Pull the Rug from Under

I recently read My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. There's a chance that I'll teach it as part of an ethics unit, so I wanted to give it a non-academic first read. The story compelled me enough to finish it in two days. I imagine that students will have plenty to say about its central issue, of a child conceived through genetic screening and artificial conception in order to provide as a medical donor to her sick sibling. But for now I'm thinking more about the story's title.

It's not an obscure phrase, as far as biblical reference goes. I remember, though, a facebook post in which someone wrote how he though "it [was] ironic that Cain said 'I am my brother's keeper'." Someone else then replied that the line is actually "Am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4:9), putting an end to any illusions of clever insight that the original post-er had.

Considering my relationship with this person, I got a disproportionate amount of satisfaction from his stuffed attempt at a profound facebook post. And I think it's because I see in him something that I dislike or fear in myself. Then again, I might just enjoy it when someone gets knocked down from a foolish position.