The Looking-Glass close reading

In the short story, “The Looking-Glass,” by Anton Chekhov, readers are taken back into the life of Nellie. Through vivid descriptions and word choice, Chekhov is able to portray a chilling side to this narrative.
Throughout this piece, word choice is critical in illustrating this story. One main highlight is the color grey. In the opening paragraph Chekhov describes Nellie’s surroundings as being, “...already clouded in mist and merged into a boundless grey sea.” Chekhov continues weaving the color through the literary work, tieing it in with the weather when describing the snow and cold air. As the story moves forward, the grey hue turns to black, “...then again there followed darkness….” thus, showing a transition in Nellie’s view. The use of colors can be tied into a greater view of the sides of good and evil; the color white resembling the good and the color black resembling the bad, while the color grey resembles that in between space. This grey area is also exemplified through the setting of the story. Chekhov begins by boldly declaring, “NEW YEAR’S EVE.” For many, New Year’s Eve is viewed as the bridge between the end and the start of a new chapter in life; therefore, by referencing the color grey through the duration of the piece, it shows that Nellie is stuck in a continual cloud of grey. At the end of the work, Chekhov concludes that, “There was no grey background now,” allowing readers to feel that the grey time in Nellie’s life has ended.
Scattered throughout “The Looking Glass” perfectly picked words animate this short story; one being the title itself, which was ingeniously chosen.  A looking glass can be defined as being or seeing the opposite of what is normal. This creates a twist to the entire story because it causes readers to question what is true and what is false. Concluding the work, Chekhov chooses to relay that, “something fell from Nellie’s hand and knocked on the floor...one looking-glass she saw lying at her feet. The other was standing as before on the table.” Ending the story in this way leaves readers wondering if the entire story was simply a dream.

In the short story, “The Looking-Glass,” Anton Chekhov’s word choice and descriptions add new meanings and multiple interpretations to this tale.

Comments

  1. AnonymousAugust 31, 2017 at 7:02 PM

    Have you considered that perhaps the looking-glass in Chekhov's work may represent more than just the dream/not a dream cliffhanger? One such other representation could be the juxtaposition between the description of Nellie and her attitude throughout the piece. In the beginning, Nellie is described as "the daughter of a landowner and general, a young and pretty girl". From this description alone, one would conclude that Nellie would want for nothing and be fully satisfied in life. However, from reading the subsequent paragraphs, we know that this is in fact the opposite of the truth. I propose that perhaps the looking glass represents the disconnect between what Nellie's life appears from the onset and her true feelings and attitude.

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