Change Of Heart Analysis

If religion can be interpreted in countless ways based off personal beliefs, how does one define it? This is the judge’s job for Shay Bourne’s case in Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult. Maggie is Shay’s lawyer, and she is trying to convince the judge that Shay practices his own unique religion similar to extinct religions. If salvation before his death is key to his religion, he must be hung instead of lethally injected to preserve his heart. His heart is a perfect match to Claire Nealon’s. Claire is the daughter of the police officer and stepsister to the young girl Shay is convicted of killing. If America is all about freedom of religion, Shay should be able to fulfill his duty to give Claire his heart. Shay’s dying request is to be hung, so he can finally do some noble for the family he did such cruel. In this journal, I will question Claire’s reasoning in denying Shay’s heart, connect with Maggie’s feelings of being a misfit, and predict Father Michael will not continue to be a priest. Claire has struggled with medical problems her whole life, so why would she stop fighting now when a new heart is almost available? A plausible answer is Claire does not want the heart because it previously was Shay’s. Most think a heart is a heart, and as long as the beats are steady it works. However, Claire perceives Shay Bourne’s heart as the heart
that killed her father and stepsister. She is young and worries that the personality of Shay will transfer with the callous heart. Not only will she be inviting a killer’s heart inside her body, but she also does not want to give into his dying wish: “I don’t want to be alive because of him” (Picoult 411). By accepting Shay’s heart, she is giving him the satisfaction. She will owe her life to him, and that is something she refuses to do since he is a criminal. Shay Borne is like expired milk☺; they are both cold and disgusting. Claire thinks a murderer does not deserve a chance at forgiveness. Many would question why a dying girl would refuse to take a heart that would save her, but Claire sees it differently. Claire will not accept a murderer’s heart because it might affect her, and she will not let Shay feel forgiven for what he had done. I can connect to Maggie’s feelings of being an outsider in religion because she is Jewish, and I do not follow a particular religion or attend church. Maggie grew up in a Jewish family with her father being a rabbi. When she was young, she dreamed of a Christmas tree, glittery wrapped presents, and Santa Claus instead of a wimpy menorah and eight gifts. She craved celebrating Christmas like all her friends: “When I was five, all I wanted was a Christmas tree. My friends had them, and the menorah we lit at night paled in comparison” (Picoult 299). I can relate to this foreigner feeling since I grew up in an extremely conservative area. I was the sinner who could never relate to what my perfect-church-going ☺ friends were talking about. They would have religion Wednesdays or retreats over the weekends. They would always act like I was missing out. Church was just something setting me apart from everyone else. Like Maggie, I used to wish I went to church with my peers just to be included in what seemed like fun. Maggie and I feel like outcasts when it came to religion because our beliefs differed from our friends’, which at the time seemed to be better than our own. I predict that Father Michael will no longer be a priest because Shay Bourne has opened his eyes to what religion can be. Michael used to think religion was either right or wrong. He thought it was one sided and what he believed was the one hundred percent truth. Father Michael believed that in the dark, a lit candle would overcome it. The candle had always been Christ. Now, he realizes there are many sources of light in darkness: “But it’s not just candles, is it? There are flashlights and fluorescent bulbs and bonfires” (Picoult 396). Father Michael recognizes that religion takes many forms, and there is never a single answer. People can go to church together with others to praise God. Other people can go on their own journey and find what they believe in their own way. With these new discoveries he is defying the platitudes a priest should teach. It is realistic to envisage Father Michael will not be a priest anymore since he is learning to appreciate other religions and practices. I questioned Claire’s reasoning in denying Shay’s heart, connected to Maggie’s feelings of being an outsider, and predicted Father Michael’s future of no longer being a priest throughout Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult.
If that judge does not believe Shay’s claims to his religion, Shay will not be able to be free of his compunctions and save Claire. If it is impossible to put a label on religion, Shay should be able to be hung no questions asked. ☺ Although the judge is making the choice in the court, he is not the one who needs convincing. Shay Bourne’s last request for redemption is riding on the small shoulders of Claire
Nealon.