The Looking Glass- Close Reading

The short story, “The Looking Glass” gives the reader a picture of what life was like for women during this time period. Chekhov introduces the reader to Nellie, who he mentions dreams of the life she will lead when she finds a husband. Placing her “in her room, gazing with exhausted, half-closed eyes into the looking glass,” and describing her as “pale, tense, and motionless,” it isn’t clear if Nellie is ill or simply day dreaming. 


This piece of literature shows the reader that this life desired by many young women is not what it was supposed to be. Using the chilling imagery of winter, the darkness of the night, and colors like grey and black, Chekhov paints a bleak picture of Nellie’s future, which, is imaged to be similar to many young women during this time. The frustration that Nellie experiences when trying to reason with the doctor regarding her husbands ill health is shown through the urgency in which Chekhov writes. However, at the end, when both her husband and the doctor are on the brink of insanity, Nellie’s thoughts begin spiraling out of control. Bouncing from the death of her husband, how she will pay the bills, and the ill fate of her children, Nellie finally snaps back to reality where she still remains in her chair, staring into the looking glass. 

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