61 pages • 2 hours read
Trent DaltonLola in the Mirror
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2023A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
River
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of graphic violence.
The river symbolizes fate. A constant backdrop, the river serves not just as the setting but also as a catalyst for many events: Erica’s death, the flood, and Lola’s victory over Flora Box. The museum label of one sketch notes that the figures in the drawing “are floating inextricably and irreversibly towards their fate” (280). They are drawn toward destiny by the water, a force that cannot be controlled. Furthermore, the day Lola and her mom sit by the river, the woman observes, “All that rain we’ve had, rushing down from the mountains and stirring up our sleepy brown snake” (43). This comparison of the water to a snake highlights the unstoppable force of the river. The water can be calm like a sleeping snake or dangerous when that snake is awakened. In this case, the water’s violent flow is inevitable and simply part of life. However, that unavoidable current is not always terrible, for once, Lola describes “the mud-brown river twinkling at night like it could be the cleanest river in the world” (231). The twinkling possibility of clean water represents the potential for life to be wonderful. However, because it is also mud-brown, the river can symbolize the inevitability of life’s cruelties, too. Both hopeful and devastating, the river represents fate.
Magic Mirror
The motif of the magic mirror fuels the theme of The Struggle for Identity Amid Adversity. When Lola meets and talks with a stranger, the woman tells her, “Mirrors never lie. That mirror of yours might be the most trustworthy thing in your life” (39). Mirrors reflect an image as it is and, as a result, reveal reality. Despite this, Lola does not see a reflection of herself but a window into someone else’s world. When Lola begs to see the woman, who is turned away from her, the reflection symbolizes her inability to understand herself. Later, when the woman in the mirror loses an eye to sorrow rot, Lola asks why she is sad. The woman responds with the truth: “You […] It’s always you. Don’t you get it? Your sorrow is my sorrow” (194). Because Lola does not recognize herself in the mirror, she cannot recognize her pain when she sees it. Furthermore, because she is so focused on her name and her past, she cannot see the essence of who she is reflected in the glass. Then, after killing Brandon, when Lola finds the mirror shattered in the scrapyard, she thinks, “This [reflection] is made from a hundred different versions of Lola […] All the parts of her body in all the broken pieces of my magic mirror are moving out of sync with each other. Everything is distorted” (387-88). Her life, emotions, and self-perceptions are in turmoil, which matches the distorted fragments of glass. It is not until later that she realizes that she has been looking at herself all along, which is why she ultimately chooses to call herself Lola Inthemirror.
Elephant
The elephant is a symbol of memory. After her mother dies, Lola discovers a stuffed elephant that her mother left for her. Lola notes, “I hug it to my chest because I feel like I know this thing. I bring it to my nose and smell it and for some reason the smell is familiar to me too” (101). Elephants are known for their memory, and Lola believes that if she grips the stuffed animal close enough to her, she will remember her identity. The animal invokes nostalgia in Lola even if she cannot fully recall her past. Memory is also highlighted in the sketch of Roslyn and the elephant, for Roslyn holds the key to Lola’s past, both literally and figuratively. This is depicted in the elephant’s proximity to Ros in the drawing. In addition to giving Lola the car key that led to the elephant, the woman also remembers how Lola’s mom was wracked with guilt. Although this recollection does not provide information about Lola’s past, it hints at the truth, for the girl later learns that this guilt resulted from stealing Lola as a baby. The museum label accompanying this sketch notes that “perhaps the elephant is being used […] to speak to the power of a good memory, a key element to any elephant’s survival in the wild” (78). Like elephants, who rely on an accurate memory to migrate great distances, Lola must depend on her memories to survive in a harsh world. Although Lola seeks the truth about her past, it is the memories of her mother’s love that sustain her through difficult times.
Moon
The moon symbolizes hope. In addition to living on her “beloved […] Moon Street” (80), Lola also relishes seeing “the moon at night […] through the hole in the roof” of her van (54). For Lola, the moon is associated with happiness. Although her life is hard, she is at home in the scrapyard and with her mom, which is why the place is so beloved. Furthermore, Lola often gazes at the moon while dreaming of life as an artist. The moon, as a symbol of hope, is reinforced the night Lola meets Danny. As she watches him on the bridge, she observes that the “Brisbane River […] has shed its dirty daytime appearance and gained a nighttime shimmer, thanks to the lightbulb moon in the sky” (284). The moonlight creates a beautiful river, one that is ugly in daylight. This description is symbolic of hope: something ugly can turn beautiful. It is no coincidence that this is just before she meets Danny, who will become a bright light in her life. The moon also appears in dire circumstances. When Lola carries a badly injured Charlie during the flood, she cannot see much: “The rain is easing further and the moon is trying to raise its pretty head over all that dark cloud” (438). The dark cloud is indicative of their desperate situation. However, the effort of the moon “trying to raise its pretty head” represents the tingle of hope Lola feels (438). Despite what they have both endured, if she and Charlie can make it to the scrapyard, they might have a chance at escape. For Lola, the moon repeatedly emerges as a symbol of hope.
