My Sister’s Keeper

My Sister’s Keeper

by

Jodi Picoult

My Sister’s Keeper: 2. Monday: Campbell Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
Campbell reflects on how his father, the first Campbell Alexander, used to say that “when you only have a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” Campbell interprets this as the way that people who have been backed into a corner will do anything to claw their way out, which can either mean getting into a physical fight but can also mean filing a lawsuit. Campbell looks at the Post-its on his desk and sees a note from Kerri telling him that his mother called four times. Campbell throws the note away.
Campbell’s recollection of his father illustrates how his upbringing trained him to view things through the lens of conflict; his version of a fight is not a literal fistfight, but a lawsuit. However, his father’s harsh attitude, along with Campbell refusing to call his mother back, suggests that this dog-eat-dog attitude has left Campbell emotionally isolated from his family and others.
Themes
Parenthood Theme Icon
Control Theme Icon
Anna waits patiently for Campbell’s response. Campbell, upon hearing that she wants to sue for bodily autonomy, immediately decides to reject the case. He asks for her name, then calls down the hall for Kerri to bring her the number for Planned Parenthood. Anna, shocked, stands up and protests. Campbell tells her that filing a lawsuit because her parents won’t allow her access to birth control or abortion is overkill and advises her to go to Planned Parenthood again. Anna, enraged, responds that Planned Parenthood can’t help with her situation: Kate is dying, and Sara wants her to donate a kidney to save her.
After hearing that Anna wants to sue for the rights to her own body, Campbell immediately writes her off as a pregnant teenager without hearing her full story. His quick disregard for her plight reflects the flippant attitude he’s developed towards other people during his time as a lawyer. Anna, however, continues to stand her ground, refusing to leave his office before she can explain what she’s been dealing with.
Themes
Bodily Autonomy Theme Icon
Parenthood Theme Icon
Control Theme Icon
Kerri arrives with the Planned Parenthood phone number, but Campbell closes the door in her face—a move that, in retrospect, he views as having chosen one path in a forked road. He argues that no one can make Anna donate an organ against her consent, but she responds with a long list of times she donated: first her cord blood as a newborn, then lymphocytes—which took three drawings to get enough—then bone marrow, then granulocytes, then peripheral blood stem cells. Campbell muses that her medical vocabulary could put expert witnesses to shame.
Campbell’s hard exterior cracks ever so slightly when he decides to hear Anna out, suggesting he is not always as icy as he presents himself to be. Anna is also fortunate that her situation is a legally complex one, and therefore piques Campbell’s interest as a lawyer. In other words, Anna’s strong will has begun to win Campbell over—although, so far, he still seems to view her more as an interesting case rather than a person.
Themes
Bodily Autonomy Theme Icon
Control Theme Icon
Campbell states that she must have consented to these procedures, but Anna claims that nobody ever asked. When Campbell tells her that they might listen to her if she talks to them, she states that they don’t pay attention to her outside of using her as a donor, and that she wouldn’t be alive if not for Kate’s illness. She tells Campbell that, when she was conceived, her parents deliberately chose the embryo that was a perfect genetic match to Kate. Campbell muses about the hot debate over stem cell research, including issues such as the ethics of “spare-parts babies” and “designer babies.”
While the backstory that Anna provides here is not completely new, the fact that she feels completely unheard by her parents contextualizes why she’s decided to do something as drastic as file a lawsuit. Furthermore, Campbell’s musings of the ethics of stem cell research highlights how Anna’s individual predicament is tied to broader debates over societal issues such as reproductive rights and eugenics.
Themes
Bodily Autonomy Theme Icon
Siblinghood Theme Icon
Parenthood Theme Icon
Control Theme Icon
Illness and Isolation Theme Icon
Get the entire My Sister’s Keeper LitChart as a printable PDF.
My Sister’s Keeper PDF
He asks Anna what will happen if she doesn’t donate her kidney, to which Anna answers that Kate will die. When Campbell asks her if she’s okay with that and why she’s choosing now of all times to file suit, Anna simply says that “it never stops.” She takes out the $136.87 she’s saved and tells him she’ll figure out a way to pay him more, but she’s shocked when Campbell tells her that he charges $200 per hour. He tells her that he’ll work something out, jokingly telling her that she can polish his doorknobs. From there, he runs through the process of her case: he’ll file a petition, there will be a hearing, and Anna will be appointed a guardian ad litem. He tells her to call if she has any questions, and she, in turn, gives him her number in case he has any questions.
The previous chapter established that Anna is close to Kate and loves her dearly, which makes Anna’s declaration that she will pursue her lawsuit despite Kate dying without a kidney all the more striking. The contrast between her love for Kate and her determination for autonomy emphasizes just how dire the lack of control in her life has become. Campbell, too, seems to recognize this to some degree, since, although he is an expensive lawyer, he agrees to take on her case pro bono.
Themes
Bodily Autonomy Theme Icon
Siblinghood Theme Icon
Control Theme Icon
Quotes
After Anna leaves, Campbell walks out to the reception area, where Kerri tells him that his mother claims his father is shacking up with a teenager and that she is threatening to commit herself. Campbell largely disregards this and turns to Anna’s case, telling Kerri that the office is representing her. Kerri balks at this, asking where Anna will live when her parents find out she’s suing them. Campbell hasn’t really thought about it, but before he can answer, Judge nudges his side. He tells Kerri to give him 15 minutes. When she pushes and tells him Anna can’t take care of herself, he tells her that it’s not his problem and leaves.
Although Campbell has done Anna a great service by taking on her case free of charge, his lack of a good answer to Kerri’s question shows that he hasn’t truly thought through the potential interpersonal consequences for Anna if she pursues her case. His thoughtlessness once again reflects how he sees Anna as a client first and a person second and foreshadows the potential implosion that Anna’s lawsuit will cause in her family.
Themes
Bodily Autonomy Theme Icon
Parenthood Theme Icon
Control Theme Icon