The Story of My Life is an account of the early years of a woman who overcame incredible problems to become an accomplished, literate adult. The book does not give a complete account of the author’s life, as it was written when she was still a college student. It is, however, a unique account of one young woman’s passage from almost total despair to success in a world mostly populated by hearing and seeing people. This book is relatively short, but the modern editions also include letters written by and to Helen Keller and an analysis of her education from a later standpoint.

The Story of My Life begins with Keller’s vague memories of early childhood. She was born in 1880 in Alabama, an apparently normal child. According to her recollections, she began to speak before she was a year old. The early chapters recount the little girl’s love of the natural world, a theme that is repeated many times throughout the work, and her generally happy home life, with loving and nurturing parents.

At the age of nineteen months, however, Keller was stricken with an unexplained disease—certainly unexplained in the nineteenth century, with no suggestion in the book of any later diagnosis—which left her both blind and deaf. She became a domineering child, with behavior that was totally unacceptable. Keller mainly lays the blame for this behavior upon her frustration at the futility of trying to communicate her thoughts and feelings without any ability to speak, read, or write.

The breakthrough came when the Kellers visited noted inventor Alexander Graham Bell in Washington, D.C., who referred them to the Perkins Institution, a school for blind children in Boston. The school sent a woman named Anne Sullivan to teach young Helen to behave properly and, if possible, to teach her to be a “normal” child. Most of the book deals with Sullivan’s training of Keller, showing her how to behave decently, to use the manual alphabet to communicate her thoughts, and to read books in raised letters and later in braille. In the last chapters, there is much emphasis on Keller’s higher education.

According to her own recollections, young Helen Keller’s greatest love, apart from the natural world, was language. She learned to read not only English but also French, German, Latin, and Greek. She began writing in her early teens. There is also considerable discussion of her examinations and preparation for admission into Radcliffe College, the sister college to Harvard, and her eventual acceptance.

Keller writes about her attempts to use speech as a means of communication, but she largely considers these attempts to be failures: She never really learned to speak well. Keller demonstrates that the process of learning to speak is difficult for any person who is either blind or deaf and virtually impossible for someone who lacks both senses. Instead, Keller became a great lover of books, which became her only real way of relating to the world outside. The book ends on this note, with a list of favorite authors and a wish to be counted among them.

When The Story of My Life was written in 1902, many female authors were still using male pseudonyms in an attempt to give their work some credence in a literary world dominated by men. It would be almost twenty years before women were given the right to vote and a much longer period before they made any real impact on the political and literary scenes.

Decades later, Helen Keller would be considered one of the great social leaders of the time, and her earlier works would be considered inspirational to women and to society in general. Keller’s social work was primarily aimed at helping people with assorted disabilities, but not necessarily physical ones. She took upon herself the task of improving society in general, regardless of sex, race, nationality, or social standing. The Story of My Life cannot be considered “feminist” in any real sense, as the author at that time of her life had problems considerably more difficult to overcome than merely being a woman in a male-dominated society. In a broader context, however, this book has been inspirational to people faced with difficulties that must be overcome—physical, emotional, or societal.

At the beginning of The Story of My Life, Helen Keller acknowledges the difficulty of writing an autobiography because “fact and fancy now look alike across the years that link the past and present.” As a result, she has attempted to present only those episodes from her life that seem either especially interesting or important. Although Keller presents her life chronologically, she focuses more on her feelings than on factual details.

The book begins with Keller’s birth in Tuscumbia, Alabama, on June 27, 1880. Keller provides information about her parents and family and then describes her first nineteen months, when she could both see and hear. Chapters 2 and 3, while presenting the events of her childhood, do more than merely recount her frequent mischief by centering on Keller’s intense desire to communicate, as well as on her frustrations. The most famous event of Keller’s life, when Anne Sullivan taught her how to communicate, is presented rather briefly in chapter 4. The succeeding chapters, however, grow out of this important incident and focus on other moments that shaped her. She learned about the joys and dangers of nature, abstract concepts and words such as “love,” and the characteristics of winter. Eventually, she moved away from her sheltered home in Alabama, experiencing new places such as Boston, Niagara Falls, and the Atlantic Ocean, as well as important events such as the inauguration of President Grover Cleveland and the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

Along the way, Keller also discusses her continued efforts to become educated. At the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston, Keller studied Braille while Sarah Fuller, of the Horace Mann School for the Deaf, taught her how to speak. Keller later entered the Cambridge School for Young Ladies, full of hope and determination but occasionally hampered by the fact that she could communicate with her teachers only through Sullivan. Keller does not, however, only describe her successes. She discusses at length an incident in which she was accused of plagiarizing a story she had once read but no longer remembered. This event caused a rift between her and Mr. Anagnos, the head of the Perkins Institute.

