Main Character

In the novel Change Of Heart, each chapter is from a different characters perspective. They each tell their own individual stories and their lives are all somehow connected. Regardless of this, the novel revolves around a man named Shay Bourne. So even though there are many "main characters", all of their lives come together because of Bourne. Shay Bourne grew up in abusive foster care homes and therefore lacks important social skills. His sister was molested by their foster care father, and tried to set the house on fire with him in it. Shay took the blame for this so that his sister would not get in trouble and ended up in juvy. Where the book begins, Bourne volunteers to do construction work for the Nealon family. He is soon convicted for the murder of both the step father, who is a police officer, and the daughter, who is seven years old. He is sentenced to death and is on death row for eleven years. Before he is killed though, he makes the decision that he needs to give his heart to the other daughter of Ms. Nealon. This daughter was not alive when the murders took place, but is now ten years old and is dying from heart failure. Eventually the state agrees to let Bourne be killed by hanging instead of lethal injection so that he can donate his heart to the other daughter. Soon before Bourne is killed, he reveals that the reason he killed the step father was because he walked in on him molesting his step daughter. The step daughter died in a struggle between Bourne and the step father over a gun. His story is important to tell because he never tries to defend himself or go free. He wants to die so that his heart can save another little girl, no matter how innocent he was. His character portrays aspects of Jesus and the novel has a lot to do with religion. He always seems to be performing miricles, even though he does not claim to know what he is doing. In the end he dies in the fashion that Jesus does, to save others around him.