Imagery In Sylvia Plath's Poetry

Imagery affecting each sense gives readers physical connection to this poem to convey Sylvia Plath’s theme. “She rewards me with tears and an agitation of hands,” creates both a tactile and an auditory image. Readers can hear the dripping of this woman’s tears off her face and onto the surface of the water, and the splashing as she runs her hand through it in anger. Through the tactile sense, one can also feel the cold water as it drenches her hand. Anxiety evident in the situation this woman is experiencing is then embedded in readers; this anxiety clouds the mind, making it impossible to see the truth of a situation, as stated in the theme. A second example of such imagery is “Each morning it is her face that replaces the darkness.” Illustrating a visual picture, readers see from the perspective of the lake, the woman bending over the surface each morning. Her face is filled with self doubt and confusion, while also being determined to find herself. “… and in me an old woman/ Rises toward her day after day, like a terrible fish.” Imagery of a fish emerging from the water every morning to greet the woman comes to mind, while the actual “fish” is her true reflection. Her genuine self is inescapable.

Using symbolism, Plath develops her theme in an artistic manner. When referencing the light of the room that the mirror spends its days looking at, the mirror says that “It is pink, with speckles.” Merging of the color white, which represents purity, and red, which