Eventually, Keller enrolled in Radcliffe College, after struggling to pass the admissions test. At this point in the book, Keller digresses to discuss the importance of reading in her life and the books that have influenced her, including Frances Hodgson Burnett’s Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886), the Bible, William Shakespeare’s plays, and works by a variety of French, English, and German writers. In the next-to-last chapter, she describes some of the many things that have given her pleasure, such as sailing, spending time in nature, and going to the theater. In her final chapter, she mentions some of the many friends she made as she began to gain celebrity, particularly the literary figures of her day. Keller’s autobiography concludes while she is still a sophomore at Radcliffe.

Role of Women
When Keller authored The Story of My Life, she had not yet engaged in social reform. Nonetheless, attending college was a significant achievement for any woman at that time, especially given Keller’s unique circumstances. Her resolve to obtain an education comparable to that available to men was established early on. She recounts in chapter eighteen, "When I was a little girl, I visited Wellesley and surprised my friends by the announcement, 'Someday I shall go to college—but I shall go to Harvard!' When asked why I would not go to Wellesley, I replied that there were only girls there."

Keller was profoundly influenced by the intellectual and activist climate of the progressive era. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, women faced restrictions in signing contracts, owning property, voting, and employment. As the century turned, women were demanding serious consideration in their quest for equal rights. Keller emerged as one of the early feminists advocating for women's equality.

Perception of the Physically Challenged
In 1903, when Keller released The Story of My Life, society largely ignored the needs of individuals who were physically challenged. Those who had never experienced such challenges often held ignorant and negative stereotypes. There were few specialized schools for teaching students who were blind or deaf. Many deaf and blind individuals were institutionalized in mental asylums, where they did not belong and received no education. After earning her degree, Keller aimed to educate the public about people like herself, hoping to foster understanding that individuals with disabilities are not fundamentally different from those without. Keller’s advocacy in this field took her across Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa.

Beginning of Civil Rights Advocacy
Born in 1880, Keller witnessed the aftermath of the Federal Circuit Court's declaration that "Jim Crow" laws were unconstitutional. These laws had perpetuated segregation in the South, barring African Americans from "white only" establishments, requiring them to use "colored only" water fountains, and maintaining racial separation. With "Jim Crow" laws abolished, African Americans began organizing to secure further legal victories for equal rights.

Much like her stance on women's rights, Keller was an early advocate for civil rights. She was horrified that anyone in the United States could be denied their rights based on race or ethnicity. In chapter nine, she reflects on her childhood admiration for the Pilgrims and early colonists, expressing her mixed feelings as she learned more about them. She writes,

I believed they sought the freedom of others as much as their own. Years later, I was deeply shocked and disappointed to discover their acts of persecution that fill us with shame, even as we celebrate the bravery and effort that created our ‘Country Beautiful.’

In 1916, she penned a letter to the president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, voicing her dismay at the existing system and including a financial donation.

The narrative of Keller's early life unfolds in the late 1800s, a period when society's grasp of physical disabilities was far more rudimentary than it is today. Individuals with physical disabilities were frequently institutionalized and often mistakenly believed to be mentally impaired as well. Efforts to educate them and help them lead normal lives were exceedingly scarce. However, Keller was fortunate to have parents who refused to place her in an institution, a remarkable teacher, and an intense passion for learning. Her achievements contributed to a broader public awareness of the challenges faced by the disabled. Her autobiography chronicles her development over the first twenty years of her life, starting from her parents' home in Tuscumbia, Alabama, moving through various schools for the disabled, and culminating in her time as a student at Radcliffe College.

