Change in Mirror Image

Change is something that no one can escape from and throughout life, one experiences several transformations. According to www.dictionary.com to change means "to make the form, nature, content, future course, etc., of (something) different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone." In Lena Coakley's short story "Mirror Image", the theme of change is revealed through the characters. Change is shown through the change in families and change in personalities. In "Mirror Image" there is a big change in two families. Alice's family thinks she has changed since her brain transplant and now the family feels different. Long after Alice's surgery, Jenny tells Alice what she thinks of her sisters' new way of acting. "You're a lot different…I don't know…Sometimes I think my sister is dead."(p.16-17). This change is very drastic, the fact that Alice's own twin sister feels like she is dead is a huge change for everyone in the family. Another family that is shown to have changed a great deal is the Jarred family. Their family has changed because they have lost a member of their family, their daughter. The Jarrod's feel like they have been cheated out of their daughter. Seen on an interview after the brain transplant, Mrs. Jarred explains her view on the situation. "She's our daughter…when we signed the release form donating her body, we didn't know they were going to bring her back to life with some new brain. Our Gail is alive and living somewhere in Toronto and I'm not even allowed to see her" (p.15). This change is very hard on the family because to lose a family member is very heartbreaking. The short story "Mirror Image" shows change in personalities. Alice shows a large change in personality. After the transplant Jenny explains to Alice how she has changed their