that motivated David to give away Phoebe. Those factors are divided into two, surface motivation and deeper motivation.
1. Surface Motivation
Surface motivation means the motivation that can be clearly seen and states in the novel. There are several surface meanings that motivate David to get rid of
Phoebe, those are: a.
Does not Want Norah to End up Like His Mother
June has become the center attention of David’s parents since she is diagnosed with heart defect. All of their attention goes to June because she is
weak and could not do anything. They try to protect her. When she is dead, David’s parents feel confuse. They do not know what to do, because after all these
years, June gets their attention. “He remembered thinking bitterly, that they did not know what to do with themselves without June to care for. She had been the
center of all their lives for so long” p.143. June’s death brings sadness and grief to his family. His mother, who is already sad by the fact that June is different from
other child, tries to survive and give June her love. She cries whenever she sees June tries to catch her breath p.23. Yet, she died when she was twelve years old
p.195. David’s mother has tries to do her best and face the reality. June’s death makes her so sad and lost. The memory of his sad mother is always haunts him.
“Still, he remembered the depth and endurance of his mother’s grief, the way she walked uphill to the grave every morning, her arms folded against whatever
weather she encountered” p.21. Not long after June’s death, his father also dead,
and his mother moved to her sister’s house. Since then, David never sees her p.143.
David wants to protect Norah from pain and loss. He does not want Norah’s life to be broken when Phoebe died. It hurts him to see his mother’s grief and
sadness. He does not want Norah to feel the same. “He had wanted to spare her, to protect her from loss and pain; he had not understood that lost would follow her
regardless, as persistent and life-shaping as a stream of water” p.139. Caroline also understands that David’s reason to get rid of Phoebe is to protect Norah. “He
told me once about his sister. She had a heart defect and died young, his mother never got over her grief. For what’s worth, I think, he was trying to protect you”
p.472. Moreover, David wants to protect his family from grief and pain. “This was the grief he had carried with him, heavy as a stone in his heart. This was the
grief he had tried to spare Norah and Paul, only to create so many others” p.338. David wants Paul to grow up happily without suffering like David. No matter how
hard David tries to protect Paul, he still feel lost. He wonders about his sister. “He reached for his guitar, wondering about his sister. If she hadn’t died. Would she
be like him? Would she like to run? Would she sing?” p.270. After all, as a mother who loses her daughter, Norah feels really sad,
depresses and cannot forget Phoebe. Phoebe is always on her mind, though she tries to be strong and accept the truth. “She’d been paralyzed with grief almost,
too full of sorrow even to weep. But she had stayed for several hours before she finally stood up and brushed off her clothes and went home” p.94. She never has
the chance to hold or look at her face. Even in the day when she gives birth, David
would not allow her to see Phoebe. He says that Phoebe is already buried and it is better for them to just go home and take care of Paul p.48. She wants other
people to remember Phoebe. She is angry when her neighbors come to congratulate her and they praise how beautiful Paul is. They do not even mention
Phoebe. It breaks her heart p.60. She always remembers Phoebe and it hurts her. “Oh, this was silly, her loss had happened almost two decades ago. Surely this
grief should not wells up, fresh as water in a spring” p.387. Sometimes, she feels that David is already forget about Phoebe, because everytime she wants to talk
about her, David seems to avoid the conversation. He is even mad when Norah
wants to have a memorial service for her p.64. b.
Difficult to Raise Phoebe
Raising a child with a special condition is hard. As a doctor, David knows about it very well. It takes a lot time and money to take care of Phoebe. When he
sees Phoebe for the first time, he realizes something is not right. He remembers what his professor said back in his college days.
“A classic case, he remembered his professor saying as they examined a similar child, years ago. A mongoloid, do you know what that means? And the
doctor, dutiful, had recited the symptoms he’d memorized from the text: flaccid muscle tone, delayed growth and mental development, possible heart
complications, early death. The professor had nodded, pacing his stethoscope on the baby’s smooth bare chest. Poor kid. There’s nothing they can do except try to
keep him clean. They ought to spare themselves and send him home” p.21.
He also remembers the pain that June suffers from. She grows up very slow. Moreover, she is hard to breathe. Her condition gets worse year by year until she
dies p.136. David who knows exactly what will happen to Phoebe, does not want to take the risk. It will be hard for him and Norah to keep Phoebe. There is
nothing he can do, except send Phoebe to an institution. It is the best way because she would be in good hands and get the right treatment p.25.
2. Deeper Motivation
