Mirror Summary

CBSE Notes for Mirror Summary - Chapter 8

The mirror is unsympathetic, it is unmindful of the tension of people and continues to reflect their true selves. The mirror is supposed to be cruel but the woman cannot do without it. Repeated viewing of the mirror and seeing her own reflection leads to self-loathing as Sylvia Plath sees less and less of the young girl and more of the old woman. The old woman reflected in the mirror is reminded of her past youth and she feels herself trapped in the cruel jaws of time like a fish.

In the last lines, the poetess has incorporated mythology into her poem. ‘Drowned’ apparently, refers to the Greek prince Narcissus who was very handsome. He kept gazing at his reflection in the lake for so long that he drowned. So the poem is about a woman who is torn between the true picture of herself and the distorted image that others see of her. She wants to escape from the reality of harsh ugliness that time inflicts upon her. Please Click Mirror Summary for more information.