Boy, Snow, Bird

Mirrors are one of the two most important motifs in the novel. Each of the main characters struggles with mirrors, although each of their understanding of mirrors is just a little bit different. Boy begins the novel by telling us that no one ever warned her about mirrors, “so for many years [she] was fond of them, and believed them to be trustworthy” (3). She originally liked to set them up across from one another in order to create infinite versions of herself; of course, this also has the effect of shutting out anything outside the world that the mirrors create. She uses mirrors to figure out her mood, suggesting that she did not trust her own instincts and emotions. However, while the person in the mirror is her, the person in the mirror is also different from her; this manifests most prominently in the novel when she sees a bloodied version of herself on Ivory down, trying to get her to follow her into the woods.

Bird, of course, has her own issues with mirrors, as she does not see her own reflection at times. Whereas Boy’s reflection was different, showing her another version of herself, Bird’s is merely absent, suggesting a feeling of invisibility or unimportance.