Dialogue with the Mirror: An Analysis
‘Dialogue with the Mirror’ is a captivating short story penned by the renowned Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez in 1949. Written when Márquez was just twenty-two, this early work marks a pivotal moment in his literary journey as he began to explore the depths of his distinctive style.
Summary
The narrative unfolds around a man who stands before a mirror as he prepares for his day. The story, which lacks a traditional plot, delves into the inner musings of the man as he engages in the routine act of shaving. He meticulously itemizes the tasks ahead of him—shaving, bathing, and having breakfast—each allotted a specific timeframe.
As he shaves, his mind wanders, and he struggles to recall the name of a local shop that sells various essentials, owned by a woman named Mabel and beginning with the letter ‘P’. Briefly, he catches a glimpse of his deceased twin brother’s image in the mirror, a haunting reminder of the past.
Filling the basin with hot water, he watches the steam evaporate from the mirror, allowing him to see his reflection. He playfully sticks out his tongue, noting its yellow hue, which leads him to believe he has an upset stomach. Observing his own smile, he detects an unsettling artificiality in it as it bounces back at him.
In a moment of childlike joy, he lathers his face with soap, but the pressure of time soon weighs on him. The enticing aroma of food wafting from the kitchen below makes his mouth water as he hurries through the shaving process. Suddenly, he notices his elbow in the mirror, prompting a disturbing thought that someone is trying to hang his dead brother. In his haste, he inadvertently nicks himself while shaving.
While he can see the cut in the mirror, he cannot feel it on his face. As he examines his reflection, he observes a look of worry overtaking his features. He begins to ponder the idea that he is somehow ahead of the version of himself in the mirror, who was unprepared for the stroke that caused the cut.
After rinsing his face and drying it with a towel, he sees the bloodied cut on the reflection’s face. In a moment of clarity, he suddenly recalls the name of Mabel’s shop: Pandora. This revelation fills him with an exhilarating sense of accomplishment, akin to the joyful wagging of a dog’s tail within his soul.
Analysis
‘Dialogue with the Mirror’ employs a third-person narrative, allowing Márquez to utilize a free indirect style that draws readers closer to the protagonist’s psychological state. This narrative choice invites contemplation. Why does Márquez opt for third-person narration instead of letting the unnamed character voice his thoughts directly?
One possible explanation is that a first-person narration during such an ordinary task as shaving could risk coming across as self-indulgent or narcissistic. The protagonist is not a remarkable individual, nor are his actions in ‘Dialogue with the Mirror’ particularly extraordinary. By employing third-person narration, Márquez maintains a certain distance, allowing readers to observe the character much like he observes his own reflection in the mirror.
This notion resonates with many readers, as the experience of seeing one’s reflection often evokes feelings of an uncanny double, a concept explored by Sigmund Freud in his psychoanalytic essays. Nicholas Royle, in his work The Uncanny, dedicates a thought-provoking chapter to this idea. The double can be unsettling because it embodies a paradox; it is both intimately familiar and strikingly alien, a part of us yet foreign.
Márquez underscores this theme with the mention of the protagonist’s deceased twin. In recognizing a resemblance between his weary face and that of his dead brother, a bridge is formed between the past and present, between life and death. The act of cutting himself while shaving adds another layer, as he can see his reflection bleeding but cannot locate the wound on his own face.
The Epiphany
Many modernist short stories culminate not in dramatic plot twists but rather in subtle revelations experienced by the protagonist, commonly referred to as an epiphany. In a narrative that largely eschews traditional plot structure, a climactic twist can feel forced or contrived.
In ‘Dialogue with the Mirror’, the man’s epiphany, if one can call it that, manifests as his sudden recollection of the name of Pandora, the shop run by Mabel, which he passes on his way to work. This seemingly trivial detail serves as the epiphany’s climax, bordering on absurdity.
However, the significance lies not in the triviality of remembering the store’s name but in the interplay of sensory experiences he undergoes—shaving despite the cut, the tantalizing aroma of kidneys cooking, and the resolution of a fleeting memory. These moments coalesce to evoke a primal joy within him at the story’s conclusion.
Final Thoughts
Mathematical language subtly permeates the narrative: geometry, theorem, and velocity are woven into the fabric of the man’s shaving ritual. Márquez juxtaposes the mathematician’s precision with the artist’s sensibility as the man contemplates his reflection in the mirror.
While scientific accuracy is essential for achieving the perfect shave, this desire for precision exists alongside an aesthetic impulse, suggesting that shaving is as much an art form as it is a scientific endeavor. There’s a humorous dissonance in using mathematical terminology to describe such a mundane act as shaving, and Márquez flirts with the absurd in his portrayal of this everyday ritual.