My Sister’s Keeper

My Sister’s Keeper

by

Jodi Picoult

Campbell Alexander Character Analysis

Campbell Alexander is Anna’s attorney, representing her in her petition for medical emancipation. A wealthy lawyer interested in bolstering his own reputation, he initially refuses to take on Anna’s case but, intrigued by her situation, decides to represent her pro bono. Campbell and Anna often butt heads during her case due to Anna’s fickleness and lack of communication with Campbell, but he gradually softens towards her and defends her fervently in court. Campbell also has a tense relationship with Julia, Anna’s guardian ad litem, due to a relationship in high school that Campbell abruptly ended, breaking Julia’s heart. For much of the novel, Campbell refuses to tell her or anyone else the reason that he’s isolated himself from other people: when he was 18, he suffered a concussion in a car crash and developed epilepsy as a result, which is why he keeps his service dog Judge. This backstory comes out when Campbell suffers a seizure during court, forcing him to confess the truth to Julia afterwards; she responds by telling him that she wants to be with him, repairing their relationship. Campbell successfully wins Anna her emancipation, but on the drive home from the courthouse, the two get in a terrible accident that leaves Anna brain-dead. Because Campbell has been granted medical power of attorney for Anna, he gives her kidney to Kate. The epilogue reveals that Campbell marries Julia but falls out of contact with the Fitzgeralds due to everyone’s grief over Anna.

Campbell Alexander Quotes in My Sister’s Keeper

The My Sister’s Keeper quotes below are all either spoken by Campbell Alexander or refer to Campbell Alexander . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Bodily Autonomy Theme Icon
).
2. Monday: Campbell Quotes

I tap my pen on the desk, and Judge—my dog—sidles closer. “What happens if you don’t give your sister a kidney?”

“She’ll die.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

Anna’s mouth is set in a thin line. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Yes, you are. I’m just trying to figure out what made you want to put your foot down, after all this time.”

She looks over at the bookshelf. “Because,” she says simply, “it never stops.”

Related Characters: Andromeda “Anna” Fitzgerald (speaker), Campbell Alexander (speaker), Kate Fitzgerald
Page Number: 22
Explanation and Analysis:
7. Wednesday: Campbell Quotes

“Anna,” I say, at the exact same moment as Sara Fitzgerald.

It is my responsibility to explain to Anna that Judge DeSalvo wants a few minutes in private. I need to coach her, so that she says the right things, so that the judge doesn’t throw the case out before she gets what she wants. She is my client; by definition, she is supposed to follow my counsel.

But when I call her name, she turns toward her mother.

Related Characters: Campbell Alexander (speaker), Andromeda “Anna” Fitzgerald, Sara Fitzgerald
Page Number: 84
Explanation and Analysis:
12. Wednesday: Campbell Quotes

“Do you have kids?” Anna asks.

I laugh. “What do you think?”

“It’s probably a good thing,” she admits. “No offense, but you don’t exactly look like a parent.”

This fascinates me. “What do parents look like?”

She seems to think about this. “You know about how the tightrope guy at the circus wants everyone to believe his act is an art, but deep down you can see that he’s really just hoping he makes it all the way across? Like that.”

Related Characters: Andromeda “Anna” Fitzgerald (speaker), Campbell Alexander (speaker)
Page Number: 124
Explanation and Analysis:
30. Monday: Campbell Quotes

You might remember the recent case of the firefighters in Worcester, Massachusetts, who were killed in a blaze started by a homeless woman. She knew the fire had started and she left the building, but she never called 911 because she thought she might get into trouble. Six men died that night, and yet the State couldn’t hold this woman responsible, because in America—even if the consequences are tragic—you are not responsible for someone else’s safety. You aren’t obligated to help anyone in distress. Not if you’re the one who started the fire, not if you’re a passerby to a car wreck, not if you’re a perfectly matched donor.

