the mirror says,' i am not cruel,only truthful. explain

Sylvia Plath's poem "Mirror", reflects on human inability to accept truth or reality. The woman whose image the mirror reflects truthfully, begs and weeps in front of the mirror to reflect her bygone youth. However, the mirror is unable to do so, because it cannot distort the image that it reflects. The mirror goes on to justify its act by saying that it understands the woman's grief, but cannot become dishonest to satisfy the old woman standing in front of it. Since, it understands the woman's pathos, it will be wrong to say that the mirror is cruel. However, it is bound by its sense of duty to reflect only the truth.