Romuald Jean
Lori Bouzane
ENG3UR
May 2nd, 2014
Life; cause and effect.
The past is, simply, a point in time that has already occurred; unfortunately, more often than none, the past plays a detrimental role to both the present and the future. This may not always be the case, nevertheless, it is impossible to completely escape one’s past; what has happened and one’s past actions will always be significant. The bestselling novel ‘The Memory Keeper’s Daughter,’ illustrates the impact of the past throughout the entire story. Kim Edwards uses her story and her characters to demonstrate that one’s past decisions and actions are inescapable. The author uses the narrative of the story to indicate that David, Norah and Caroline have all been deeply influenced by their pasts either negatively or positively.

To begin, David spends his life paying penance for his shortcomings in the past. Upon returning from his performance, Paul’s parents annoy him which causes him to sneak out, David catches up to him and they began to drive back home. Whilst in the car, Paul confronts David for turning a blind eye to the infidelity of Norah; ‘“You don’t even give a damn about that Howard guy.”’ (Edwards p. 200) Moreover, David confesses that he is aware of the events that occurred between Norah and Howard; David behaves as though he is unaware for he is certain that this affair is a direct result of the decision he made thirteen years ago. David does not confront Norah in an attempt to repent for his sin. David obviously holds himself personally responsible for all inner-household issues the Henry family faces. In addition, when David meets Rosemary he clearly displays a longing to aid her in order to atone. David observes Rosemary, he watches her move, and feels an odd connection towards her; “He wanted to comfort her somehow, just as he had so often wanted to comfort others - June, his mother, Norah” (Edwards p.271). Furthermore, David craves redemption and to make amends. Evidently, David feels as though he has failed to help the important women in his life so, in order to compensate, he subconsciously melds his mother, Norah and June into one person, Rosemary. As a doctor, David regularly ensures the well being of others, so, having been unable to assist some of the most important people in his life has had a deep impact on David; He holds himself responsible for the well being of all around him. In brief, David’s past with women has impacted his life quite negatively.This has now made David hold himself accountable for any and all hardship those currently, and previously, around him face,; causing him to live a life of intense remorse.

Equally important, Norah spends her life attempting to fill the void left by the absence of phoebe. Once Paul reached the age of eight, a point of slight independence, Norah filled the void with a day job. Whilst in Aruba, Norah is posing for David on the beach, “Norah had learned the travel business inside out the past five years... when Pete Warren decided to retire, she’d taken a deep breath and bought the business”(Edwards p.174). Moreover, after giving birth, Norah has no time to focus on the vacancy in her life; she has to nurture the one child she still has. Once Paul reached the age of eight, and begins to attend elementary school, Norah no longer has something to consistently occupy her mind and time; so, she begins to feel herself falling into darkness and, desperate for something to focus on, she takes on a job. Norah has never recovered from Phoebe’s supposed death, she has always gone from one antic to another. It is impossible for one to fully recover from the loss of a child. Some find a way to deal with the grief, some way to get out of bed in the morning. Some people smoke, some people drink, Norah works. Eventually, her profession begins to feel humdrum so, she engages in a series of affairs. As one of her lovers refuses to leave her alone, Norah begins to think about her past affairs, “she had forced herself to sit down and count up all her affairs… Four… Each had begun in moments when she thought the roar of silence in her house would drive her mad, when the mysterious universe of another presence, any presence, had seemed to her like solace.” (Edwards p.293) Eventually, Norah begins to reach the peak of her success, causing her to have to find something else to fill the void. In Aruba, she meets the first of her many lovers, Howard, an experience which opens her eyes to a new tactic of occupying herself. Over the next few years, whenever Norah has felt the void consuming her, she ran into the arms and bed, of a new man; a stranger to take her mind off of her marriage and her loss. Since the loss of her daughter, Norah has completely reinvented herself, she has turned into a new woman; one who did not lose a daughter. All in all, the loss of Phoebe brings about a new person out of Norah. Without her daughter, Norah feels as though there is always something missing; something intangible. So, Norah spends the rest of her life attempting to fill the void with something tangible.

On another note, Caroline devotes her lifetime to the protection of Phoebe. From the instant Phoebe is within Caroline’s care, a sense of obligation came upon her. At the institution, Caroline gets chastised by a nurse, whom then hastily leaves Caroline and Phoebe alone; “...picked up the box with Phoebe in it. Quickly, before she could think about what she was doing, she went into the spartan hallway and through the double doors.”(Edwards p.31) After taking a quick glance around the facilities, Caroline realizes that this is no place for a baby to live. Even though she has only cared for her for a couple of hours, Caroline has already shouldered the burden of insuring Phoebe’s well-being. Making this decision is very uncharacteristic of Caroline; this is the first indication of her love for Phoebe. Caroline deciding to keep Phoebe is quite extraordinary; her ordinary has always been a moderate and safe life, she has, both figuratively and literally, always been on the inside looking out. Even after Phoebe has grown, Caroline works to keep her completely out of harms way. Whilst on the search for extra cookies and juice, Caroline walks in on Robert and Phoebe; an argument sparks and Caroline says: ‘“You can’t get married, sweetie...’”(Edwards p.345). Additionally, even though Phoebe is now a full grown adult, Caroline still holds herself accountable for any wrongdoing that may befall Phoebe. Throughout the entirety of this chapter, Caroline attempts to persuade Phoebe that her and Robert should not wed. Caroline fears that even though evidence shows otherwise, Phoebe will not be able to handle basic adult life. Phoebe wishes to grow, to experience, to make mistakes and to learn; Caroline refuse to consent, for, ever since that stormy night twenty-four years ago, she has always ensured that Phoebe would be safe and sound. Altogether, becoming a mother, though not biologically, changed Caroline forever. She used to long for the admiration of a man, now she only longs for the safety and well being of her, though not biological, daughter.

‘The Memory Keeper’s Daughter’ is a bestselling novel, written by Kim Edwards, in which the story and characters demonstrate that past decisions and actions will bring about an unavoidable day of reckoning.Thanks to the actions of a distraught father, the past of both David and Norah has a very negative impact, however, Caroline’s past has impacted her very positively. It is near impossible for anyone to accurately predict the future. No matter how much one overthinks or contemplates, it is futile to attempt to do so. At the time, one may have thought that the correct path of action was being taken, only to be disproved later on. Life is, very simply, a series of random accidents that one attempts to control; rarely successfully.

Work Cited
Edwards, Kim. The Memory Keeper’s Daughter. New York; Viking Press, 2005