Major Themes and Poetic Devices in "Mirror" by Sylvia Plath
The article is about Mirror Summary, a beautiful creation of the author. In this poem, the poet Sylvia Plath has personified a mirror. A Mirror as a speaker defines its presence and its owner, who grows older as of the mirror watches. The mirror narrates his tale – it tells us about its appearance, qualities, and importance. This poem is unique and interesting as Sylvia discusses minute details and highlights the various attributes that a mirror possesses.
Detailed Summary of Mirror
The mirror says that it is silver in color and, and is exact and truthful. It doesn't hate anyone and reflects everything which appears in front of it. The mirror is unbiased. It does not have any feelings of love or hatred. It considers itself as a four-cornered eye of a God, which sees everything for what it is. The mirror clarifies this fact that it just reflects the image as it is. The mirror shows our true colors and appearances. It feels that the wall is a portion of itself, but the faces and spells of gloom separate them.
It looks at it intently, and so, it can make out the minute pink spots on it, which means that the mirror is so accurate that it can find out the smallest flaws in anything that appears in front of it. It says that this feeling of the mirror that the opposite wall is a part of itself gets troubled whenever a face or darkness comes in between them.
The mirror equates itself to a lake and says that like a lake, it also has depth. A woman looks into the mirror to ascertain her appearance and beauty. Sometimes, the woman favours appearance at herself in candlelight or moonlight, but these are "liars" because they cover her real look.
The mirror has seen the change in the woman's appearance over the years. Her face of a young, pretty girl does not exist, but the mirror remembers it. The mirror gets the woman's cries and disgust in return for being true because her future appearance of an old, ugly woman gets closer to her, and it seems to be there in the mirror.
The mirror plays a significant role in a woman as she often looks at her image in it. Every morning as the sun rises, she looks at herself to ascertain her beauty. Her past image of a pretty young girl no longer exists, but it is there in the depth of the mirror. That woman's future image of an old, ugly woman gets nearer to her with each passing day. It is there in the mirror, and one day, she will see it in the mirror.
Conclusion of The Mirror
The mirror poem highlights the perspective of the Mirror as an object and how it feels when people hate him for showing them the real version of themselves. The Mirror always remains honest to the person who looks himself into it and the mirror never gives them any false hope or cover their flaws. It also describes how people get tense and upset over their looks and blames Mirror for not showing them their beautiful image. But Mirror being their true friend, always remains by their side and show them what is real. Overall, the "Mirror" is a sad and bitter poem that exemplifies the tensions between inner and outer personalities, as well as indicates the supernatural womanlike "problem" of ageing and dropping one's beauty.
FAQs on Mirror Summary: Understanding Sylvia Plath’s Exploration of Self
1. What is the central explanation of Sylvia Plath's poem 'Mirror'?
Sylvia Plath's poem 'Mirror' is an exploration of truth, identity, and the relentless passage of time, told from the perspective of a mirror. In the first stanza, the mirror describes itself as unbiased, truthful, and precise, reflecting everything it sees without judgment. In the second stanza, the mirror transforms into a lake, which now reflects a woman who is distressed by her aging appearance. The poem contrasts the objective, unchanging nature of the mirror with the woman's emotional turmoil as she confronts the loss of her youth.
2. What are the main themes explained in the poem 'Mirror'?
The primary themes in 'Mirror' provide a deep explanation of human experience. They include:
- Truth and Reality: The mirror represents an unfeeling, objective truth, showing reality as it is, which can be harsh and painful.
- Time and Aging: The poem powerfully depicts the anxiety and sorrow associated with growing older, as the woman sees her youth replaced by age.
- Identity and Self-Perception: It explores the struggle with one's own identity, showing the conflict between how the woman sees herself and the reality the mirror shows her.
3. What are the most important literary devices used in 'Mirror'?
Sylvia Plath uses several key literary devices to convey the poem's meaning:
- Personification: The entire poem is an example of personification, as the mirror is given a voice and human-like consciousness to narrate its existence.
- Metaphor: The mirror calls itself the “eye of a little god,” a metaphor for its objective and all-seeing nature. In the second stanza, the mirror becomes a lake, and the aging woman is metaphorically described as a “terrible fish,” symbolising her distorted self-perception.
- Imagery: Plath uses strong visual imagery, such as the mirror being “silver and exact” and the description of the woman “drowning a young girl,” to create vivid and lasting pictures in the reader's mind.
4. How does the perspective shift from the mirror to the lake, and why is this change important for the poem's meaning?
The shift in perspective from a wall mirror to a lake is a crucial element in the poem's development. The mirror in the first stanza is a domestic, man-made object, representing a direct, flat, and immediate reality. The lake in the second stanza introduces depth, nature, and mystery. This change is important because it suggests that the woman's search for her true self has deepened. While the mirror simply reflects, the lake has depths where things can be 'drowned' or 'rise up,' symbolizing the complexities of memory, time, and the subconscious mind from which her aged identity emerges.
5. What does the 'terrible fish' at the end of the poem 'Mirror' represent?
The “terrible fish” is a powerful and unsettling metaphor for the woman's own aging self rising to the surface of her consciousness. It represents her horror and lack of recognition when she confronts her older reflection. Instead of seeing the young girl she once was, she sees a creature that seems alien and monstrous to her. This image encapsulates the themes of self-alienation, the fear of mortality, and the shocking reality of physical decay as perceived by someone grappling with the loss of their youth.
6. How can 'Mirror' be understood as a reflection of the challenges of female identity?
The poem provides a profound explanation of the societal pressures placed on women regarding beauty and youth. The woman's distress is rooted in her fading physical appearance, which society has often linked to a woman's value. The mirror, being “unmisted by love or dislike,” reflects this harsh reality without the comfort of affection. The woman’s daily return to the mirror (or lake) highlights a dependency on external validation for her identity, a common struggle. Her anguish over the “terrible fish” reflects an internalised fear of becoming irrelevant or unseen once her youthful beauty is gone, making the poem a timeless commentary on female identity and self-worth.
7. What is the tone of the poem 'Mirror', and how does it contribute to the overall mood?
The tone of the poem shifts significantly between the two stanzas. In the first stanza, the tone is objective, detached, and clinical. The mirror speaks in a matter-of-fact way, establishing its credibility as a truthful observer. In the second stanza, as the focus turns to the woman's reflection, the tone becomes somber, melancholic, and filled with a sense of dread. This shift mirrors the woman's own emotional state, moving from simple observation to a deep, personal horror, culminating in the disturbing final image.
