The Monk By Matthew Lewis: An Analysis

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The mirror used in the story The Monk by Matthew Lewis is a central component used to demonstrate the relationship between mirrors and witchcraft. Zika (2013) explains that mirrors are often used by witches to receive and send images coming from the devil as mirrors are one of the few ways the devil and the witch can communicate with each other. This form of communication is linked with the historical symbolism of mirrors as being used in divination, specifically in scrying rituals that are focused on attaining information and knowledge about the future from images. The main difference is that images coming from the devil are meant to deceive. Summer (2014) provides a similar explanation, adding that mirrors, within the context of witchcraft,