Unit 5: Songs of the Self

About the Poet

Sylvia Plath (1932 – 1963) was an American poet, novelist, and writer of short stories born in Boston, Massachusetts. She is one of the best-known writers of the 20th century and her most notable contributions are in the genre of confessional poetry—a style that explores personal experiences, emotions, and psychological struggles with raw honesty.

During her lifetime, Plath published a collection of poems titled The Colossus (1960) and a semi-autobiographical novel The Bell Jar (1963). Her genius was fully recognized posthumously when she won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1982 for The Collected Poems, published in 1981, almost 20 years after her tragic death.

Plath's work is characterized by intense imagery, exploration of identity, mental anguish, and the female experience. Her poetry often deals with themes of death, rebirth, nature, and the darker aspects of the human psyche.

Summary of the Poem Mirror

"Mirror" is a powerful poem written from the perspective of a mirror that acts as an objective observer of a woman's life and aging process. The poem is divided into two stanzas, each offering a different metaphorical representation of reflection.

Stanza 1: The Mirror as Truthful Observer

The mirror introduces itself as "silver and exact," claiming to have no preconceptions or biases. It swallows whatever it sees immediately, unmisted by emotions like love or dislike. The mirror identifies itself as "not cruel, only truthful," comparing itself to "the eye of a little god, four-cornered."

Most of the time, the mirror meditates on the opposite pink, speckled wall, which it has observed for so long that it feels like "part of my heart." However, this meditation is constantly interrupted—"it flickers"—as faces and darkness separate the mirror from the wall over and over.

Stanza 2: The Mirror as Lake

In the second stanza, the mirror transforms metaphorically into a lake. A woman bends over it, searching its depths for her true identity—"what she really is." Dissatisfied with the truth the mirror/lake reveals, she turns away to "those liars, the candles or the moon," which offer more flattering but deceptive reflections.

The mirror faithfully reflects the woman's back when she turns away, and she "rewards" it with tears and agitated hand gestures. The mirror recognizes its importance to her, noting that she comes and goes repeatedly. Each morning, her face is the first thing to replace the darkness.

The poem concludes with a haunting image: in the mirror, the young girl the woman once was has "drowned," and now an old woman "rises toward her day after day, like a terrible fish." This powerful metaphor captures the inevitable, often painful process of aging and the loss of youth.

Themes

1. Aging and the Passage of Time: The central theme—how time transforms youth into old age
2. Truth vs. Illusion: The conflict between harsh reality (mirror) and comforting deceptions (candles, moon)
3. Identity and Self-Perception: The woman's search for her true self
4. Objectivity vs. Subjectivity: The mirror's claim of truthfulness without emotion
5. Female Beauty Standards: Society's pressure on women to maintain youthful appearance
6. Loss and Grief: Mourning the loss of youth and beauty
7. Vanity and Obsession: The woman's repeated returns to check her reflection

Literary Devices

• Personification: The mirror speaks as if it were human, with thoughts and observations
• Metaphor: The mirror becomes a lake; the old woman is a "terrible fish"
• Simile: "like a terrible fish"
• Imagery: "silver and exact," "pink, with speckles," "tears and an agitation of hands"
• Symbolism: Mirror = truth; lake = depth of self-examination; candles/moon = flattering lies
• Paradox: "I am not cruel, only truthful"—truth can be cruel
• Allusion: "eye of a little god"—suggests omniscience and judgment
• Contrast: Youth vs. age; truth vs. lies; light vs. darkness

Answers to Study Questions

1. Who is the speaker in the poem?

The speaker in the poem is the mirror itself. Plath uses personification to give the mirror a voice, allowing it to describe its own qualities, observations, and relationship with the woman who looks into it. The mirror speaks in first person, using "I," which creates an intimate yet objective narrative perspective.

2. Why does the mirror say that it has "no preconceptions"?

The mirror claims to have "no preconceptions" because it reflects things exactly as they are, without any prior judgments, biases, opinions, or expectations. Unlike humans who see through the lens of their beliefs, emotions, and prejudices, the mirror simply shows objective reality. It doesn't filter what it sees through love, dislike, cultural standards, or personal preferences—it merely reflects the truth without distortion or interpretation.

