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The Bronze Ornament
The drawing-room’s lack of mirrors represents Sartre’s interest in how perception influences a person’s sense of self. Unable to check her reflection, Estelle feels existentially amiss, as if her mere existence depends upon her ability to see herself. She explains to Inez that she usually likes to have a mirror nearby when she’s having conversations so that she can look at herself while talking, thereby grounding herself. Otherwise, she’s forced to imagine what other people see when they look at her—an experience that deeply troubles her. When Inez offers to let Estelle use her eyes as a mirror, Estelle only gets more uncomfortable; she senses that the version of herself Inez sees will always be different than the version Estelle herself imagines. Because of this dynamic, then, the mirrorless drawing-room becomes a representation of the existential fluidity the trio experiences in hell, ultimately standing for their desire and failure to make peace with the way they present themselves to the world.
Mirrors Quotes in No Exit
The No Exit quotes below all refer to the symbol of Mirrors. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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No Exit
Quotes
ESTELLE [opens her eyes and smiles]: I feel so queer. [She pats herself] Don’t you ever get taken that way? When I can’t see myself I begin to wonder if I really and truly exist. I pat myself just to make sure, but it doesn’t help much.
INEZ: You’re lucky. I’m always conscious of myself—in my mind. Painfully conscious.
ESTELLE: Ah yes, in your mind. But everything that goes on in one’s head is so vague, isn’t it? It makes one want to sleep. [She is silent for a while.] I’ve six big mirrors in my bedroom. There they are. I can see them. But they don’t see me. They’re reflecting the carpet, the settee, the window—but how empty it is, a glass in which I’m absent! When I talked to people I always made sure there was one near by in which I could see myself. I watched myself talking. And somehow it kept me alert, seeing myself as the others saw me. . . .
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Mirrors Symbol Timeline in No Exit
The timeline below shows where the symbol Mirrors appears in No Exit. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
No Exit
...the valet dismisses this as a joke. Going on, Garcin notes that there aren’t any mirrors, and though this doesn’t bother him, he becomes suddenly incensed by the fact that nobody...
(full context)
...says, “but I know what I’m talking about. I’ve often watched my face in the glass.” Changing the subject, she asks Garcin if he’s going to be in the drawing-room at...
(full context)
Learning how important mirrors are to Estelle, Inez offers to act as her “glass,” encouraging her to sit next...
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...worked up. “I didn’t ask anything of her and she came and offered me her—her glass,” she says. Inez then bitterly observes that Estelle was hoping to get Garcin’s attention the...
(full context)
