Thoughts on Sylvia Plath's 'Mirror'

In the list of the prose and poetry that I remember vividly from high-school English, Mirror sits near the very top. Over the years, I have thought of this poem and of Sylvia Plath quite often, and the desire to read more of her work continues to enthrall and at the same time evade me: I am thrilled by the prospect of reading a young woman's thoughts to herself as she grapples with her need to create art and a life of meaning, and it is because of this same reason that I think it may hit me harder than I can predict.

Lately, I have begun taking a keen interest in trying to properly read novels and poetry, and have sought out advice from fellow readers on the internet to that effect. In this particular quest, I came upon Virginia Woolf's wonderful essay on how one should read. She touches upon how poetry diverges from the novel in that it describes the general, and not the particular, and it was then that I immediately thought of Mirror. In my continual effort to progress into a good reader, I decided to give this poem serious thought once more, and I find that my current interpretation of it extends beyond what I remember of it from school. 

The titular Mirror introduces itself as an unbiased observer. A truthful record-keeper. We know its shape and where in the house it is placed. It is one-dimensional; without regard for good or bad, it simply reflects. Slowly, however, we see the passage of time through the mirror, as "faces and darkness" appear between the mirror and the wall opposite it. As the days and nights turn into years, the mirror has changed in nature, even if it still retains its unwavering honesty. Its brevity and exactness have now been replaced by the vast depths of a lake. It seems to hide some secrets wrought by time. The mirror has been a companion to a young girl, over the years a lady, and now finally an old woman. But what the old woman sees as her reflection revolts her; she cannot accept it with grace. She is unhappy to see who she has become.

I think the mirror is a metaphor for one's inner self, as the lake is for our lives over time. We all know what we're like and who we've been deep down. At times, we allow this self-image to be obscured by flattery or delusion. We allow ourselves to be lulled into different forms of disguises. But there is the fish always lurking within the murky waters of this lake, which will finally come into view. The woman looking at herself in the mirror will surely realise what lies within the mirror, what the realities of her life have truly been. 

Since having first read this poem, I have thought of it often, always reiterating to myself that it stands to convey the fleeting nature of external beauty, and the implied insistence to always try to be a good person at heart, however one may define 'good' to be. And now I think that that message is driven home by the aspect of regret. The terrible fish is indeed regret, and guilt, waiting to pounce in the last moments of this short life. It is up to us what we see in those last moments, if the fish is terrible and repulsive, or graceful and having led a life of kindness and contentment.