Sister Wife Character Analysis

The Causes and Effects of Commitment Commitment: the state of being dedicated to a cause or activity. Everyone in their life commits to things and sometimes there are choices to be made about those commitments. The causes and effects of commitment have been clearly presented in the young adult novel Sister Wife. In the polygamist community of Unity, 15-year-old Celeste finds herself doubting her beliefs. Inspired by the stories of Taviana, a girl from the outside and discouraged by her “pure” sister Nannette, Celeste is faced with a choice: a choice of commitment. In Sister Wife, Shelley Hrdlitschka demonstrates that commitment should only be made when it is certain, or else there may be unexpected consequences through the use of symbolism,

Throughout most of the story, Celeste is committed to her secret relationship with Jon, often meeting at the river to build inuksuks. In one scene, Celeste in upset about Taviana leaving unity so Jon suggests they make some inuksuks to cheer her up: “Then he looked directly into my face. You look so sad Celeste. Why don’t we build a couple more statue people, just for fun?” (Hrdlitschka 100) This quote clearly suggests that inuksuks have brought them joy, as they are committed to building them just as they are to each other. This makes the inuksuk a symbol of their commitment to each other. Likewise, during the darkest part of her journey, Celeste only has Craig, a boy from outside Unity whom she met through building inuksuks at the river. In one part, Craig explains to Celeste, “ ‘We have created a circle,’ he says, his voice full of authority, ‘That includes Celeste, myself and this inuksuk. It is a circle rich in symbolism.’…‘Secondly,’ he says ‘The inuksuk represents a strength, and this strength will keep our friendship strong until we meet again’ ” (Hrdlitschka 261). This piece shows how committed both Craig and Celeste are to their friendship. Craig literally says, “ ‘It is a circle rich in symbolism’ ”, that “symbolism” being their restorative friendship which is made through their commitment to creating inuksuks. Furthermore, there is Taviana’s commitment to

Thus, the take home message is that commitment is a funny thing that plays a role in everyone’s life and how we treat it is the real deciding