Theme of Power in The Changeover by Margaret Mahy Essay Example

In Magaret Mahy's The Changeover, an important idea is “power”. This theme is explored throughout the changeover in both representations of good and evil. During the story, some portrayals are not as obvious, like the Carlisle’s when they are Laura's only option to save her brother. Mahy shows power through Laura Chant after she stamps Carmdoy and changes the roles of authority.  Power is shown all through the story, creating fear, for example when   Carmody Braque tortures Jacko when he's in the hospital, making him lifeless. 

A representation of power in The Changeover is when Jacko is in the hospital, and Carmody tortures him. Braque uses his power to cause pain for Jacko and Laura and creates joy for himself. When Laura is sitting next to Jacko she describes him as “….body arching before his eyes into a stiff bow…Laura could see spreading through him the progress of Carmody Braque’s possession . . ..” she knew that Carmody was doing this to him, and at that moment she could do nothing but watch. The feeling of helplessness is all she has, whereas Carmody is thriving with his overhauling control. She could hear Carmody say “But I think he’ll suffer the most terrible fear in his coma, shut away with only me for company.” Proving how he has the upper hand over Jacko, he chooses to keep him alive, throughout the pain and harm he causes. In this representation, Mahy shows how Carmody uses his power to hurt. She shows the pain and terror that e causes, this also helps him become a better antagonist, by making the readers fear him. 

Another time power was shown in Mahy’s The Changeover was at the end of the book when Carmody on was his knees, begging laura for life. This is a representation of how the powerful can become powerless. Laura holds the power, Carmody's fate lay in her choice. Carmody pleads “let me feel - let me go on feeling.” He shows his vulnerability to Laura this shows that he will do anything for Laura, as she holds the authority. Laura felt all the emotion Carmody caused, hate, fear, revenge all at once, she asked him this question  “Given the chance to be cruel did you get cruelty out of your system by acting on the chance or did you invite it in?” She was telling him how how choice to hurt jack, she could have just got it over with, but it was his choice to ut him through the pain. Mahy used this reputation of power to portray how the person with the power always has a choice. Laura could have made it long and torturous for Carmody, as he did for Jacko, but she didn't. She chose to end his life and put Jackos needs before her revenge. 

The third representation of power was when Carmody had consumed Jacko almost completely so that the only choice of saving him was to conduct a changeover, and for laura to become a witch. In chapter 9 of The Changeover is conducted by the carslies, a dangerous transfer from human life, to witch life. Coming up o that, laura had told Jacko “Hold on a bit longer and I’ll save you. Be good boy, Jacko, and hold on” this is mahys way of showing how laura is doing everything for Jacko, and giving the carsles all the power over her, as they are her only option. At the hospital when Laura was on the phone with winter, she had asked “is there no other war….to ave him, expect dor what you said last night.” laura was putting her full trust in them but was still not sure. When winter replied wit “I promise by the cup, the sword,  and the coin and the wand in hand.” Laura knew then that her only choice to save Jacko was then. Although this is not as clear of a reputation of power as the other points, mahy still used this. It relates to the world in the way as sometimes you have no choice but to follow the powerful. 

Margaret Mahy uses The Changeover book to represent power in many ways. As she said about the book “There are always two people involved in cruelty, aren't there? One to be vicious and someone to suffer! This represents Carmody and Jacko, and how for Carmody to feel enjoyment and keep on living, Jacko had to injure the pain.