Mirror- is not content with the fact that she has changed. She wishes that she was still young, attractive etc; “tears and an agitation of hands”. Furthermore, “in me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman rises towards her day after day like a terrible fish”. Comment on use of word ‘terrible’ – emphasises her fear of change. Tears reveal the extent of her insecurities lack of contentment with her identity and appearance, which go hand in hand.
Warning – this contrasts greatly with the woman in the play ‘warning’ who doesn’t seem too concerned with her current appearance/character etc and looks to the future, happily welcoming change in character and identity. She embraces old age and even embraces the things which may have a negative impact on her external appearance such as eating “three pounds of sausages at a go”, and wearing clothes “that don’t suit me” as these gestures will allow her to truly express her identity.
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Furthermore, both women seem reliant on the concept of change in their identities although it does not appeal to/seem realistic to both of them.
Mirror- last line reflects the needy and desperate nature of the woman, “an old woman rises towards her day after day, like a terrible fish.” The use of the word “fish” here symbolises the woman’s need for the mirror, which is previously described as a lake. Just as a fish needs a lake in order t survive, it seems that this woman needs her mirror, too. Unsatisfied with her external appearance, the mirror is an object which provides her with hope, even though she despises this object for its truthfulness in revealing her true identity.
Warning- similarly, the woman in this poem seems reliant on the idea that someday, when she is old, she will have the freedom that she has always wanted and will be able to truly express her identity. The repeated use of the word “must” shows that she does not like having to conform to others’ expectations. Furthermore, it would appear that in this seemingly dreary life of hers, she would not be able to do the things that she wants to do when she is older such as “go out in my slippers in the rain”. Here, she is reliant on the idea that she will be able to do this and this reassures her of her future identity and serves to excuse her current one.
In the poem ‘mirror’, a personified mirror describes the reflection of its owner and the changes that it sees in her appearance as she grows older. It is made clear to the reader, through the mirror’s choice of words, that the woman who looks into it then “turns to those liars” has insecurities with regards to her appearance which she “searches the depths” of the mirror in an attempt to see beyond. It will appear that, through searching the depths of her mirror, she is almost waiting in hope for some sort of change, searching for herself and her true identity. As a reader, however, we know that this change will not come about and this is something that it is evident that the woman is also aware of deep down.
The second poem I have chosen to discuss is ‘warning’. The female in this poem displays some similarities to the character in the poem ‘mirror’. This is evident in the third stanza where we can see that she is not particularly happy with the false identity which she feels has been forced upon her by society and its expectations; “now we must have clothes that keep us dry”. The use of the word ‘must’ here implies that she is not happy with having restraints on what she can and can’t do. We also see that she sees growing old as a way of finding her true identity and being able to express it freely.
However, we see that the second woman seems to have readily and happily accepted the changes that she knows will come in the future, whereas the woman in the poem ‘mirror’ is unhappy with them and seems to have felt this way for a long while. We see differences in the two characters in that one is unsure of and unhappy with her identity, where the other, stronger woman in ‘warning’ does not seem too concerned with her appearance and seems sure of who she is and where she wants to be in the future.
