With what hope does the woman keep coming back to the mirror every day?
She keeps coming back with the hope of seeing the young girl she once was, though she is met with her aging self.
Marking Scheme
- 11 mark for mentioning that she hopes to see her younger self or recapture her lost youth.
Hint
The poem says 'in me she has drowned a young girl'. What does this young girl represent, and what does the woman hope to find each morning?
Quick Oral Answer
The woman comes back to the mirror every day hoping to see the young girl she once was. She desperately searches for her lost youth in the reflection, but each time she only finds her aging self staring back at her.
Analysis & Explanation
This question tests the student's understanding of the woman's psychological motivation in Plath's poem 'Mirror'. The woman returns to the mirror each morning with the desperate hope of seeing the young girl she once was. The poem describes how 'in me she has drowned a young girl', indicating that her youthful self has been lost in the passage of time, metaphorically submerged in the mirror's lake-like depths. Despite knowing that the mirror will only show the truth, she clings to the hope that perhaps today she will catch a glimpse of her former self. This hope is tragically futile because each visit reveals further aging. The key word is 'faithfully' in 'she rewards me with tears and an agitation of hands', suggesting a ritual she cannot break despite its painful outcome. Students should be careful not to confuse this hope with mere vanity or a desire to look beautiful. The woman's hope is specifically about recapturing lost youth and identity, not about cosmetic beauty. The poem's emotional power comes from this universal human desire to hold onto the past. For the exam, a crisp answer mentioning 'hope of seeing her younger self' or 'finding the young girl she once was' will secure the full mark. Avoid lengthy philosophical interpretations for a 1-mark question.
Common Mistakes
- 1Writing that the woman hopes to look beautiful or attractive, when the poem specifically frames her hope as wanting to see the young girl she once was, not beauty in general.
- 2Confusing the woman's hope with acceptance. She has NOT accepted aging; she is in denial and keeps returning to the mirror hoping for a different outcome each day.
- 3Giving an answer that is too vague, such as 'she hopes to see herself', without specifying that she hopes to see her YOUNGER self, which is the critical detail for earning the mark.
Interesting Facts
Psychologists have identified a phenomenon called 'mirror anxiety' or 'spectrophobia', which is the fear of seeing one's own reflection. Plath's poem is considered one of the most powerful literary portrayals of this kind of age-related mirror anxiety.
Sylvia Plath wrote 'Mirror' when she was only 29 years old, yet the poem captures the perspective of an aging woman so convincingly that literary critics consider it one of her most empathetic works, transcending her own young age.
The theme of searching for lost youth in a mirror appears in Oscar Wilde's 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' (1890) as well, where the protagonist's portrait ages while he remains young, presenting the reverse of what happens in Plath's poem.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the woman ever find what she is looking for in the mirror?
No, she never finds the young girl she hopes to see. Instead, each day the mirror shows her an older version of herself, and Plath describes an 'old woman' rising toward her 'like a terrible fish', symbolising the horror of unstoppable aging.
What does the phrase 'searched my reaches for what she really is' mean?
The mirror compares itself to a lake, and 'my reaches' refers to its depths. The woman peers deeply into the mirror trying to find her true identity and her former youthful self, but the mirror can only show her current, aging face.
Why does the woman cry when she looks in the mirror?
The woman's tears and agitation of hands reflect her emotional distress at seeing her aging face. The gap between how she remembers herself (young) and what the mirror shows (old) causes her deep sorrow.