The original Swedish title of "Through a Glass Darkly" is Sasom i en spegel, literally: "As through a mirror". The title comes from the bible verse 1 Corinthians 13:12, referring to man's imperfect view of reality / the divine:
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
Other bible translations use "mirror" instead of "glass".
Both mirrors and glass panes feature extensively throughout Tarkovsky's film. Alexander's house has a lot more mirrors than normally necessary, for instance next to the stereo. And likewise, when Maria opens the door in her house, we see the reflecting door reflected in a mirror.
When Otto describes the Leonardo illustration he says: "
I can't see it clearly. It's behind glass. And it's dark." The Leonardo illustration reflects both Alexander and the outside world on various occasions.
The two black & white dream sequences with the wrecked car both have mirror reflections of buildings.
The old map is seen through its protective glass, to further point out (as the dialogue does) that what a map depicts is not the real thing, merely a virtual model of it.
Characters are constantly looking out of windows. Alexander and Otto talk to each other with a window pane in between them. On two occasions we observe Alexander through glass veranda doors as he sneaks out of the house. Glass cabinet doors swing to and fro. Wine glasses are held up. A drinking glass is placed on Alexander's personal notes.
The TV-set, with it's glass screen, shows a distorted view of the world before going dark. When lamps are turned off, i.e. become dark, they either have glass shades or stands. Otto checks the time on his pocket watch that has a glass plate, in the context of the film's symbolism an indication that it's not to be trusted, and sure enough the film deals with non-linear, cyclical time.
Of all the places Alexander has to fall off his bike, he falls into a reflecting puddle and there are various reflecting puddles elsewhere. Every floor in the film is polished for reflection.
And sure enough, when the house burns down, besides the flames the most prominent sound is that of glass breaking. With all the glass broken, Alexander is freed to see reality in it's naked form. In that sense, and this is quite an important issue, it is not so much the physical house that he sacrifices. The house symbolises his sanity. He sacrifices his sanity to experience God directly. But the dire consequence of this hubris is to be committed into an insane asylum. We see him one last time through glass, the windows of the ambulance, indicating that the natural order meant for mere mortals is being restored: the distorted reality that is the result of the human senses.
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