Through the Looking-Glass · Theme

Time and Reversal

How Through the Looking-Glass develops Time and Reversal.

Living backwards, as the White Queen describes, and the looking-glass world's inversion of normal rules emphasize the theme of time flowing in reverse and the relativity of experience.

Where it surfaces

Epigraph
The poem dwells on the passage of time, memory, and the bittersweet contrast between past summer glory and the present winter scene.
Wool and Water
The White Queen lives backwards, remembering future events and discussing jam yesterday and tomorrow but never today.
Shaking
The Red Queen shrinks and softens, reversing her previous growth and authority.
A Boat Beneath a Sunny Sky
The poem dwells on the passage of time, fading memories, and the cyclical nature of dreams.