In her memoir, Helen Keller describes the day Anne Sullivan arrived at the home as the most important in her life. Keller finds it impossible to overstate the dramatic difference her teacher's arrival made to every aspect of her existence. She falls back on Biblical language, likening Miss Sullivan's arrival to God parting the Red Sea to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promised Land:

Thus I came up out of Egypt and stood before Sinai, and a power divine touched my spirit and gave it sight, so that I beheld many wonders.

By offering her a way to communicate through palm writing, Miss Sullivan utterly transformed Keller's world. Keller could learn, she could communicate, she could expand her horizons, she could read, and she could reconnect with society. She become fully a part of human culture again.

Further, Sullivan gave Keller ceaseless love and acceptance. Her parents loved her, but in Sullivan Keller found a constant companion and a devoted mentor.