Mirror Image Analysis

What defines a person?
The story Mirror Image, written by Lena Coakley brings up the argument about, who we are and finding ourselves. Are we judged by who we are externally or what our thoughts are internally? Lena Coakley truly captures the idea that who we are as a person is defined by what our values and beliefs are and not what we look like on the outside.
The first I time I read this story I found myself very confused as did my peers. After re-reading and having a discussion, I learned that Mirror Image is not just story about a girl who had brain-transplant, but a girl who is trying to find herself, like many of us in our teens. I was able to capture a better understanding of what makes a character or just overall what makes a person. The author chose to divide the story into sections, showing the different stages of the protagonist’s life.
Danat commented on how she really enjoyed that the protagonist, Alice, developed and learned to accept herself through the course of the story. This reminded me of myself as a teenager and all the stages that I have been through and continue to go through. I thought of how I changed, developed, gained wisdom, faced new challenges, all of this being part of my journey, as I try to find myself, just like Alice.
I also really liked Marrisa’s point of how she worried about Alice and whether people will like her for her new body or will people like her for her personality. This interesting perspective made me think about whether all people just look at faces and not personalities, if that is the case, this point brought up by Marissa worries me. The point worries me because people should get to know your personality, the real you, because who you are on the inside is what really matters and not your appearance.
A question brought up by Ayush also got me really thinking. He wondered why Alice wrote her initials in the sidewalk. To answer Ayush’s question, Bharti responded by saying that the initials were and are a part of her, a part that will never change, which I also agree with. I really liked both the question and the response, because it got me thinking that even though you may develop and gain new thoughts and idea, there is always one part of you that never changes, whether it is initials or whether it is a value or a belief.
In conclusion, Mirror Image was an interesting short story about a girl who really developed as a person, as she moved along with her same old life, but with new challenges and experiences.