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.
Themes
Perseverance
This theme is prevalent in Keller’s story because it is the lynchpin of her strong character. Despite the odds against her — from the freak illness and subsequent blindness and deafness to the challenges in communication and education — Keller perseveres and overcomes, replacing depression and darkness with gratitude that is wholehearted and genuine.
Diligence
It is one thing to hope and dream, another to take the steps necessary to achieve one’s goals. Keller’s diligence, her sincere desire to communicate, to be educated, to see the world in any way that she could, is a constant theme throughout her early life story.
Determination
Keller faces multiple obstacles in her childhood. Aside from her illness and the damaging aftermath, she also faces isolation, darkness, and depression, internal demons with which she must occasionally wage war. Those obstacles alone would be enough to fell even the strongest of individuals.
Add the difficulty communicating and being understood to the struggle to become educated, and the reader can see how incredible Keller’s determination and resolve are. Despite everything, Keller never gives up. She is determined to succeed no matter how long it takes or how tough a road she must travel.
The Value of Education
Keller places a high value on education and indeed holds up this theme as a constant source of wonder and enlightenment during her early years. Education allows Keller to learn more about herself, her world view, and the ideas of those who came before her. For Keller, education is so important that she makes it the focal point of her greatest goal: to attend college.
The Importance of Nature
Not surprisingly, Keller’s view of nature is profoundly influenced by her teacher, Miss Sullivan, who is from New England, long a source of transcendentalism in America. Keller relishes every chance she has to immerse herself in nature, finding it to be a balm to her body and soul. It is a constant source of pleasure throughout her life.