Formal Tone
While Keller occasionally indulges in emotional passages, her writing style remains predominantly formal. It resembles the elevated language of Greek authors and the similes and tones found in biblical texts. For instance, towards the end of chapter two, she writes, "Thus it is when we walk in the valley of twofold solitude we know little of the tender affections that grow out of endearing words and actions and companionship." She frequently makes direct references to biblical stories, as seen in chapter three: "Thus I came out of Egypt and stood before Sinai, and a power divine touched my spirit and gave it sight, so that I beheld many wonders." Reflecting on her initial experiences with speech, Keller notes, "My soul, conscious of new strength, came out of bondage, and was reaching through those broken symbols of speech to all knowledge and all faith." Additionally, Keller employs allegorical imagery to express her emotions, such as when she mentions the "cup of bitterness" and the "angel of forgetfulness" in chapter thirteen. These instances highlight Keller’s appreciation for figurative language and her controlled tone.

Considering Keller's passion for reading, her writing style is not surprising. While most people develop their sense of diction and syntax through interactions with others, Keller was influenced by the authors whose books she avidly read. She extensively read the Bible during her youth and took a course at Radcliffe College titled "Bible as English Literature" around the time she was writing The Story of My Life. During that same period, she also enrolled in a class called "The Odes of Horace," which deepened her love for classicism. She even stated that the Iliad "made Greece my paradise." These literary influences clearly played a significant role in shaping Keller’s writing style.

Affectionate Recollection
Despite the challenges Keller faced, The Story of My Life is devoid of sadness, self-pity, or bitterness. She candidly recounts her childhood tantrums and her anger at the time, yet she does so with calm reflection. Her attention is on the people she cherished and the wonderful experiences she had during the first twenty-two years of her life. She fondly remembers moments spent in the orchard or climbing trees. Recalling her summer at Cape Cod, she writes, "As I recall that visit North I am filled with wonder at the richness and variety of the experiences that cluster about it." She vividly describes the delightful scent of the outdoors and the enticing aromas wafting from the kitchen during Christmas. At the very beginning of the book, she observes, "When I try to classify my earliest impressions, I find that fact and fancy look alike across the years that link the past with the present. The woman paints the child’s experiences in her own fantasy."

Keller expresses deep affection in her descriptions of Sullivan, highlighting the patience and creativity Sullivan displayed during Keller’s childhood. When Keller enrolled at the Cambridge School for Young Ladies to prepare for Radcliffe College, two staff members learned the manual alphabet to communicate directly with her. Although Keller appreciated their efforts, she still longed for Sullivan. Keller reminisces, "But, though everybody was kind and ready to help us, there was only one hand that could turn drudgery into pleasure." Keller’s admiration for Sullivan is evident in the following excerpt from chapter seven:

My teacher is so near to me that I scarcely think of myself apart from her. How much of my delight in all beautiful things is innate, and how much is due to her influence, I can never tell. I feel that her being is inseparable from my own, and that the footsteps of my life are in hers. All the best of me belongs to her— there is not a talent or an inspiration or a joy in me that was not awakened by her loving touch.

Since The Story of My Life is an autobiography, it leans towards being episodic and anecdotal rather than having a tightly woven plot. After all, a person's life rarely unfolds like a meticulously crafted novel. This structure is also influenced by the conditions under which it was written. Keller composed many of the chapters as assignments for her English composition course while studying at Radcliffe. As a result, the chapters are loosely connected, although Keller's journey towards living a normal life serves as a thematic backbone for her narrative.

Modern readers might find Keller's style somewhat antiquated, as she uses sentimental Victorian language to describe her experiences and emotions. Her writing is rich with literary references, particularly from the Bible. Her imagery is so vivid and visually striking that many of her contemporaries doubted she authored the book. They failed to recognize that language is inherently visual and that Keller's style was shaped by reading works from sighted authors. Additionally, by employing tactile analogies, such as heat, she could comprehend visual concepts like color and even nuances in color, making these elements in her writing quite natural.

