Hope In Anne Sullivan's The Miracle Worker

“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” Martin Luther King Jr. once stated these meaningful words about always having hope. Throughout the nonfiction drama, The Miracle Worker by William Gibson, Anne Sullivan, or Annie, was hired to teach blind and deaf—due to a horrible illness at such a young age—Helen Keller a variety of life skills. Anne Sullivan came across many problems when teaching Helen Keller. Despite these troubles, Anne Sullivan, Helen Keller’s mother (Kate), Helen Keller’s father (Captain Keller), and other family members tried to never lose hope in Helen’s capabilities. All of their determination, especially Annie’s, was driven by their hope for Helen’s success. The Miracle Worker really portrayed how one must believe and have hope in order for their dreams to come true. From the beginning, in Act I of The Miracle Worker, people like Kate and Annie had hope that Helen would get better and be bright enough to soak in information. Kate—Helen’s loving and caring mother—would do anything to help Helen improve her health, or to act somewhat like an ordinary child. One part of the

Now, the characters had a hope for Helen truly learning a new way of living. After Annie held Helen in one room for multiple hours, she came out to Kate stating, “She ate from her own plate. (She thinks a moment.) She ate with a spoon. Herself. (KATE frowns, uncertain with thought, and glances down at HELEN.) And she folded her napkin” (Gibson 524). When Annie approached Kate explaining the result of her lesson with Helen, it sparked a new sense of hope. This new sense of hope made the readers, audience members, and characters feel that Helen really had a chance of coping with her disabilities. It was a step closer to her really changing and understanding what was around her, escalating everyone’s pride, hope, and belief for