We did an activity this week, reguaring the reconstruction of Huck Finn. We disscuessed many topics (e.g. Religion, Salesmanship, Women, Men) that all had an apparent affect on Hucks life. Yet one category, "Persona" stood out to me. OC brought up the question: why do characters adopt masks? To what extent is it a survival stragey?
Isn't everyone always wearing a mask? I feel I am a slighty different person around my friends, versus my family or even my teachers. You choose an identity depending on the situation. Sure you are YOU! But the truth is YOU is not a constant thing.
Everyone takes advantage of "masks" to cover up their insecurties. In a sense, it then becomes a survival instinct. For example, with a new friend that I don't know well...I may act a certain way to impress him or her. I use a mask to cover my own faults.
My question to you is: To what extent do maskes interfere with our individualism?
Sarah-
ReplyDeleteInteresting post, very insightful! To expand, Mr. O'Connor mentioned that the word "persona" actually means "mask" in Latin. The word "person" comes from "persona." By nature, in accordance with this, all people don masks.
To answer your question, I would say that people's tendency to cover up in front of people outside of their homes definitely interferes with individualism. Not only do people use masks to cover their flaws, but to seem like one of the group. People want to fit in, and cover up what does not fit in.
Again, thanks for this post. It's very thought provoking!