The Red Convertible/Mirror

Power means different things to different people, and it all depends on the condition and situations in which one finds themselves. Power is invested in different artifacts and circumstances, and these two components have the potential to force individuals to act in a certain manner. Most people's actions and attitudes are deeply affected by the force of others around them or circumstances in which they have no other alternative. The theme of control is exemplified in the two short stories in the book "The Red Convertible" and Plath's poem "Mirror." Power has changed the behaviors of the characters in the two short stories and compelled them to act in entirely different manners. In this paper, Lyman from “The Red Convertible” and the mirror from Plath’s poem of “Mirror” will be used to exemplify the definition of power.

“The Red Convertible”

The story is mainly built on two brothers, Henry and Lyman, who had a such a good relationship which cemented their brotherhood. They did things together, to the extent of purchasing the red car together. However, all things changed suddenly after Henry returned home after the war was over. Henry returned home an entirely different person from the one Layman knew. Layman was in a weak position trying to help his brother back to how he used to be before going to war. He becomes agitated by who his brother has turned out to become. Henry had become silent, rarely laughed of smiled, became moody and even detached from his brother and the whole family in general. To help his brother, Layman becomes so helpless and powerless in that he damages the car that they bought together so that Henry’s spirit would return Erdrich 104).

Henry did not recognise the much power he had over his brother who had changed his behavior to try and help him. At one point, when Henry was watching the television, he bit his lip to the extent of bleeding, and he even did not notice. While they were having dinner, Layman saw his brother’s bleeding lip, and this terrifies him so much since he could not take away the person his brother had become. The power of brotherhood is the main thing that makes Layman care a lot about his brother. For instance, he wrote Henry a letter after he went off to war in Vietnam, which gave him updates on the state of the car (Erdrich 107). The act of updating Henry done by Layman was to symbolise the power of their brotherhood which was so strong that it kept them together for long. Layman knows how important he was to his brother, and that is why he did all things within his power to fish him out of the horrible personality although it was fruitless.

“Mirror” Poem

In the poem “Mirror” by Plath, the mirror is the narrator of the story. The mirror describes the existence of itself and that of its owner. The mirror formed no judgment, but rather swallowed everything that it reflected, and gave back the same results without making any alterations. The mirror considered itself as the four-cornered eye of god which saw everything as it was. The woman, the owner of the mirror, would gaze into the mirror trying to discern her true self by looking at her reflection (Plath stanza one). At times she tried to look at herself in the moonlight or candlelight, but all these reflections were a lie, and her only real appearance was that given by the mirror. The mirror was in a weak state to help the woman who would cry and wring her hands after seeing that she was ageing. She would rise towards her out of the mirror like a fish that was terrified.

Like a slave, the mirror just suspended fixed on the wall so powerless to help itself end the monotony it had been through. Monotony was only broken when the owner would come to look at herself every morning. Helpless and powerless, the mirror was in no position to offer moral judgment to the woman who agonizingly cried for the loss of her beauty and daily ageing. Despite causing the woman an agitation of the hands and tears, the mirror understood its importance to the woman to faithfully provide her with unadulterated self-reflection, and objective despite the discomfort it caused her (Plath stanza two). The mirror becomes the melancholy which exemplifies the state of powerlessness of the mirror to help the woman by her wishes but instead brings out her outer and inner selves.

Conclusion

In the two short stories of “mirror” poem by Plath and “The Red Convertible”, both the mirror and Layman characters depict helplessness and powerlessness to help those they care about. Layman was unable to help his brother Henry back to his real personality while the mirror only showed the woman her true nature but could not help her come to terms with the facts. Both the mirror and Layman are aware of their importance, but they lack the power to make things right for the two disturbed souls. Conclusively, only an individual has the ability to save themselves, and no matter the efforts and interventions other people in their lives put, all would be effortless by the end of it all unless the person makes a decision.

Work Cited



Erdrich, Louise. The Red Convertible. HarperCollins, 2009.

Plath, Sylvia. Mirror. Privately printed, 1966.

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