Pinny Pinnapa Phetcharatana

IB English A1 HL
October 23, 2009

Commentary: Mirror by Sylvia Plath

Mirror by Sylvia Plath is a poem that deals with the unbearable thought of reality that
often leads one to welcome false illusions that bring temporary comfort and satisfaction.
Plath, through personification, narrates from a mirror’s viewpoint, allowing readers to
absorb its honesty and good intentions. Striking aspects of Mirror include the subtle
contrast between the reflections of appearance and essence, the juxtaposition between
the soul-searching woman and Narcissus, and the ambiguity of the closing phrase that
causes readers to reconsider the speaker’s persona.

The poem is divided into two discrete stanzas: the first describing the mirror’s shallow
reflections, and the second relating to spiritual realities that a lake holds. In the first
stanza, the speaker takes on the role of a mirror and mentions the opposite wall being
reflected, describing it simply as “pink, with speckles.” By placing the focus only on the
wall’s appearance, Plath implies that the mirror’s perceptions are only skin-deep,
restricted within its four corners, and unable to take in any more knowledge beyond that
point. However, in the second stanza, the speaker transforms into a lake and a woman
bends over it, “searching my [the lake’s] reaches for what she really is.” The vast lake
itself suggests depth and mystery, creating a parallel with the deep and complex human
soul that it is reflecting. The implications hidden within each of the two stanzas serve to
strengthen the contrast between artificiality and spirituality.

In Lines 12 and 13, Plath makes an allusion to the famous Greek mythological figure
Narcissus in order to juxtapose with the struggling woman who attempts to search for
her soul but only sees a reflection in terms of physical beauty. Narcissus is widely
known for his vanity and egotism; however, the woman in this poem, unlike Narcissus,
is in a state of self-doubt. After experiencing the reality of her appearance through the
lake’s reflections with disappointment, “she turns to those liars, the candles or the
moon.” These objects are liars, for they are often associated with romance and illusions-
being enhanced with bright glows rather than a mirror’s “faithful reflection.” The woman
finds more comfort by placing her trust in the candles or moons, since these liars project
only images and emotions that she wishes to experience.

After reflecting the woman faithfully, the speaker is “rewarded with tears and an
agitation of hands.” The word “reward” is spat out with sarcasm, since it is followed by
melancholic words: “tears” and “agitation.” The lake actually wishes to be honored by
the woman for having faithfully reflected her back, but is instead betrayed by her as she
choose the moon’s and candle’s side. This use of verbal irony causes readers to feel
sympathy towards the speaker (the lake) and perhaps even contempt towards the
woman.
Plath spontaneously closes the poem with a simile that immediately causes readers to
question the speaker’s emotionless character: “In me an old woman rises toward her
day after day, like a terrible fish.” Plath leaves her readers with a shocked final
impression with no further explanations. Perhaps the speaker may be suggesting that
the woman’s youth has drowned within the depths of the lake- unable to be recovered-
and that the woman’s reality is finally haunting her, inching closer to her for every
moment that she denies it. Surprisingly, through this phrase, the speaker that is said to
have “no preconceptions” reveals an attitude that may have sprouted from feelings of
betrayal since the woman has chosen the moon’s and candle’s illusionist side. From this
observation readers can infer that the mirror itself has actually formed an opinion.

This situation can also be linked to the mirror’s emotional attachment to the pink wall
that it faces. The non-prejudice, non-biased mirror that is “neither unmisted by love nor
dislike” that the readers once knew, has contradicted itself by revealing its emotions and
affections. If this mirror, apart from being able to “reflect faithfully,” can also interpret its
surroundings and find significance in the woman and the pink wall mentioned, then
judgment must be inevitable.

Overall, the poem, “Mirror,” is powerful and yet is one of striking simplicity. By
employing a first-person narrative from an inanimate object’s perspective, the speaker
succeeds in convincing readers about the concept of truth and reality that can be
difficult to explain from a human’s point of view. What distinguishes Mirror from other
poems is that Plath does not try to convince her readers to embrace reality for what it is
with arguments and rhetoric, but rather she invites the readers into the scenes of Mirror,
allowing them to base their conclusions and views on how the poem causes them feel.
Plath furthermore causes readers to be faced with the concept of physical vs. spiritual
beauty- that by simply staring into a reflection in a lake that one is able to define oneself
by appearance. Readers are then faced with the final question: Is “truthful reflection”
equal to only the reflection of one’s physical image?