Through The Looking Glass

For most people and fictional characters, looking into glass, and in particular mirrors, symbolizes a feeling of encouragement and inner beauty. Symbolism, as defined in the Writing about Literature book, are words or ideas up for interpretation that stand for something much more complex and prominent in the story. In upbeat, positive stories in the world of Disney, glass mirrors are dream-like symbols in which physically appealing princesses look toward the the magical future or admire makeup and designer clothes. Yet, in "The Tenth of January," the main character Senath finds herself looking into glass mirrors and seeing the exact opposite in reflection. The word glass is mentioned several times in the story, and more often than not the images are negatively portrayed by brokenness and ugliness, for example "she sat out in the snow-drifts through terror of her home...she would wake up with a little cracked glass upon the opposite wall; of creeping out and up to it in her night-dress; of the ghastly twisted thing that looked back at her" (Phelps, Pg. 3). Later on in the story, after readers realize Senath is unhappy in her marriage and merging on a depressive state, she "put her elbows on the table and her chin into her hands, and so, for a motionless half-hour, studied the unrounded, uncolored, unlightened face that stared back at her...her breath dimming the outline of its repulsive mouth" (Pg. 10) While interpreting symbolism is a daunting and annoying task for readers, most writers pick and choose their words carefully display a certain emotion or enhance a character. In this story, Phelps may have chosen glass and mirror symbolism and the way the main character sees herself in those objects to enhance the darkness and gloom of the story and the plot in the end.