Explication of "The Mirror" by Sylvia Plath

In the poem “The Mirror” Sylvia Plath uses a mirror to symbolize the way perceptions change over time, specifically those of a woman. At the beginning, Plath makes the point the mirror is “exact” and “truthful.” She does this to emphasize the point that perceptions are what change, not the actual reflection. It is how the person sees this reflection that is constantly changing. To further prove this point, the author uses many different types of mirrors like a lake or candle light. The author implies that no matter what the mirror may be, it will always give back a truthful reflection. The mirror is unlike a person in many ways. The mirror has no “preconceptions” or judgments.

The poem takes the reader through the life of a woman, at the beginning she is a little girl. This is inferred when the author speaks of “pink” and “speckles” creating the image of a young child. She also says that the speckles and pink have become “part of [her] heart” implying that her inner child will always exist. The speaker grows in age throughout the poem and in the end is an “old woman.” But, the middle phase is the lake. Here, the speaker of the poem seems to be in a much darker place than the previously mentioned speckles and pink. The lake seems to be the place where the speaker is looking for herself. This is because the speaker must “bend over” to see her reflection, while as a child the mirror was just always there. The bending over suggests some sort of struggle and effort that must be in to see herself clearly. The lake becomes almost upset with the speaker when she turns to other mirrors. As the speaker ages, she seems to be upset with it and views it as closer and closer to death rather than a celebration of longevity. The mirror compares the speaker to a “terrible fish,” which becomes smellier and smellier with each day.