T-I-M-E; this word spelt out has such a vast concept that is hard to truly understand. Time shapes people in ways they never imagined. During the time Anton Chekhov wrote, “The Looking Glass”, women were nothing more a than mere means of reproduction. Women were expected to monitor the home and raise children while men were away from the homes working. Chekhov centralizes his focus on two major themes; the fact that human beings can never escape death and knowing too much of the future can cause depression. At the time Chekhov wrote “The Looking Glass”, modernism, had a significant impact on this short story. The reader can see the short story’s theme being shaped by modernism and the era in which it was written through the characters, symbolism,
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As Chekhov writes “…A clouded mist and merged into a boundless grey sea. The sea was undulating, gleaming and now and then flaring crimson” (par 2 pg1), the grey sea represents the miserable parts of life. The fog is a blur of death, suffering, stress, and all the dulling parts of life. The crimson flares represent extreme measures of pain and happiness. The reader can infer this due to the feeling that Nellie is neither happy nor satisfied with life in the beginning until out of the mist and sea her prince charming appears and the sea is no longer a major aspect of her dream while the flames grow. In the beginning Nellie sees a narrow hallway with what appears to be an endless amount of candles. In the time Chekhov wrote this short story, religion, in particular, Christianity was the most popular form of religion. With this background information, the candles represent two things; the light of God, the fact that he is always with you on your journey. As well as the “Light at the end of the tunnel”, which refers to the claimed last sight of those dying. Not only are there specific items that symbolize things greater than itself, the whole story in retrospect emblematize how life works. One-day people will be looking forward to achieving their dream and when they finally do, it’s not as what they expected and before they blink someone they love and cherish
As Chekhov writes “…A clouded mist and merged into a boundless grey sea. The sea was undulating, gleaming and now and then flaring crimson” (par 2 pg1), the grey sea represents the miserable parts of life. The fog is a blur of death, suffering, stress, and all the dulling parts of life. The crimson flares represent extreme measures of pain and happiness. The reader can infer this due to the feeling that Nellie is neither happy nor satisfied with life in the beginning until out of the mist and sea her prince charming appears and the sea is no longer a major aspect of her dream while the flames grow. In the beginning Nellie sees a narrow hallway with what appears to be an endless amount of candles. In the time Chekhov wrote this short story, religion, in particular, Christianity was the most popular form of religion. With this background information, the candles represent two things; the light of God, the fact that he is always with you on your journey. As well as the “Light at the end of the tunnel”, which refers to the claimed last sight of those dying. Not only are there specific items that symbolize things greater than itself, the whole story in retrospect emblematize how life works. One-day people will be looking forward to achieving their dream and when they finally do, it’s not as what they expected and before they blink someone they love and cherish