Keller's emphasis on her capabilities rather than her limitations makes The Story of My Life an inspiring example of what individuals with physical disabilities can achieve. She highlights her normalcy by engaging in activities that are common to those who can see and hear. Her narrative demonstrates to readers that individuals with physical disabilities are not "different," a crucial message during her time when there was a prevailing assumption that physical disabilities equated to mental disabilities. Partly due to Keller's extraordinary career, such attitudes have significantly diminished, and contemporary society is more inclusive of both physically and mentally disabled individuals. Young adults often have a keen interest in understanding the lives of disabled people, and The Story of My Life offers them a direct and personal perspective.

Early Twentieth Century: Educational opportunities for individuals who are blind or deaf are severely limited. Only a few institutions exist to educate children with these needs, and many are often placed in mental asylums. Public attitudes towards the blind and deaf are largely negative and uninformed.

Today: Numerous schools across the nation specialize in educating students with these requirements, and many blind or deaf children attend public schools. Laws mandate accommodations for the handicapped and require employers to provide equal opportunities to all potential employees, regardless of physical disabilities.

Early Twentieth Century: In 1900, Helen Keller begins her college education at Radcliffe. Her first-year subjects include French, German History, English composition, and English literature.

Today: While freshman courses differ between colleges, most students enroll in four or five classes per semester. Common courses include American or world history, English literature, a math course, a science course, and a foreign language. Some universities also offer first-year courses in economics, philosophy, psychology, or theology.

Early Twentieth Century: Women are generally discouraged from pursuing higher education as college degrees are deemed irrelevant to their roles as wives and mothers. When women do seek higher education, they usually attend women’s colleges.

Today: Almost all colleges and universities admit both men and women and aim to maintain a balanced student population.

Although numerous biographies had been written about Helen Keller since she became a public figure, it wasn't until 1953 that serious adaptations to other media were attempted. After reading The Story of My Life, William Gibson created a ballet with vocal accompaniment based on the book. However, the ballet was never produced. Director Arthur Penn later commissioned Gibson to adapt the story for a television production for the drama series "Playhouse 90." The television production starred Teresa Wright as Anne Sullivan and Patty McCormack as Helen. With public interest piqued by this production, Gibson adapted the work into a Broadway drama, which premiered in October 1959 as The Miracle Worker. Anne Bancroft played Anne Sullivan, and Patty Duke portrayed Helen Keller. For Duke, it was her first significant role as an actress, while for Bancroft, it marked her first major role in a decade. When the play was adapted into a film in 1962, Bancroft and Duke reprised their roles, earning immense critical acclaim and Oscars for their powerful performances as teacher and student.

While the book chronicles Keller's life through her college years, The Miracle Worker focuses solely on the initial month after Sullivan becomes her teacher. Keller is depicted as a spoiled terror who dominates her weak father and indulgent mother. Unmanageable because no one knows how to communicate with her, she throws tantrums, breaks china, and fights with people. Sullivan, who is both tough and empathetic, believes Helen must be disciplined before she can be taught, leading to intense confrontations between them. The breakthrough comes after Helen deliberately spills a pitcher of water at the dinner table, prompting Anne to drag her outside to the water pump to refill it. Helen then connects the concept of water with the letters "w-a-t-e-r" that Anne spells into her hand, marking the beginning of Helen's new life.

The 107-minute film naturally embellishes and dramatizes Keller's autobiography, presenting the drama as much Anne's story as Helen's. Despite taking liberties with the autobiography, both the play and film captivate audiences with the powerful commitments of these women and the bonds that enable Helen to break free from her isolated world.

William Gibson's play The Miracle Worker is based on the life of Helen Keller, incorporating many events from her autobiography, The Story of My Life. The play enjoyed success on stage and was adapted into a film in 1962 by Playfilm Productions. This adaptation starred Anne Bancroft as Anne Sullivan and Patty Duke as Helen Keller. Their performances earned Bancroft the Academy Award for Best Actress and Duke the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 1970, Jerome Kurtz and Jesse Sandler produced a film titled Helen Keller and Her Teacher.

The Miracle Worker has also been adapted for television. In 1979, a television film was released featuring Patty Duke as Anne Sullivan and Melissa Gilbert as Helen Keller. A more recent version aired in 2001, with Hallie Kate Eisenberg as Helen Keller and Alison Elliott as Anne Sullivan.

