Dean and Mirrors
Just wondering… are Dean’s mirror scenes all related to the Mark of Cain? Not that it really matters in any significant way, I was just wondering when I saw this gifset. What do the mirror moments even symbolize? Self-realization? Ending in destroying that self-image?
(hunenka on tumblr came up with some mirror moments unrelated to the MoC: 4x01 (at ( Read more... )
Mirrors are, obviously, about reflection. They allow us to see what we usually can not (ourselves) and have often been used in visual media as a representation of the hidden aspects of ourselves. In many cultures, mirrors are thought to capture the souls of the recently departed, so it's safe to reason that mirrors can be seen as vehicles for the deepest, most hidden parts of us, such as base emotions, secrets, etc.
Season 1's 'Bloody Mary' is a prime example :)
So, Dean. Dean's never really known himself. He had grown up with two sole focuses: keep Sam safe, and become a hunter. His whole identity is about those two things, and he was never able to explore any other options (both driven by John, and by his own wishes, such as the idolisation of the hero role). For all his bravado in earlier seasons, Dean really didn't have the best self-esteem. He was good at hunting, and it provided validation and purpose to a life that wasn't permitted to explore its potential.
Like others have said it's S4 that this mirror motif kicks in. Dean's just spent 40 years in Hell, where he's been tortured before finally becoming a torturer, AND he's lying about remembering it. In S3's 'Dream A Little Dream of Me' Dean is confronted by a reflection of himself who turns into his (then) worst nightmare, becoming a demon. He's brought back from Hell and suddenly has to deal with the fact that his fears were right - for every good he's done for the world, there's a part of him that greatly enjoyed torturing souls. His validation as a person is destroyed.
From then on out, a good number Dean and mirror scenes are when he's dealing with something dark and/or personal.
Of course, not every scene is like this, as pointed out in galwithglasses' s comment, however the meaning of the mirror can still be seen here (it's not just a mirror to check appearances before going out). In 7.17, Bobby is dead, and though he's not trapped by a mirror, he uses it to communicate with Dean, who he has a personal bond with. It's through the mirror that the 'truth' of Bobby is revealed.
In 8.11, we see both Sam and Dean break away from reality for a moment, and simply enjoy what life has to offer. To play, which is something they never really had as kids (Dean moreso than Sam). I wouldn't go as far as to say that the reflection of Dean is a 'true' or 'hidden' self, but rather it's an alternate version of what could have been - Dean can physically see a self that is free of his current troubles, even if it is just for an afternoon.
(If anyone reading this remembers a mirror in S2's 'What is and What Should Never Be', let me know, because I can't recall)
A reason why Sam doesn't have the same mirror motif (although we can absolutely take into account S4's 'When the Levee Breaks' where Sam sees the vision of the demon blood in his veins as he's detoxing) is that for all his childhood was disrupted like Dean's, he was given more freedom. He wasn't allowed to hunt as early as Dean, he cared about school and had teachers care about him (Dean had simply given up, too focused on his father and Sam's welfare), and it fostered an identity outside of hunting. He left John and Dean, and pursued a life outside of it. He had the opportunity to be a different self. He also, like hunenka said, has a tendency to talk about things, and even he can and does keep secrets ('Bloody Mary' an example of that secret coming to life using a mirror) he doesn't, especially in later seasons, feel like this impacts his character.
I have to go to work now, but if there's anything else I can think of, I'll be back!
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I love that in this case, the medium serving as a mirror for Dean is literally a picture of him in a completely different life...
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But this (first?) mirror moment is probably the one that hurts most.
*sighs*
And thanks for including the gif, it's awesome!
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And I agree with everything - everything makes so much sense! I hadn't actually been aware that the mirror thing has been going on as far back as season 2 (WIAWSNB has a mirror moment too, as hunenka points out above).
And I think I just fell in love with the show all over again, and especially with Dean's characterization. I love that everything ISN'T on the nose and obvious, but it's there if you go looking for it. And as in WIAWSNB very, very subtle.
Sometimes it might take (me) eleven seasons to cop onto something, but then it's even more worthwhile!
#silentstorytelling
Thank you so much for your comment.
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Some things however (like the mirror moments) are too consistent, and make too much sense NOT to be intentional. That's what I think, anyway :)
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