Most of The Memory Keeper’s Daughter is told through the experience of David Henry. the orthopaedic sawbones and hubby of Norah. This is merely just. since it is David’s prevarication about his girl. Phoebe. which drives the narrative and finally destruct his matrimony. David came from a dirt-poor household. all of whom are dead by the clip the novel opens. David is scarred by this poorness and determined to supply his household with all the luxuries they might of all time hunger. This leads him down the way of a workaholic. He is besides a perfectionist. who is invariably reading medical diaries. David besides has a fatal defect. one other portion of his personality that is a consequence of his household background. June. David’s sister was born with a bosom status. His household. the McCallisters ( David subsequently drops his household name ) . could non afford medical aid for June. David’s female parent is drained by the experience of holding to take attention of her sallow kid. The household is devastated when June dies immature. David decides to perpetrate himself to his surveies so he can mend the universe. But because of his background with June. when he sees the marks of Down Syndrome in his ain girl at birth. he instantly decides that the best thing to make for his married woman is to state the girl has been born dead.
This determination. rapidly made at the tallness of emotion. turns out to be fatal. at least on a psychological footing. for him and his married woman. Another defect that David exhibits is his belief that emotions will weaken him. He has been taught. through the survey of scientific discipline. to maintain his emotions at bay. He does this by declaiming the Periodic Table from memory whenever his emotions rise. David is afraid that he will non be able to work if he allows his emotions to be expressed. This separates him from his married woman and kids. Although he deeply loves them. he has jobs sharing those feelings with them. They in bend come to believe that David has no feelings at all. The 2nd major character in this narrative is Norah. David’s married woman. A major part of the narrative is besides told through Norah’s character. Norah changes the most of all the characters in the novel. At first. Norah admits that she is a adult female who wants to be protected and saved by a adult male. She plays at being the perfect homemaker. She does this good until David tells her that one of her babes was born dead. Norah has problem acquiring over this loss. largely because everyone tells her that she should be happy that she has one healthy kid. But Norah needs to sorrow. which she finally succeeds in making. But the grieving does non make full the hole that has opened up in her psyche.
After the decease of Phoebe ( as Norah believes ) . she and David construct a silence between them that Norah can non perforate. Norah’s sister. Bree. lives a life apparently without barriers. She is a free spirit and encourages Norah to loosen up. Norah interprets this through her tactics of imbibing and taking on lovers. She besides finds a occupation. at which she proves to be really successful. But she remains unsuccessful at place. David’s silence physiques. and Norah can non retrieve how to love him. Caroline Gill is the 3rd most of import character/narrator. Caroline is in love with David. with whom she has worked in his clinic. When David tells Caroline to give the babe miss to the mental establishment outside of town. Caroline tells herself that she can non make this because the edifice was so creaky. Later. even Carolean inquiries her ain logical thinking. cognizing that the babe creates a bond between her and David. Caroline’s virtuousnesss as a nurturer. nevertheless. are really sincere. She fights for Phoebe’s rights to populate as normal a life as possible in a universe that is frequently against her. Caroline is an independent adult female. She is determined to happen a manner to raise Phoebe and go on to utilize her ain accomplishments to do a life.
However. when Al. a truck driver. is really attentive to her emotional demands. Caroline finally gives in to his soft touch and his willingness to bolster her sometimes-faltering assurance. A smaller part of this novel is witnessed through Paul. David and Norah’s boy. Parts of the narrative are turned over to Paul when he becomes a adolescent. David is the merchandise of a loving but dysfunctional parental relationship. He craves his parent’s love. which he has problem feeling. Paul is disgraced when he realizes that his female parent is holding personal businesss. so he turns off from her counsel. He wants so much to hold his male parent be proud of him. but he refuses to give into his father’s force per unit areas of following a profession that. in his father’s head. is more significant than music. But Paul has musical gifts and is true to them. Paul softens toward his male parent merely upon his father’s unexpected decease. Paul’s inability to pull off a good relationship with his girlfriend Michelle may be declarative of his ain inability to love or maybe his overpowering demand to be reassured. However. by the terminal of the narrative. Paul’s love for his newfound sister Phoebe appears reliable and mature.
