Mind of My Mind

Mary is the protagonist of Mind of My Mind and a narrator for her sections. At first, she has a romantic interest in Doro. Over time, she grows romantically involved with her husband, Karl. Mary is one of Doro’s projects, created through his thousand-years-long breeding program, and he has great hopes that she will be able to bring his active telepaths together. Mary succeeds, creating the Pattern, marking the turning point in her life. Before this, Mary possesses a starkly different view of life. She is selfish and concerned primarily with her relationship with Doro. When Doro tells her that she is to marry Karl, she asks him to take Karl’s body so that they can be together instead. This will kill Karl, and Doro chastises Mary for her callous approach to their relationship: “I wonder if you’re going to grow out of that […] Your total disregard for human life—except for your own, of course” (25-26). Doro believes that Mary is self-centered and sees her as focused solely on her own goals of independence and greed. While this reflects himself, he needs her to be more aware and sympathetic, fearing that if she realizes the power he intends for her, she will consume others’ energy with no regard for their lives.