3. Does the mirror reveal any emotions?

While the mirror claims to be objective and emotionless ("unmisted by love or dislike"), it does reveal subtle emotions throughout the poem:

• Attachment: "I think it is part of my heart" (regarding the pink wall)
• Awareness: It recognizes that it is "important to her"
• Empathy/Observation: It notes the woman's tears and agitation
• Consistency: It describes reflecting "faithfully"

However, these emotions are understated and observational rather than judgmental. The mirror maintains its stance of being truthful rather than cruel, though it witnesses emotional pain.

4. Why does the mirror compare itself to "the eye of a little god"?

The mirror compares itself to "the eye of a little god" for several reasons:

• Omniscience: Like a god, it sees everything placed before it without prejudice
• Judgment: It reveals truth, which can feel like divine judgment
• Power: It has power over the woman's emotions and self-perception
• Objectivity: Gods are often portrayed as seeing ultimate truth beyond human bias
• Four-cornered: The physical shape (rectangular frame) suggests a limited but complete domain of observation

The phrase "little god" suggests both power and limitation—it's godlike in its truthfulness but confined to its frame and position.

5. What does the mirror usually focus on when it is alone?

When alone, the mirror focuses on and "meditates on the opposite wall." This wall is described as "pink, with speckles." The mirror has looked at it for so long that it feels the wall has become "part of my heart." This long observation suggests the monotony of the mirror's existence when not reflecting human faces—it simply observes the unchanging wall before it.

6. Why does the mirror compare itself to a lake?

The mirror compares itself to a lake in the second stanza to create a deeper, more profound metaphor:

• Depth: A lake has depths to explore, suggesting the woman is searching for deeper truths about herself
• Reflection: Like mirrors, lakes create reflections on their surface
• Drowning: The lake metaphor allows for the powerful image of the young girl "drowning"
• Natural vs. Artificial: A lake is natural and ancient, suggesting timeless truth
• Stillness: A still lake provides clear reflection, like a truthful mirror
• Mystery: Lakes suggest hidden depths and unknown elements

The transformation from mirror to lake intensifies the emotional depth of the second stanza.

7. What does the woman search for in the lake, according to the poem?

Answer: d. her true self and identity

The poem explicitly states: "A woman bends over me, / Searching my reaches for what she really is." She is not merely looking at her reflection superficially, but searching the depths ("reaches") of the lake/mirror to discover her authentic identity, her true essence beyond surface appearance. This is an existential search for self-knowledge and understanding.

8. Pick out the line which shows the emotional turmoil of the woman.

The line that shows the emotional turmoil of the woman is:

"She rewards me with tears and an agitation of hands."

This line vividly captures her distress—the tears indicate sadness, grief, or frustration, while the "agitation of hands" suggests anxiety, nervousness, or desperate gestures. The word "agitation" particularly emphasizes her emotional disturbance and inability to accept what she sees.

9. When does the woman's face replace the darkness?

The woman's face replaces the darkness each morning. The poem states: "Each morning it is her face that replaces the darkness." This suggests a daily ritual—the mirror sits in darkness through the night, and the woman comes to look at herself first thing every morning. This emphasizes her obsession with her appearance and the mirror's central importance in her daily routine.

10. Who are the 'liars' mentioned in the poem? Why are they called so?

The 'liars' mentioned in the poem are "the candles or the moon." They are called liars because:

• Flattering light: Candlelight and moonlight provide soft, dim, romantic lighting that obscures flaws and wrinkles
• Distortion: Unlike the mirror's harsh, direct reflection, these light sources create shadows and softer images
• Deception: They make the woman appear younger and more beautiful than she actually is
• False comfort: They offer a more pleasing but dishonest reflection

The woman turns to these "liars" when the mirror's truth becomes too painful, seeking comfort in deception rather than accepting reality.

11. Does the mirror feel that it is important to the woman? Why?

Yes, the mirror definitely feels it is important to the woman. It explicitly states: "I am important to her."

The mirror knows this because:

• She comes to it repeatedly: "She comes and goes"
• She visits it first thing every morning: "Each morning it is her face that replaces the darkness"
• She has strong emotional reactions to it: "She rewards me with tears and an agitation of hands"
• She searches it desperately for answers: "Searching my reaches for what she really is"
• Her entire relationship with aging and identity seems mediated through the mirror

The mirror recognizes that it plays a central role in the woman's life and self-perception.

12. What does the mirror mean by saying that in it, a young girl has drowned herself, and an old woman rises towards her day after day like a terrible fish?

