Plain Truth: A Novel
Jodi Picoult’s Plain Truth (2000) is a legal drama and cultural exploration set in Pennsylvania’s Amish community. The novel centers on Katie Fisher, an unmarried Amish teenager accused of murdering her newborn after the infant’s body is discovered on her family’s farm. Ellie Hathaway, a disillusioned defense attorney, takes on Katie’s case and must live among the Amish as part of bail conditions. The story examines clashes between modern justice and Amish traditions, themes of secrecy, faith, and maternal bonds. Picoult weaves courtroom tension with insights into Amish life, culminating in revelations about the infant’s death and Katie’s hidden trauma. The novel is noted for its research into Plain Sect culture and moral ambiguity.
TWENTY
byPicoult, Jodi
Ellie prepares to leave the Amish community of East Paradise, reflecting on the physical and emotional baggage she has accumulated during her stay. Her suitcase now holds mementos like a handmade quilt, a straw hat, and a pregnancy test, alongside intangible gifts of spirit and peace. As she packs, she contemplates the adjustments awaiting her return to the outside world—sleeping beside Coop, watching TV, and resuming her legal career—while already missing the rhythms of Amish life. Katie and Sarah remain present, their interactions underscoring the deep connections Ellie has formed.
Sarah confesses her initial reluctance to host Ellie, fearing she would exoticize Amish culture. She admits Ellie’s genuine impact, crediting her with saving Katie from legal peril. Their conversation reveals Sarah’s maternal devotion, as she acknowledges the lengths she would go to protect her child. Ellie, now pregnant herself, empathizes with Sarah’s perspective, creating a moment of quiet understanding between the two women. The dialogue hints at deeper secrets, foreshadowing Sarah’s impending revelation.
Sarah’s gift of bloodstained scissors unravels the truth: she, not Katie, killed the infant to spare her daughter from exile. Her confession exposes the tragic calculus of her choice—sacrificing the baby to preserve Katie’s place in the community. Ellie, stunned, grapples with her professional duty to report the crime against her personal empathy for Sarah’s plight. The chapter’s tension peaks as Sarah’s motives and actions reframe the entire narrative of the infant’s death.
As Coop arrives to take Ellie home, she faces a moral crossroads. Sarah’s embrace becomes a test of loyalty, and Ellie’s decision to reciprocate—despite legal obligations—signals her emotional alignment with the Amish family. The chapter closes with Ellie stepping into an uncertain future, carrying the weight of Sarah’s confession and the realization that justice and mercy are not always reconcilable. Her departure marks both an ending and a beginning, as she leaves behind a transformed understanding of family and sacrifice.
FAQs
1. What symbolic items does Ellie pack that represent her emotional journey in the Amish community?
Answer:
Ellie packs several meaningful items that symbolize her transformation during her time with the Amish. These include her first quilt (representing newfound domestic skills and maternal love), a straw hat from Zimmermann’s (signifying adaptation to Amish labor), a flat creek stone (embodying simplicity and peace), and a matchbook from her dinner with Coop (marking her ties to the English world). Most importantly, she reflects on intangible takeaways like “spirit, humility, peace,” highlighting her internal growth. These objects contrast with her initial single suitcase, underscoring how deeply the experience has changed her (Chapter Twenty).2. How does Sarah’s confession redefine the reader’s understanding of the infant’s death?
Answer:
Sarah’s revelation that she—not Katie—killed the baby completely reshapes the narrative. She admits to using the scissors (later gifted to Ellie) to cut the umbilical cord and disposing of the infant to protect Katie from being shunned by Aaron and the community. This confession explains key trial inconsistencies: the barn light left on (Sarah’s doing), the bloodied scissors hidden away, and Katie’s lack of memory about the burial. Sarah’s motive—preserving her last remaining child after losing Jacob and Hannah—adds tragic complexity to what was initially perceived as Katie’s crime (Chapter Twenty).3. Analyze the ethical dilemma Ellie faces upon learning Sarah’s truth. How does her response reflect her personal growth?
Answer:
As an attorney, Ellie is legally obligated to report Sarah’s confession, which would likely lead to Sarah’s prosecution for infanticide. However, her choice to embrace Sarah silently—despite her initial hesitation—demonstrates her evolved empathy and understanding of Amish familial bonds. By prioritizing human connection over rigid legality, Ellie mirrors the moral ambiguity Sarah faced in sacrificing the baby for Katie. This moment underscores Ellie’s transition from a by-the-book lawyer to someone who recognizes that justice isn’t always black-and-white, especially in a cultural context she’s come to respect (Chapter Twenty).4. How does Sarah’s gift of the scissors serve as both a literal and thematic climax in the chapter?
Answer:
Literally, the scissors are the murder weapon, their bloodstained twine and notched blade confirming Sarah’s guilt. Thematically, they represent the brutal choices of motherhood and the clash between Amish traditions and survival. By giving them to Ellie, Sarah symbolically passes the burden of truth—forcing Ellie to reconcile her professional duty with her newfound compassion. The scissors also physically connect the trial’s central mystery (the umbilical severing) to its resolution, closing the loop on the infant’s death while opening moral questions about justice and cultural relativism (Chapter Twenty).5. Contrast Ellie’s reflections on her future with Coop versus her nostalgia for Amish life. What does this reveal about her conflicted identity?
Answer:
Ellie anticipates reintegrating into modern life—sleeping beside Coop, watching TV—yet catches herself mentally clinging to Amish rhythms (4:30 AM wake-ups, rooster alarms). This tension highlights her dual belonging: she’s neither fully English nor Amish, but forever changed by both worlds. Her uncertainty about future clients and frequent thoughts of Katie suggest the Amish experience has left an indelible mark, complicating her return to “normalcy.” The juxtaposition reveals her growth beyond her original identity as a detached lawyer into someone who carries the community’s lessons in humility and connection (Chapter Twenty).
Quotes
1. “It’s funny how you can accumulate so many things in such a small amount of time. I had come to East Paradise with a single suitcase, but now that it was time to pack up my things I could barely make them fit.”
This opening reflection by Ellie captures the profound personal transformation she’s undergone during her stay with the Amish community. The physical accumulation symbolizes the intangible growth in spirit, humility, and peace she references later.
2. “I figured out quick enough that you weren’t like that at all. And I have to admit that we’ve learned more from you, I think, than you ever could have learned from us.”
Sarah’s admission to Ellie represents a significant turning point in their relationship and the chapter’s theme of mutual understanding between cultures. It shows how initial prejudices can give way to genuine appreciation and reciprocal growth.
3. “You know how a mother would do anything, if it meant saving her child.”
This powerful statement by Sarah foreshadows her shocking confession while encapsulating the novel’s central theme of maternal sacrifice. It gains even more weight when we learn she’s referring to her own actions regarding the baby.
4. “I was the one who sent her out to the English world in the first place-and I could see how she was changing… I only wanted Katie to have the kind of life she’d always imagined having-one here, among all of us.”
Sarah’s heartbreaking confession reveals her motivation for the infanticide - a desperate attempt to preserve her daughter’s place in the Amish community. This quote exposes the tragic conflict between cultural preservation and moral boundaries.
5. “I was an attorney; I was bound by the law. By duty, I needed to call the police… Yet of their own volition, my hands came up to rest on Sarah’s back.”
This final internal conflict shows Ellie’s transformation complete - her professional ethics war with her newfound human understanding. Her choice to embrace Sarah rather than report her represents the triumph of compassion over rigid legality.