Look again at “Mirror” in which Plath explores ways in which we see ourselves and others. Compare this poem with one other poem which also deals in some way with social interactions.
“Mirror” is a reflection of Plath’s most inner feelings and her rather passive view on both her life and that of around her. The two stanzas in the poem reveal her need to find her real self and a compelling fear if being alone. She describes the mirror as an unambiguous, single dimension that absorbs everything around it and doesn’t judge anything. She talks about it “meditating on the opposite wall”, implying that it receives emotions and peacefully thinks and observes the world.
She then uses another metaphor when she describes herself as a lake. The lake is a reflection of herself, but at a deeper level than perhaps the mirror was. She has distinct fears of aging and being alone. Plath talks from the point of view of a lake, therefore about herself, from the outside. She also represents her view of others by using a wall, candles and moons. “Then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon”, this is an illumination of being betrayed romantically. This makes the reader understand how she feels about the world and a strong element of sorrow comes across in the poem She has obviously suffered a great loss, from love. She describes tears as an indication of genuine emotion and great signs of sadness. She feels discontented with her life and let down by the people around her.