This haunting final image is rich with meaning:

"Drowned a young girl":

• The young woman the lady once was has disappeared/died in the mirror
• Youth has been swallowed up by time
• The girl's youthful image no longer exists—it has been submerged and lost forever
• Drowning suggests a tragic, irreversible loss

"Old woman rises... like a terrible fish":

• Each day, the woman sees herself growing older
• The image of aging rises from the depths of the mirror (lake) to confront her
• "Terrible fish" suggests something frightening, ugly, unwanted, and monstrous
• The fish metaphor implies something that emerges from dark depths—aging is inevitable and uncontrollable
• The repetition "day after day" emphasizes the relentless, inescapable nature of aging
• "Rises toward her" suggests the old age is approaching/coming for her, not just existing

This powerful metaphor captures the painful reality of aging: youth is lost forever (drowned), while old age emerges inevitably and frighteningly each day.

13. Magical Mirrors Reference

Question about Snow White:

In the fairy tale "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (popularized by Disney), the Evil Queen (Queen Grimhilde) asks the famous question:

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, Who's the fairest of all?"

(Note: In the Disney film, the line is actually "Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?")

The Mirror's Response:

Initially, the magic mirror always responds that the Queen is the fairest in the land, feeding her vanity. However, one day the mirror tells the truth:

"Snow White is the fairest of them all."

This truthful response triggers the Queen's jealousy and sets the entire plot in motion. The Queen cannot accept that her stepdaughter has surpassed her in beauty, leading to multiple attempts to kill Snow White.

Connection to Plath's Poem:

Both mirrors serve as truth-tellers:

• The magic mirror in Snow White eventually tells an uncomfortable truth
• Plath's mirror consistently tells the truth about aging
• Both women (the Queen and the woman in the poem) struggle to accept the truth
• Both seek validation and reassurance from mirrors
• The difference is that Plath's mirror cannot be charmed or flattered—it remains objective

Other famous magical mirrors in literature and film include:

• The Mirror of Erised in Harry Potter (shows deepest desires)
• The looking glass in Alice Through the Looking-Glass (portal to another world)
• Mirrors in The Chronicles of Narnia
• The cursed mirror in Oculus (horror film)

Analysis of Structure

Form and Structure:

• Two stanzas: First (9 lines) and second (9 lines)
• Free verse: No regular rhyme scheme or meter
• Enjambment: Lines flow into each other, creating natural speech
• Shift: Clear transition from mirror to lake metaphor between stanzas

Tone:

• Objective and matter-of-fact in the mirror's voice
• Increasingly somber and dark toward the end
• Detached yet subtly empathetic
• Honest and unflinching

Critical Interpretation

"Mirror" is one of Sylvia Plath's most accessible yet profound poems. Written in 1961, just two years before her death, it reflects her preoccupation with identity, authenticity, and the female experience.

The poem can be read on multiple levels:

1. Feminist Reading: Commentary on society's obsession with female beauty and youth; the pressure women face to maintain appearance
2. Existential Reading: The search for authentic self in a world of illusions and deceptions
3. Psychological Reading: The painful acceptance of mortality and change; the death of the ego's idealized self-image
4. Autobiographical Reading: Plath's own struggles with identity and self-perception

The power of the poem lies in its simple yet devastating honesty. By giving voice to an inanimate object, Plath creates distance that allows readers to observe human vanity and anxiety objectively, even as they recognize themselves in the woman's distress.

Key Quotes for Analysis

• "I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions." – Establishes objectivity
• "I am not cruel, only truthful" – The paradox of harsh truth
• "The eye of a little god, four-cornered" – Power and limitation
• "Then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon" – Escape from truth
• "She rewards me with tears and an agitation of hands" – Emotional impact
• "In me she has drowned a young girl" – Loss of youth
• "like a terrible fish" – Horror of aging

Conclusion

Sylvia Plath's "Mirror" is a masterpiece of confessional poetry that speaks to universal human experiences: the fear of aging, the search for identity, and the conflict between truth and comfortable illusions. Through the voice of an objective mirror, Plath explores the painful journey of watching oneself age and the desperate human need for validation and beauty.

The poem remains relevant today in our image-obsessed culture, where mirrors (and now selfies and filters) mediate our relationship with ourselves. Plath reminds us that truth, however uncomfortable, is ultimately more valuable than flattering lies—even when that truth rises "like a terrible fish."