Through A Glass: an analysis by finch :p
I adore this song so so much, it's absolutely one of my favourites from the whole of Pulp Musicals. Plus, I'm writing a fic for pulp fortnight, and decided to do this to easier organise my ideas for that. Also, my headcanons are probably very entwined in this so.. yeah. sorry. Please enjoy :]
Through a glass, darkly
I see myself, partially
With pieces left forgotten or unseen
Is there a way to wipe the surface clean?
So much of who Samuel is, is his family and loved ones. They mean so much to him, and he longs for connections to people. When Samuel looks in the mirror, he sees himself, but not fully. He's not completely himself, at least not the "him" he wishes he was. Not the brave man, rushing to act. Not one to stand up for himself. He sees an obscured reflection of himself. Something is missing, and seems to him, covered up by pieces of those around him that he's tried to reflect. He wonders if there's a way to see through those pieces, and see himself fully, see the man he wants to be.
Are these my mother's eyes?
My father's smile?
This is self explanatory. In his reflection, he can see so much of his parents. His eyes are so similar to his mother's, round and deep and ready to take in everything they can. His smile so much resembles his father's, that old, genuine smile that they haven't seen in so long.
Speak to me, it's been a while
Samuel sees his parents in his reflection, and he wants them to speak to him. He wants them to come back, tell him things will be okay, give him advice on what to do and how to fix his mistakes. Not expect too much of him while still encouraging him to be the best he can be because that's who his parents were and that's what they used to do when he was younger. Samuel wants his family back.
Would you trust what you see
When looking through a glass at me?
Samuel wonders if other people look at him and see a person they can count on, or if they see him how he sees himself. Someone just made up of parts of other people.
Through a glass, darkly
I see myself, starkly
With armour that's been comfortable to wear
Underneath, is anybody there?
John sees himself in a suit of armour that he's grown used to. Something he began wearing when he was younger, in his early teens, because of his father. It was uncomfortable at first, but it's grown with him and perfectly protects him now. But, it's also become an insecurity for him, because now he doesn't know how to take it off, and he can't tell who he is without it. He can't even tell if he exists without it.
Are these my father's dreams?
His hopes and fears?
John has a complicated relationship with his father. He loves him, though he's also never quite been his father. Even when he was younger, William could have been more considered a mentor, teaching him about the cosmos and how to study them. John learned everything his father knew, used that knowledge in school and in his career, as well using his father's money to help him along. John doesn't quite know where his father ends and where John begins. His armour and the way it makes him feel, furthers this.
Is that what people want to hear?
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree
When they hold a glass to me
John wonders if people want him to be just like his father. When they look at him, do they just want to see more of the great astronomer William Herschel? Everything he does, every accomplishment feels as though it's an extension of his father, not himself. John lives in the shadow of his father's legacy, and only the satellite has made him feel any different thus far. The satellite will be his [and of course Anna's] legacy, instead of his father's. At least, he hopes.
So many years spent in the atmosphere
Neglecting what happens here
On the earth, in my brain
With the pieces just out of the frame
Both Samuel and John have found a place in the stars and the sky. John in a much more scientific way, studying and discovering new features of the sky. Samuel in a more creative and less grounded way, using his writing as a way to put himself in the stars. They both indulge heavily in this, John becoming an astronomer, and Samuel becoming a writer, and trying to include his fiction in the paper to share how it makes him feel with others. They use it to escape, John to escape how he feels with his father, and Samuel to escape his loneliness and lack of success in making his dreams come true. They use it to escape what makes them unhappy.
I'll build my own path
I'll build my way back
To more than I thought I could be
John building his own path represents him deciding to not use the one his father had paved, and instead find his own way to legacy.
Samuel building his way back is representative of him wanting to become what he's always wanted to be [a writer]
High enough to finally see things clearly
Through a glass, darkly
We judge ourselves, harshly
Inside the satellite, sharing their feelings with each other, they both feel like they can reflect better, and more accurately. They can see how they see each other, but they can also see the flaws in how they view themselves. Samuel is not just a reflection of others, he is a loyal man that is inspired by his loved ones. He's not a Frankenstein of others' traits, he is his own person who takes and learns from those close to him. John is not his father, and he doesn't have to be. He's not just an extension of him, he is his own person who, while he did get his start from his father, has made his own discoveries and advances in his field. Looking in the mirror, they have been too harsh on themselves.
The road we take
The choice we make
Is the view
I have such a long way to go
Whatever the distance, we'll travel together.
Samuel still has a long journey to really becoming himself and finding his confidence in himself, and of course in building his relationships and trustworthiness.
John also has the rest of his own journey in proving himself to himself, and he will be at Samuel's side, and they will help each other when they need it.
