mirror characters - what does that mean?!
Stories often feature characters who share traits or functions but use them in opposite ways. Think about Frodo Baggins and Gollum, Harry Potter and Voldemort, or Marianne and Elinor Dashwood. The characters in each pair reflect one another’s similarities while contrasting their differences in approaching those similarities. These pairs are known as “mirror characters” – and they serve a greater purpose than creating conflict.
credit: How Mirror Characters Can Illustrate Literary Themes MAR 09, 2015 by Sara Letourneau