The Ambiguous Line Between Right and Wrong in My Sister's Keeperby Jodi Picoult

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There is an ambiguous line between right and wrong that can cause difficulty when making decisions. Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper demonstrates the grey area between right and wrong through a family's struggle with ethics. First, Anna's character struggles to do what is right while keeping the consequences of her actions in mind. Second, Sara's conflict with society shows how problematic it can be to do what seems right for one's family. Finally, the symbolism of stars and dark matter depicts how natural it can be to overlook what is unjust and only see what is right. Through Anna's character, Sara's conflict with society, and the symbolism of stars and dark matter, Picoult's My Sister's Keeper suggests that in order to do what is right, one may have to do what is perceived as wrong.
First, Anna faces many challenges when making decisions that could have both positive and negative results surrounding her sister's acute promyelocytic leukemia. To begin with, Anna is a mature and independent teenager who is capable of making her own decisions. Anna does not want to involuntarily donate a kidney to her sister, Kate, so she sues her parents for medical emancipation. By wanting full rights to her own body, which she is entitled to, Anna's actions are perceived as selfish and morally wrong because she is risking Kate's life. Eventually, at the climax of the novel, Anna demonstrates that she is compassionate by disclosing her hidden motive. Anna admits that Kate “asked me to kill her” (Picoult 388), revealing her real reason for filing a lawsuit. Because Anna is doing this as the result of her sister's wish to die, she is doing the right thing for Kate, demonstrating that her “wrong” is really a “right”. Ironically by the end of th...

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...which is unfair for the overlooked star but good for its twin. Stars and dark matter symbolize the difficulty there is in understanding and making decisions based on both what is right and what is wrong.
In conclusion, Picoult's My Sister's Keeper suggests that there is an ambiguous line between doing what is right and what is wrong, as shown through Anna's character, Sara's conflict with society, and the symbolism of stars and dark matter. First, Anna struggles to balance her values and their repercussions. Second, Sara comes across many battles against society as she tries to do what is right for her family. Finally, the symbolism of stars and dark matter shows how what is right can outshine what is also wrong. The overlap of what is thought to be right and what is thought to be wrong makes the reader contemplate his or her own decisions, and judgements of others.

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