30 pages • 1 hour read
Margaret DavidsonHelen Keller
Nonfiction | Biography | Middle Grade | Published in 1969A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Background
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Key Figures
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Tools
BetaSymbols & Motifs
The Doll
When Anne Sullivan first arrives at the Keller home, she brings with her a doll that is a gift from the other girls at the Perkins Institute. Though the gift conveys the well wishes of the school and is a means to welcome Helen into her studies, Anne quickly employs it as a teaching tool. She knows that Helen is already familiar with dolls as playthings, and indeed, Helen instantly covets the doll when she recognizes that Anne possesses it. Anne uses the doll to teach Helen the finger signs for “D-O-L-L,” and Helen is very quickly able to mimic the signs herself. This provides the Kellers and Anne with a sense of hope that Helen can indeed learn language.
It is via the doll, however, that Anne discovers Helen’s habit of throwing temper tantrums. When Anne tests Helen’s understanding of the spelling of “D-O-L-L” by removing it and prompting Helen to ask Anne for it, Helen responds by throwing a tantrum. She does not yet comprehend that the finger signals correspond to the object that she desires. The doll, then, is symbolic of Helen’s struggles; she desires to make her thoughts and wishes known but does not know how. Through the doll and other such objects, Anne can incentivize Helen’s learning. Additionally, that Helen enjoys playing with the doll illustrates the way in which Helen is much like any other child her age. Though her disabilities disadvantage her in many ways, particularly during this time period, the doll underscores her humanity.
Water
Helen experiences a significant breakthrough when she plays in the water pump outside of the small garden house she shares with Anne. Though Helen, a young child at this point, has learned to trust Anne and can make the signs for each of the 26 letters of the alphabet, she does not understand that the signs have meaning. Instead, the act of shaping her fingers is merely a kind of game that Anne plays with her. It is when Helen runs her hands in the running water and Anne repeatedly forms the signs that spell “W-A-T-E-R” with Helen’s fingers that she finally understands. Finally, she is able to recognize the importance of finger shaping, and Anne’s repeated and dogged efforts have paid off. She never gave up on the task of teaching this tool, which would prove vital to Helen’s development.
This knowledge excites Helen, and she is eager to learn the names of all the objects in her world. This eagerness conveys much about Helen’s personality: Her mind is sharp and capable of mastering difficult concepts. Through her understanding of how sign language functions—that the hand shapes correspond to physical objects as well as abstract concepts—Helen has obtained the ability to communicate, something that she has lacked and that has impacted her as such. Helen will go on to experience a life-long love of learning and live a life infused with meaning—a life her parents dared not to imagine she would have when they feared that hospitalizing Helen would be inevitable.
Darkness and Silence
Because Helen lacks the ability to both see and hear, she lives in darkness and silence. In this way, it is difficult for her to connect with others when she is young. Without the ability to communicate effectively, she feels alone. She trusts her parents, but, until Anne is able to teach her to speak, she is wary of strangers. The world in which Helen resides, then, is devoid of stimulation, and so she must rely on her other senses, mainly touch, to process the world. Symbolically, the notions of darkness and silence suggest many things that impact the perceptions that others have of Helen during her life. “Darkness” especially carries a negative connotation and is often associated with a lack of intelligence or meaning. In this way, others may incorrectly believe that Helen’s mind is impaired of otherwise incapable of thought. “Silence” suggests, too, that Helen is devoid of thought and an empty being—it strips her of her humanity in this sense.
During her lectures, Helen is able to challenge and overcome stereotypes and false thinking about what it means to have disabilities. She helps others to imagine what living in darkness and silence feels like, but she does not seek to illicit pity. Instead, she focuses on the many aspects of life that bring her joy, such as social engagement with friends, reading books, and walking through nature. Though she lacks two senses, Helen is far from unintelligent or inhuman, and her ability to communicate helps to solidify this, thus paving the way for fairer treatment for those with physical disabilities.
