76 pages • 2 hours read
The Memory Keeper's Daughter
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Themes
The Dichotomy of Light
Throughout the novel, many of the characters—with the exception of the silenced minor characters, such as Phoebe and Bree—exist in a constant state of conflict in which they are seemingly pulled in two opposing yet integrally connected forces. This conflict is especially evident in the seeming war between darkness and light, which exists both in the physical sense and in the psycho-emotional sense for these characters. When Norah considers the sacred nature of maternity, “she was startled by both the darkness and the beauty all around: a small oblong of light” (52). Although Norah feels as though there is a war between the psychosomatic ramifications of light and darkness, the reality is that light cannot exist without darkness, and vice versa. In this way, the two are integrally connected to one another and actually require the other to exist. Although they appear to be dichotomous, the two forces should more appropriately be labeled as bifurcated as they both must coincide in a kind of symbiotic relationship. This symbiosis becomes more readily apparent when light is linked to life.
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