42 pages • 1 hour read
Helen KellerThe Story of My Life
Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 1902A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Key Figures
Helen Keller
Helen Keller is the author of this autobiography wherein she recounts her early life up to her college education, and the challenges she must face as a girl who is both deaf and blind. Struck down by illness at a very young age, Keller defies death but is rendered blind and deaf. Her life becomes very dark and depressing as she finds herself isolated and cut off from the ability to communicate with other people.
In desperation, her parents hire a teacher for her, Miss Sullivan, whose steadfastness and loyalty to Keller changes the young girl’s life forever. With the patient and loving Miss Sullivan at her side, Keller’s world opens up in new and profound ways. Education becomes the primary form in which her world expands, and as she grows up, she learns to balance her strength of person with the depression and frustration that she contends with throughout her young life.
With Miss Sullivan’s help and the support of her family and friends, Keller succeeds beyond her wildest dreams, learning to read, speak, and attend college. Her determination not to weaken in the face of her condition and to push beyond her supposed limitations are an inspiring example to all.
Miss Anne Mansfield Sullivan
Miss Sullivan is a teacher recommended by the Perkins Institute of Boston and hired by Keller’s parents. Her arrival changes Keller’s life at a time when the young child is desperate for hope. Sullivan can communicate with Keller and teaches Keller how to sign and spell on her hands.
Keller refers to Sullivan repeatedly as her greatest comfort and friend, and indeed, Sullivan never leaves Keller’s side, accompanying the girl to various places around the country. Whenever Keller’s spirits flag, Sullivan is there to raise the girl’s confidence and keep her focused on her goals. Sullivan is also responsible for instigating a deep love for the natural world in Keller that helps to sustain her through her trials and tribulations.
Arthur Keller
Arthur Keller is Helen’s father. A former Confederate general, he settles his family in the small town of Tuscumbia, Alabama, with his second wife, Kate. He deeply grieves the illness that robs his eldest daughter of her ability to see and hear and is a strong yet quiet presence in her life. He and his wife do everything they can to provide Helen with every opportunity possible to improve her prospects of a better life.
Kate Keller
Helen’s mother, Kate Keller, is a source of strength and love for her daughter in all things. From being the first person who makes an effort to communicate with Helen to standing by her through all her celebrations and struggles. It is Kate who removes both Helen and her sister, Mildred, from the Cambridge School for Young Ladies when the principal questions whether Helen is capable of handling the workload given to her.
Mildred Keller
Mildred Keller is Helen’s younger sister, a baby whom she was extremely jealous of for a good portion of her childhood. Mildred, however, is a steadfast sister who supports her sister every step of the way and is a companion on some of Helen’s adventures and journeys.
Martha Washington
The daughter of the Keller’s cook, Martha Washington was Helen’s first friend. She is one of the first people to make an effort to understand the signs Helen attempted to make to communicate with others. She was also easily dominated by Helen, and the two often got into trouble, such as the time when Martha nearly cut off Helen’s hair because they were bored with doing the same to their dolls.
Dr. Alexander Graham Bell
Dr. Bell is a staunch supporter of Keller’s, advocating on her behalf and befriending her. He is the person that the Kellers turn to for help in educating Helen. It is through Dr. Bell’s connections that the Kellers contact the Perkins Institute and arrange for Miss Sullivan to teach Helen. Dr. Bell remains an important figure in Helen’s life as she grows up.
Mr. Anagnos
Mr. Anagnos is the director of the Perkins Institute and the person who sends Miss Sullivan to work with Keller. The relationship that Keller has with Mr. Anagnos is irreparably damaged during “The Frost King” incident, where Keller is accused of plagiarizing an already published story. Although he initially stands by Keller’s innocence, Mr. Anagnos changes his position two years afterward, and Keller is never able to find out why.
Mr. Gilman
As the principal of the Cambridge School for Young Ladies, a preparatory school for entry into Radcliffe, Mr. Gilman is also a teacher at the school. Keller enjoys Mr. Gilman’s knowledge of literature and manner of teaching. He, in turn, invites Keller’s mother and sister to visit the school, and Mildred ends up enrolling, allowing both sisters to spend more time in each other’s company. Unfortunately, Mr. Gilman becomes convinced of Keller’s inability to keep up with her studies and assignments, claiming that they are negatively impacting Keller’s health. In anger, Kate Keller removes both her daughters from the school.
