The Good Sister

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2020

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-7

Chapters 8-15

Chapters 16-24

Chapters 25-32

Chapters 33-39

Chapters 40-48

Chapters 49-57

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Symbols & Motifs

The Bracelets

Rose and Fern wear identical bracelets engraved with their names and the accompanying botanical images. Fern notes early on that Rose often taps her bracelet against Fern’s as a sign of warning or caution. The bracelets are the sisters’ “way of talking to each other without talking” (15). The closed circle of the bracelet is a symbol of the close bond between Rose and Fern, the safe bubble of their sisterly world and the perfect loop of their communication. With the bracelets, Rose and Fern do away with the ambiguity of words, talking in a rarefied, unambiguous language. The bracelets also signify Nina’s love for her daughters and the special relationship they share as twins.

As the narrative proceeds, the symbol of the matching bracelets becomes more complex. As Fern observes, the perfect system of communication has already failed her and Rose once, “the one time Rose couldn’t stop me from doing the wrong thing” (16). Fern doesn’t know it at this point of the plot, but Rose actually made Fern do the wrong thing. This shows the perfect communication of the bracelets is an illusion; there is a vast gap between Fern’s perception and Rose’s actions. The bracelets begin to signify the circles of Rose’s lies and Rose’s desire to cage Fern. This symbolism turns even darker when Rose “begins to fiddle with her rose bracelet” (224) after Fern tells her about Nina’s supposed confabulation. The bracelet falls, almost an ill omen. Rose leaves it behind in Nina’s room after injecting her with insulin, possibly during a struggle. Now the bracelet represents a breakdown of the love between mother and child and between the sisters. At the end of the novel, Rose plans to use the bracelet to frame Fern for Nina’s murder, saying Fern borrowed it from her.

Fern’s Pregnancy

Fern’s pregnancy is an important motif in the book and also works as a symbol. The pregnancy is a major plot point from the very beginning, with Rose manipulating Fern to get pregnant so she can adopt the baby. It is when Wally’s presence seems to threaten Rose’s plan that she steps in to intervene and take charge of Fern’s pregnancy. Fern’s pregnancy symbolizes Fern’s evolution away from Rose. Fern has always believed she is “not capable of raising a baby and that’s that. I’ve made my peace with it” (28). When she gets pregnant, she begins to question this notion, marking a key stage in her evolution. As the pregnancy grows, so does Fern’s physical discomfort, exacerbated by her sensory issues. At the same time, she begins to visualize a life apart from Rose, a life she suspects she will enjoy.

While the pregnancy symbolizes growth for Fern, for Rose it symbolizes Fern’s regression. The pregnancy gives Rose the chance to take control of Fern and infantilize her further, such as when Rose begins building Fern a tiny house in her garden or starts texting her constantly. The pregnancy also gives Rose a chance to drill into Fern her unsuitability as a mother. Because Fern supposedly drowned Billy and almost starved Alfie, she is incapable of being a regular mother. Rose’s weaponization of terms like “surrogate” further diminishes Fern’s agency (Fern doesn’t think of herself as a surrogate, neither has she signed an agreement to this effect). The pregnancy becomes a catalyst for Fern to finally realize the truth about Rose.

The Library and Books

Fern loves her job at the library and has a near encyclopedic knowledge of books. For instance, when an introverted girl who wishes to be a writer seeks a book recommendation, Fern suggests I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. Later, Carmel refers to Fern as a “gift” (159) for the library. In this sense, the library symbolizes Fern’s capability. Fern is used to thinking of herself as not perfectly functional, but in the library it is obvious Fern is highly organized, well-informed, and empathetic to the needs of readers. The library is also a symbol of refuge, an actual sanctuary for Fern as well as many others. Fern notes that her old boss Janet considered the library “a place that belonged to everyone” (8). Fern upholds the openness and liberal values the library represents.

The novel often refers to real books by other authors. Many of these shout-outs are self-referential in that they comment on a feature of The Good Sister. Capture the Castle, for instance, echoes the last name of the twins and is also the story of a young girl keeping a witty journal to cope with changes in her life. Here, Rose too keeps a journal to cope with upheaval in her life but to a sinister end. The last name Castle could also be a reference to Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle, a mystery novel about two sisters, one of whom is a killer. Fern also refers to Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Assassin, another novel featuring sisters. In this sense, Fern is the symbol of the author herself, exploring the complex landscape of sisterhood through the world of books. Books are entire worlds in the text, giving people an unparalleled opportunity for discovery. They also offer refuge, something that manifests quite literally in the scene where Fern hands the man with the gun a copy of Michelle Obama’s new book. The man gets lost in reading and puts down his knife. Thus, the book makes Fern, Carmel, and the other co-workers safe.