A documentary titled Helen Keller in Her Story, produced by Nancy Hamilton Presentation in 1956, featured Keller herself. This documentary won the Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary.

Braddy, Nella (Henney). Anne Sullivan Macy: The Story Behind Helen Keller. New York: Doubleday Doran, 1933. Braddy, a close friend of both Keller and Sullivan, wrote this book based on her discussions with Sullivan. She was the first to focus on Sullivan's achievements, rather than just Keller's.

Brooks, Van Wyck. Helen Keller: Sketch for a Portrait. New York: Dutton, 1956. Brooks, a renowned historian and a good friend of Keller, brings his expertise and style to this biography, covering Keller's life up to middle age.

Davidson, Margaret. Helen Keller. New York: Scholastic Book Services, 1969. This is a biography aimed at children ages five to eight.

Gibson, William. The Miracle Worker: A Play for Television. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1957. This famous and moving play dramatizes Sullivan's first month with Keller, culminating in Helen's realization that everything has a name.

Hickok, Lorena A. The Story of Helen Keller. New York: Grosset and Dunlap, 1958. This is an engaging biography suitable for young children.

The Touch of Magic: The Story of Helen Keller's Great Teacher, Anne Sullivan Macy. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1961. This is a well-written biography intended for young adults.

Lash, Joseph P. Helen and Teacher: The Story of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan Macy. New York: Delacorte Press/Seymour Lawrence, 1980. This is the most thoroughly researched and comprehensive biography of either Keller or Sullivan. Lash delves deeply into the complexities of their personalities and relationship, portraying them as complete human beings rather than idealized figures. He also provides an extensive account of Keller's later years and her relationship with Polly Thomson, who became her full-time companion after Sullivan's death.

Peare, Catherine Owens. The Helen Keller Story. New York: Crowell, 1959. This is a biography written for young children.

Waite, Helen Elmira. Valiant Companions: Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan Macy. Philadelphia: Macrae Smith, 1959. This is a well-crafted biography of both women, suitable for older children.

Sources
Brown, Ray B., ed., Contemporary Heroes and Heroines, Gale, 1990.

Dictionary of American Biography, Supplement 8: 1966–1970, American Council of Learned Societies, 1988.

Kendrick, Walter, ‘‘Her Hands Were a Bridge to the World,’’ in New York Times Book Review, August 30, 1998.

McCray, Nancy, Review in Booklist, Vol. 90, No. 18, May 15, 1994, p. 1702.

Moyers, Bill, Fooling With Words, HarperPerrenial, 2000. ‘‘Nonethnic Rights,’’ in Civil Rights in America: 1500 to the Present, The Gale Group, 1998.

Schuur, Diane, ‘‘The Miracle: Helen Keller,’’ in Time, Vol. 153, No. 23, p. 163.

Wolfe, Kathi, ‘‘Ordinary People: Why the Disabled Aren’t So Different,’’ in Humanist, Vol. 56, No. 6, November–December 1996, pp. 31–35.

Further Reading
Einhorn, Lois J., Helen Keller, Public Speaker: Sightless but Seen, Deaf but Heard, Greenwood Press, 1998. Einhorn provides an in-depth exploration of Keller’s career as a lecturer and public speaker. The author examines Keller’s communication skills and offers analysis and texts of Keller’s diverse speeches.

Gitter, Elisabeth, The Imprisoned Guest: Samuel Howe and Laura Bridgman, the Original Deaf-Blind Girl, Farrar Straus & Giroux, 2001. Gitter’s book narrates the compelling story of Dr. Howe, who invented the method of communicating with the deaf-blind using the manual alphabet in their hands. His first student, Laura Bridgman, greatly inspired Helen Keller.

Hickok, Lorena A., Touch of Magic: The Story of Helen Keller’s Great Teacher, Anne Sullivan Macy, Dodd, 1961. This biography provides insight into the background of Anne Sullivan for students interested in understanding how she became such an influential teacher and individual.

Steinem, Gloria, Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions, Holt, 1983. In this book, Steinem, one of the most prominent feminists of modern times, offers an overview of the views that propelled her to prominence in the women’s movement. The topics range from public issues to personal reflections, covering everything from politics to Marilyn Monroe.