Reflecting, Not Mirroring
Writing an analysis on an adaptation of Snow White provided a new insight into life for me due to how the author of Boy, Snow, Bird used mirrors. Oyeyemi held mirrors in different perspectives in her novel in ways I can only hope to imitate in my own writing in the future, whether for fiction or non-fiction. Mirroring people is easy but when it comes to mirroring the personalities of people or how other people see the people being reflected in the surface brought a whole new dimension to the art of storytelling and the matter of what is real, and what isn’t.
I just wanted to find out if Oyeyemi meant to confuse the reader on whether she decided magic existed in this world where the color of skin mattered and how women were viewed. It gave me a new perspective to myself, since I had been viewed as Snow White before. I relate to Snow White with the dark hair (to a point I thought her of a brunette despite the claim of hair as black as coal), the red lips, and the fair, pale skin. To think of Snow White as being African American sincerely surprised me but only changed my opinion of her grandmother, who so desperately wanted it to be kept a secret.
Sometimes it’s hard to figure out how people work and it just makes me respect Oyeyemi even more, especially with the surprise at the end of the book – something I still can’t believe! It makes me all the more pleased I picked this book for my paper topic with all the twists and turns and nooks and crannies the story holds; not to mention the number of references to other fairy tales and the perspective of the stepmother/Queen as the main figure. It made the choice of using the mirror as the main tool of portrayal all the more realistic, and at the same time, more fantastical.
At first, a view of mirrors brings nothing special to mind, as a mirror is just a mirror, until the image you see smiles back at you. When what you see is what reflects your inner state of mind, it can be hard to know if what you’re seeing is real and from that, I can understand where Boy, the stepmother, is coming from. Mirrors represent something more than just a reflection; they become the world around you and turn your family members against you or let them support you. A mirror can change your image until you hate what you look like, if you let the mirror control. Mirrors show the insecurities we all feel with ourselves, with our families, and with how we view our world. It’s certainly something I can understand in how Oyeyemi uses mirrors and how, in the end, she gives no concrete ending as mirrors will never tell you the truth in the end.
For “Mirror, Mirror, on the wall” what could be the truest answer of all? The truth, which comes to slap us all in the end, is the truest answer because truth is the harshest medicine to swallow. It’s always what we don’t want to hear about ourselves or our loved ones, just as personally, I find myself thinking similar thoughts to Boy, and Snow, and Bird. The world is a mirror that reflects my innermost thoughts and confirms them because I want it to.
I just wanted to find out if Oyeyemi meant to confuse the reader on whether she decided magic existed in this world where the color of skin mattered and how women were viewed. It gave me a new perspective to myself, since I had been viewed as Snow White before. I relate to Snow White with the dark hair (to a point I thought her of a brunette despite the claim of hair as black as coal), the red lips, and the fair, pale skin. To think of Snow White as being African American sincerely surprised me but only changed my opinion of her grandmother, who so desperately wanted it to be kept a secret.
Sometimes it’s hard to figure out how people work and it just makes me respect Oyeyemi even more, especially with the surprise at the end of the book – something I still can’t believe! It makes me all the more pleased I picked this book for my paper topic with all the twists and turns and nooks and crannies the story holds; not to mention the number of references to other fairy tales and the perspective of the stepmother/Queen as the main figure. It made the choice of using the mirror as the main tool of portrayal all the more realistic, and at the same time, more fantastical.
At first, a view of mirrors brings nothing special to mind, as a mirror is just a mirror, until the image you see smiles back at you. When what you see is what reflects your inner state of mind, it can be hard to know if what you’re seeing is real and from that, I can understand where Boy, the stepmother, is coming from. Mirrors represent something more than just a reflection; they become the world around you and turn your family members against you or let them support you. A mirror can change your image until you hate what you look like, if you let the mirror control. Mirrors show the insecurities we all feel with ourselves, with our families, and with how we view our world. It’s certainly something I can understand in how Oyeyemi uses mirrors and how, in the end, she gives no concrete ending as mirrors will never tell you the truth in the end.
For “Mirror, Mirror, on the wall” what could be the truest answer of all? The truth, which comes to slap us all in the end, is the truest answer because truth is the harshest medicine to swallow. It’s always what we don’t want to hear about ourselves or our loved ones, just as personally, I find myself thinking similar thoughts to Boy, and Snow, and Bird. The world is a mirror that reflects my innermost thoughts and confirms them because I want it to.