At first, the mirrors depict "ten thousand cold white images of him stalking down the glassy corridors." Ralph is hard, cold, unfeeling, and does "stalk" Bigelow in the same way that one would stalk an animal. Mirror imagery best depicts the true nature of Ralph. She is kind and compassionate towards Bigelow. However, he is also "low" in his estimation of himself, as well as low in stature since he is a dwarf.Īimee is also accurately characterized by her name. Bigelow is "big." He has high aspirations for himself as a writer. He sees facing him in the mirror the image of "a horrid, ugly little man two feet high, with a pale, squashed face."īradbury employs symbolism in regard to his characters' names in this story.
Later, when Ralph leaves the carnival, he glimpses himself in the mirrors. All the while, Ralph sits looking, laughing, and slapping his thighs. Having viewed himself as even smaller than he is in reality, he shrieks hysterically and runs away in search of a weapon with which to take his life. Bigelow is unaware of the change as he makes his nightly visit to the Maze, although he soon makes the discovery. Within the Mirror Maze he repositions his mirrors, inserting one that reduces a man's size.
Ralph, though, has another plan in mind for Bigelow.
She wants to help him find dignity and purpose in life. Ralph's girlfriend, Aimee, also watches Bigelow, but she empathizes with the dwarf. Ralph Banghart, the ticket salesman at the Mirror Maze, watches this nightly ritual through a peephole, finding it a terribly funny joke. Here he struts, pirouettes, and does a clumsy dance. Each night after the customers have gone, he visits the Mirror Maze, where he stands before one mirror in particular, one that magnifies his image many, many times. Bigelow is a dwarf who works for a carnival.
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