has also exploded a school septic
tank and some warehouses in order to satisfy his want Picoult 320. Besides, Jesse is a stubborn person. He does crazy things to get Sara’s attention. He often
endangers himself to make his mother give him attention and fulfill what he wants. Jesse stands under the traffic light where taxi is honking and a car is
swerving off and the cop is running to keep him from getting killed. In his mind, Jesse only wants to get a place where he would be noticed Picoult 298.
B. The Relationship between Sara and Her Children
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