Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of physical and emotional domestic abuse, violence, and death.

Mirrors form an important motif in the text, reflecting the theme of Appearance Versus Reality. The nature of mirrors, which show a reflection of the self, are often used in literature and film to convey a duality within a character or some secret they are keeping hidden. In Do Not Disturb, mirrors are prevalent throughout, as are the secrets, lies, and hidden truths that the characters maintain.

A mirror first appears after Quinn kills her husband. She thinks, “When I get out of the shower, my skin is bright red. I wrap a towel around my body and stare at myself in the mirror over the sink” (17). Quinn is “bright red” because she spent so long in the shower scrubbing herself, trying to get the blood off her skin from killing Derek, but also trying desperately to get rid of the vivid memories of her abuse. For Quinn, she has been living two lives: One where she projects happiness in her marriage and another where she suffers from Derek’s abuse without telling anyone. Now that he is dead, she must keep the secret of killing him.

In Rosalie’s point of view section, she begins to wonder why Nick’s mood suddenly changes. She sees him “take an extra second to check out his appearance in the bathroom mirror before he leaves for the motel” (216). The reader knows that Nick has started a relationship with Christina. This moment in the mirror emphasizes the duality of his character, as he tries to hide his affair from his wife.

Mirrors serve this purpose throughout the novel, conveying the struggle that characters undergo as they try to hide their secrets from others. They are most prevalent in Greta’s room, where Quinn notes, “the wall is lined with mirrors, so I can see myself no matter where I look” (60). This fact conveys two elements of Greta’s character. First, it is in her room that characters are forced to grapple with the other version of themselves. She does not allow Greta or Claudia to lie—even about their names—as she immediately confronts them when they attempt to do so. Second, it symbolizes the truth about Greta that is only revealed at the end of the text: She is the one who killed Christina. The mirrors in her room thus reinforce the fact that Greta, too, has always been more than she first appeared to be.