Related Characters: Campbell Alexander (speaker), Andromeda “Anna” Fitzgerald
Page Number: 293-294
Explanation and Analysis:
36. Tuesday: Campbell Quotes

Can you tell me what the right answer is here? […] Because I don’t know where to look for it. I know what’s right. I know what’s fair. But neither of those apply here. I can sit, and I can think about it, and I can tell you what should be and what ought to be. I can even tell you there’s got to be a better solution. But it’s been thirteen years, Mr. Alexander, and I still haven’t found it.

Related Characters: Brian Fitzgerald (speaker), Andromeda “Anna” Fitzgerald, Kate Fitzgerald, Campbell Alexander
Page Number: 346
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire My Sister’s Keeper LitChart as a printable PDF.
My Sister’s Keeper PDF

Campbell Alexander Quotes in My Sister’s Keeper

The My Sister’s Keeper quotes below are all either spoken by Campbell Alexander or refer to Campbell Alexander . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Bodily Autonomy Theme Icon
).
2. Monday: Campbell Quotes

I tap my pen on the desk, and Judge—my dog—sidles closer. “What happens if you don’t give your sister a kidney?”

“She’ll die.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

Anna’s mouth is set in a thin line. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Yes, you are. I’m just trying to figure out what made you want to put your foot down, after all this time.”

She looks over at the bookshelf. “Because,” she says simply, “it never stops.”

Related Characters: Andromeda “Anna” Fitzgerald (speaker), Campbell Alexander (speaker), Kate Fitzgerald
Page Number: 22
Explanation and Analysis:
7. Wednesday: Campbell Quotes

“Anna,” I say, at the exact same moment as Sara Fitzgerald.

It is my responsibility to explain to Anna that Judge DeSalvo wants a few minutes in private. I need to coach her, so that she says the right things, so that the judge doesn’t throw the case out before she gets what she wants. She is my client; by definition, she is supposed to follow my counsel.

But when I call her name, she turns toward her mother.

Related Characters: Campbell Alexander (speaker), Andromeda “Anna” Fitzgerald, Sara Fitzgerald
Page Number: 84
Explanation and Analysis:
12. Wednesday: Campbell Quotes

“Do you have kids?” Anna asks.

I laugh. “What do you think?”

“It’s probably a good thing,” she admits. “No offense, but you don’t exactly look like a parent.”

This fascinates me. “What do parents look like?”

She seems to think about this. “You know about how the tightrope guy at the circus wants everyone to believe his act is an art, but deep down you can see that he’s really just hoping he makes it all the way across? Like that.”

Related Characters: Andromeda “Anna” Fitzgerald (speaker), Campbell Alexander (speaker)
Page Number: 124
Explanation and Analysis:
30. Monday: Campbell Quotes

You might remember the recent case of the firefighters in Worcester, Massachusetts, who were killed in a blaze started by a homeless woman. She knew the fire had started and she left the building, but she never called 911 because she thought she might get into trouble. Six men died that night, and yet the State couldn’t hold this woman responsible, because in America—even if the consequences are tragic—you are not responsible for someone else’s safety. You aren’t obligated to help anyone in distress. Not if you’re the one who started the fire, not if you’re a passerby to a car wreck, not if you’re a perfectly matched donor.

Related Characters: Campbell Alexander (speaker), Andromeda “Anna” Fitzgerald
Page Number: 293-294
Explanation and Analysis:
36. Tuesday: Campbell Quotes

Can you tell me what the right answer is here? […] Because I don’t know where to look for it. I know what’s right. I know what’s fair. But neither of those apply here. I can sit, and I can think about it, and I can tell you what should be and what ought to be. I can even tell you there’s got to be a better solution. But it’s been thirteen years, Mr. Alexander, and I still haven’t found it.

Related Characters: Brian Fitzgerald (speaker), Andromeda “Anna” Fitzgerald, Kate Fitzgerald, Campbell Alexander
Page Number: 346
Explanation and Analysis: