The Baby Monitor: Symbol of Connection and Responsibility in "The Goal"

What Is the Baby Monitor in the Story?

In Elle Kennedy's The Goal, the baby monitor is not a traditional audio-only device but a smartphone app that Tucker uses after baby Jamie is born. It appears explicitly in Chapter 38, where Tucker installs the app on his phone to keep an eye on Jamie while he and Sabrina are in another part of their new apartment above his bar. The app lets him see and hear Jamie in real time, giving him a constant visual link even when he is not in the same room. Unlike the older analog monitors that relatives like Nana might have used, this app represents a contemporary, tech-enabled approach to parenting—one that blends constant access with a sense of remote presence.

Where the Monitor Appears

The baby monitor app is first introduced after Tucker has moved Sabrina and Jamie out of the toxic James household. In the scene from Chapter 38, Tucker and Sabrina have their first intimate moment since Jamie's birth, and Tucker uses the app to check on the baby while they reconnect. The narrative notes his contentment as he watches Jamie on the screen. The monitor does not recur in later chapters—it is not mentioned in the epilogue, which jumps ahead a year—so its significance is concentrated in this early period of co-parenting. Its absence later suggests that as the family settles into its rhythm, the need for such overt monitoring fades, but its role at the crucial moment of bonding is pivotal.

How the Monitor’s Meaning Changes

Initially, the baby monitor app appears as a practical tool for new parents: a way to ensure the baby is safe while the adults have a private moment. But its meaning deepens when we consider Tucker's character arc. Throughout the novel, Tucker has been eager to prove himself as a responsible father and partner. In early chapters, Sabrina resists his help, afraid of depending on anyone. The monitor, therefore, becomes a symbol of trust and shared responsibility. Tucker does not use the app to spy or control; he uses it to stay connected while giving Sabrina space. It also marks a shift from the chaotic, sleep-deprived early weeks (described in Chapter 34, where Sabrina struggles with breastfeeding and constant crying) to a more stable, intentional family life. The app represents the balancing act of parenting—allowing the parents to tend to each other without neglecting the baby.

By the time Tucker uses the monitor, he has already made major sacrifices: he used his inheritance from his father to buy a bar and renovated the upstairs apartment specifically for Sabrina and Jamie. The app is a small but telling addition to that effort. It signals that Tucker is thinking ahead, not just reacting to crises. The monitor also subtly echoes the novel's larger concern with technology as a connector. Earlier, Sabrina and Tucker text each other humorous messages about sleep deprivation and brandy on gums (Chapter 35). The monitor app is an extension of that digital intimacy—a way to maintain a thread of connection even when physically separate.

Character Connections

Tucker — The monitor is most directly associated with Tucker. It underscores his role as the attentive, hands-on father. While Sabrina is the one who bears the physical burden of pregnancy and breastfeeding, Tucker uses technology to bridge the gap in his ability to be present. He checks the app not out of anxiety but out of affection. In Chapter 38, the outline says he "feels content" while looking at Jamie, which contrasts with his earlier terror in the truck leaving the hospital (Chapter 34). The monitor becomes a focus for his paternal love and his growing confidence.

Sabrina — Sabrina's relationship to the monitor is indirect but important. She allows Tucker to use it, which signals her trust in him. In the early chapters, she kept him at arm's length, refusing his financial help and rejecting his offers to move in together. By accepting the monitor—and the new apartment he provides—she lets go of her fierce independence. The app symbolizes the shared parenting that she initially resisted but eventually embraces. In the epilogue, she reflects that "love is the ultimate goal," and the monitor is one of the practical tools that helped them build that love.

Jamie — As the infant, Jamie is the object of the monitor's gaze. Her presence on the screen represents the new life that binds Tucker and Sabrina together. The fact that Tucker can watch her sleep gives him a sense of security and peace, reinforcing the theme that family stability is now his priority.

Theme Connections

• Goals vs. Unexpected Change — Sabrina's original goal was academic success and escape from poverty. The baby monitor is a tangible reminder that her life took an unplanned detour. Yet it also represents her success in adapting: she integrates law school, motherhood, and a relationship with Tucker. The monitor is a tool that helps her manage the unexpected change by allowing Tucker to share the load.

• Class Divide and Economic Mobility — Tucker uses an app on a smartphone—a relatively affordable piece of technology—but the monitor is part of a larger shift in economic stability. The apartment above the bar is a renovated space that Tucker paid for with inherited insurance money. The monitor thus sits at the intersection of middle-class comfort and the desire to provide a safe home. It contrasts with the cramped, toxic South Boston house where Sabrina grew up, where Nana and Ray's shouting filled the space and a baby would have had no privacy.

• Vulnerability and Trust — For Tucker to use a baby monitor app, he and Sabrina must be comfortable leaving Jamie in a separate room. That act requires trust in each other and in the technology. The monitor becomes a symbol of their willingness to be vulnerable—Tucker trusting Sabrina to initiate intimacy, and Sabrina trusting Tucker to care for Jamie's safety.

• Parenthood and Responsibility — The monitor is a direct symbol of responsible parenting. It allows Tucker to multitask—running his bar downstairs while keeping an eye on his daughter. It shows that he takes responsibility seriously, going beyond what is required. His use of the app also aligns with the novel's portrayal of fatherhood as an active, involved role, not a distant one.

• Redefinition of Success — In the epilogue, Sabrina states that success is not grades or scholarships but the people in her life. The baby monitor app was one small part of that journey. It helped create the environment where she could finish her first year at Harvard Law and make Law Review while Tucker's bar became profitable. The monitor symbolizes the work-life integration that redefines success.

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