I need a summary of the snake and the mirror
Answers
This poem is written in free verse and is divided into two stanzas. In the first stanza the narrator is a mirror and in the second stanza, it is a lake (a reflecting surface which acts like mirror).
In this poem, a mirror describes its existence and its owner, who grows older as the mirror watches.
The narrator, mirror describes itself as “silver and exact.” It forms no judgments, instead merely swallowing what it sees and reflecting that image back without any alteration. The mirror is not cruel, “only truthful.” It considers itself a four-cornered eye of a god, which sees everything for what it is.
The mirror says it spends most of its time looking at a pink wall across from it. It is as if the wall has become part of it—its heart. The image of the wall is interrupted only by people who enter to look at themselves and the darkness that comes with night.
In the second, a mirror as reflecting surface continues that it reflects anything ‘just as it is’. The reflection is precise and accurate. It provides an exact picture of the thing in front of it. Feelings can often influence how we perceive a certain object or person. Often such a perception may be inaccurate or untrue. But a mirror does not allow its reflections to be clouded by feelings such as love or dislike. Hence its reflections are ‘unmisted’ and dispassionate.
Because of this untrue nature, the woman cries and wrings her hands. Nevertheless, she cannot refrain from visiting the mirror over and over again, every morning. Over the years, the woman has “drowned a young girl” in the mirror, and now sees in her reflection an old woman growing older by the day. This old woman rises toward her out of the mirror like “a terrible fish.”
Summary
It is a story about a doctor, who had only recently commenced his practice. He lived in a small rented room which was an out house. It had two windows and a tiled roof. The tiles were supported by gables which rested on the beam and there was no electricity. The room was infested with rats.
One hot summer night, he had his meals at the restaurant and returned home. He lighted the kerosene lamp, took off his coat and shirt and opened the two windows. He settled on the chair and took out a medical book to read. The here was a large mirror on the table on which stood a lamp. Since it was too hot to sleep, and he had nothing better to do, he sat down in front of the mirror, admiring himself, admiring his looks and smile and planning that he should do to look more presentable. Gradually, his thoughts shifted from self-admiration to planning his future marriage. He thought that he would marry a rich doctor having a good practice and that he would choose a fat lady as his wife so that she would not be able to run and catch him.
He was so engrossed in his day dreaming that he did not give much importance to the sudden silence. The rats had stopped scampering and there was a sound of something falling behind him. But he was slow to react. By the time he turned round to have a look, the snake had wriggled over the back of the chair and landed on his shoulders and coiled round his left arm above the elbow. It was a dangerous cobra and its hood spread out, hardly three inches from his face.
The doctor sat there like a stone statue, afraid to move, lest the snake may strike. He thought of various medicines he had and if any was good enough to save him if the snake did bite him.
In this moment of fear of death, (he realized the presence of God. God had punished him for being too proud and arrogant. He realized that he was but a mere human, a poor man, nothing to boast about.
The moment he accepted his true worth, the Gods appeared pleased and the snake of its own free will left him and sat on the table in front of the mirror.
The doctor got up silently and rushed out of the door. Next morning when he came back, all his belongings had been pilfered but for his dirty vest which was too dirty even for the thief.
The story clearly highlights the fact that one should not be proud of oneself because whatever he has is a gift of God. Without his benign support you are nothing. The moment he realized this the Gods recalled the snake, who left without hurting him