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Brian Fitzgerald
Jesse is the oldest child of the Fitzgerald family and receives the least attention from his parents. Although he’s shown to be a bright and curious child in flashbacks, these positive traits are later buried under a veneer of delinquency and rage as he lashes out in response to his family’s situation. Jesse is not a donor match for Kate and therefore cannot donate anything to help her, which makes him feel useless and invisible in comparison to Anna. He’s also physically and emotionally isolated from the rest of the family, living in the garage away from his parents and siblings. In his adolescence, he begins to commit acts of arson in an attempt to feel a semblance of control over his life and make himself feel less invisible. Despite his edgy demeanor and criminal background, however, Jesse does genuinely care for his sisters. He fully supports Anna during her lawsuit, often driving her places she needs to go when she cannot ask her parents, and he keeps Kate company in the hospital when everyone else is at court. When Brian discovers his identity as the town arsonist and confronts him, Jesse expects to be punished but breaks down when Brian forgives him. After Anna’s death, he leaves his criminal past behind and becomes a police officer.
Jesse Fitzgerald Quotes in My Sister’s Keeper
The My Sister’s Keeper quotes below are all either spoken by Jesse Fitzgerald or refer to Jesse Fitzgerald. 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:
).
1. Monday: Anna
Quotes
I was born because a scientist managed to hook up my mother’s eggs and my father’s sperm to create a specific combination of previous genetic material. In fact, when Jesse told me how babies get made and I, the great disbeliever, decided to ask my parents the truth, I got more than I bargained for. They sat me down and explained all the usual stuff, of course—but they also explained that they chose little embryonic me, specifically, because I could save my sister, Kate. “We loved you even more,” my mother made sure to say, “because we knew what exactly we were getting.”
It made me wonder, though, what would have happened if Kate had been healthy. Chances are, I’d still be floating up in Heaven or wherever, waiting to be attached to a body to spend some time on Earth. Certainly, I would not be part of this family. See, unlike the rest of the free world, I didn’t get here by accident. And if your parents have you for a reason, then that reason better exist. Because once it’s gone, so are you.
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Explanation and Analysis:
9. Wednesday: Jesse
Quotes
It would solve a thousand problems if I rolled the Jeep over an embankment. It’s not like I haven’t thought about it, you know. On my license, it says I’m an organ donor, but the truth is I’d consider being an organ martyr. I’m sure I’m worth a lot more dead than alive—the sum of the parts equals more than the whole. I wonder who might wind up walking around with my liver, my lungs, even my eyeballs. I wonder what poor asshole would get stuck with whatever it is in me that passes for a heart.
13. Wednesday: Anna
Quotes
[Kate] sprinted, and nearly had it, but then Jesse took a running leap and slammed her to the ground, crushing her underneath him.
In that moment everything stopped. Kate lay with her arms and legs splayed, unmoving. My father was there in a breath, shoving at Jesse. “What the hell is the matter with you!”
“I forgot!”
My mother: “Where does it hurt? Can you sit up?”
But when Kate rolled over, she was smiling. “It doesn’t hurt. It feels great.”
My parents looked at each other. Neither of them understood like I did, like Jesse did—that no matter who you are, there is some part of you that always wishes you were someone else—and when, for a millisecond, you get that wish, it’s a miracle. “He forgot,” Kate said to nobody, and she lay on her back, beaming up at the cold hawkeye sun.
Get the entire My Sister’s Keeper LitChart as a printable PDF.
Jesse Fitzgerald Quotes in My Sister’s Keeper
The My Sister’s Keeper quotes below are all either spoken by Jesse Fitzgerald or refer to Jesse Fitzgerald. 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:
).
1. Monday: Anna
Quotes
I was born because a scientist managed to hook up my mother’s eggs and my father’s sperm to create a specific combination of previous genetic material. In fact, when Jesse told me how babies get made and I, the great disbeliever, decided to ask my parents the truth, I got more than I bargained for. They sat me down and explained all the usual stuff, of course—but they also explained that they chose little embryonic me, specifically, because I could save my sister, Kate. “We loved you even more,” my mother made sure to say, “because we knew what exactly we were getting.”
It made me wonder, though, what would have happened if Kate had been healthy. Chances are, I’d still be floating up in Heaven or wherever, waiting to be attached to a body to spend some time on Earth. Certainly, I would not be part of this family. See, unlike the rest of the free world, I didn’t get here by accident. And if your parents have you for a reason, then that reason better exist. Because once it’s gone, so are you.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
9. Wednesday: Jesse
Quotes
It would solve a thousand problems if I rolled the Jeep over an embankment. It’s not like I haven’t thought about it, you know. On my license, it says I’m an organ donor, but the truth is I’d consider being an organ martyr. I’m sure I’m worth a lot more dead than alive—the sum of the parts equals more than the whole. I wonder who might wind up walking around with my liver, my lungs, even my eyeballs. I wonder what poor asshole would get stuck with whatever it is in me that passes for a heart.
13. Wednesday: Anna
Quotes
[Kate] sprinted, and nearly had it, but then Jesse took a running leap and slammed her to the ground, crushing her underneath him.
In that moment everything stopped. Kate lay with her arms and legs splayed, unmoving. My father was there in a breath, shoving at Jesse. “What the hell is the matter with you!”
“I forgot!”
My mother: “Where does it hurt? Can you sit up?”
But when Kate rolled over, she was smiling. “It doesn’t hurt. It feels great.”
My parents looked at each other. Neither of them understood like I did, like Jesse did—that no matter who you are, there is some part of you that always wishes you were someone else—and when, for a millisecond, you get that wish, it’s a miracle. “He forgot,” Kate said to nobody, and she lay on her back, beaming up at the cold hawkeye sun.
