All 3 Uses of
compel
in
The Memory Keeper’s Daughter
- "These tulips are so beautiful," he began, but he was unable to explain himself, unable to put into words why these images compelled him so.†
p. 149.7 *compelled = forced; or (more rarely) convinced
- This was what had compelled her to spend so many hours lying in the hot sun, holding herself still while David took roll after roll of photos, but they had been here three days now, and nothing but the setting was significantly different from home.†
p. 175.4
- "Phoebe is my daughter," he said, astonished to hear himself speaking, yet compelled beyond reason to tell his story, this secret he'd kept for so many years.†
p. 271.7
Definition:
to force someone to do something
or more rarely:
to convince someone to do something
or more rarely:
to convince someone to do something
Most typically, compel describes an external influence forcing someone to do something, but it can also describe being driven by an internal desire.