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Self Redemption In William Gibson's The Miracle Worker

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It is natural for humans to make simple mistakes in their everyday lives. What they do to atone for these mistakes is the important piece to look at, and the key word that describes this process is redemption. In William Gibson’s play The Miracle Worker, there are several characters that experience redemption, specifically self redemption. Two characters stand out as primary examples of self redemption. In this play, Annie Sullivan and James Keller end up redeeming themselves for their past mistakes. James Keller, a disrespectful, self centered teenager was the first to experience self redemption in this story. The first instance that James redeems himself is when he humbly asks his stepmother Kate to “be my friend.” (686) Throughout the play, …show more content…

For example, towards the end of the play, Annie felt like “There were no more voices.” (699) When Annie was a kid, she had a brother named Jimmy. Jimmy was a blind little boy that was put into an asylum because of his physical defect. Due to a sudden sickness, Jimmy passed away, and Helen felt like it was her fault. After his death, Annie started to hear voices in her head, and these voices continued to remind her that she didn’t work hard enough to save Jimmy. She felt like the only way to redeem herself was to make up for that loss by giving someone else the opportunity to live a long and healthy life. Giving Helen that opportunity would take away the guilt off her chest and would result in Annie finally discovering redemption. In addition, just as Annie was about to notify the Kellers that she was quitting the job, Kate tells Annie that “before you came we spoke of putting her in an asylum.”(675) This reminds Annie of how her brother was sent asylum, and she doesn’t want that to happen to Helen. Annie redeems herself by staying and helping Helen so that she doesn’t have to be sent to an asylum like her brother did. Annie Sullivan has experienced self redemption in this story by overcoming her haunting memories. Annie Sullivan and James Keller have made many mistakes in their lives, but ultimately they

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