How is the concept of mirror images introduced in Tweedledum and Tweedledee?

Answer 1

In Martin Gardner's Annotated Alice, he says,

Tweedledum and Tweedledee are what geometers call "enantiomorphs," mirror images of each other. That Carroll intended this is strongly suggested by Tweedledee's favorite word, "contrariwise," and by the fact that they extend right and left hands for a handshake.

Although Tweedledum and Tweedledee are often thought of as twins, Carroll never describes them as such, referring to them instead as, 'brothers'. He also, at no point, says that they look alike but, such physical description he does give of them indicates that they are, at least, very similar; they are both wearing school uniform, and are both described as 'fat'.

When Alice first meets the brothers, they are standing in a mirror image pose of one another, "each with an arm around the other's neck." And, as Gardner points out, when they shake hands with Alice, they extend opposite hands, which Alice accepts simultaneously, like, when touching an object while facing a mirror, your reflection touches the object in the mirror at the same time.

They do behave as individuals, it is Tweedledee who recites The Walrus and the Carpenter for instance, but also behave in tandem at times:

'Come and look at the him!' the brothers cried, and they each took one of Alice's hands, and led her up to where the King was sleeping.

In their use of language, the brothers often appear to reflect each others' statements. Tweedledee frequently says 'contrariwise', but rather than saying something opposite, or contrary to Tweedledum, he either extends what his brother has said, or says it again, but the other way around.

'If you think we're wax-works.' he said. 'you ought to pay, you know. Wax-works weren't made to be looked at for nothing. Nohow.!'

'Contariwise, added the one marked 'DEE,' 'if you think we're alive, you ought to speak.'

`I know what you're thinking about,' said Tweedledum: `but it isn't so, nohow.'

`Contrariwise,' continued Tweedledee, `if it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn't, it ain't. That's logic.'

In his illustrations, Carroll's artist John Tenniel depicts the brothers looking the same as each other. In his first picture of them they are identical, but in mirror image poses. Interestingly though, the words 'dee' and 'dum' which are visible on their collars, are written the right way round, unlike the text of the poem Jabberwocky, which, when Alice sees it, appears reversed.

In his second picture, they are in different positions, but in the third and final picture of them, they are again in mirror symmetrical poses, to the extent that their opposite hands are held in the same gesture.

See related links below for Tenniel's illustrations