Eagle-topped mirror (The Pretext)

The picture shows what the “cramped eagle-topped mirror” (Lewis, 1968, p. 632) in Mrs. Margaret Ransom’s room may look like. The mirror is described as “cramped” what means that it is rather difficult to actually look at yourself in it. This problem is supported by the fact that the mirror has an “unflattering surface” (Lewis, 1968, p. 632) probably like the one in the picture. The effect of the cramped mirror with the unflattering surface on Mrs. Margaret Ransom and the understanding of the short story is explained in more detail in White (1991).

Source:

Lewis, R. W. B. (1968). The Collected Short Stories of Edith Wharton. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.

White, B. A. (1991). Edith Wharton. A Study of the Short Fiction. New York: Twayne Publishers.