So do to writing in notebooks and not actually putting things online I will be writing the next few blog posts backwards. However, I will start my first official blog post with ideas considered in African-American Literature today.
The poem We Wear the Mask by Paul Dunbar discusses the importance of hiding our true feelings from the world and creating what we want them to see despite suffering. In the novel Invisible Man there are two characters that I would distinctly like to talk about in relation to masks, the necessity of them, and our reaction to these characters.
The most obvious character during this point of the book in relation to masks is Dr. Bledso due to his actions in chapters four and six where we see him manipulate situations by controlling his emotions expertly. Dr. Bledso does this to further himself in the world and you can't really argue that it hasn't worked. Dr. Bledso sees his mask as a very important part of his identity, possibly all of his identity, and is dumbfounded when the narrator is shocked by his actions and the narrators willingness to please without the thought of how it could help him.
An interesting character to contrast Dr. Bledso with is Mr. Norton because at least how the narrator sees him it appears that he is not hiding his true emotions. Mr. Norton is not afraid to talk with the narrator about why he donates money to the college, share about his daughter, or show emotion to the story that Trueblood tells him. The reason for this seeming honesty I believe stems from the fact that the narrator is socially below him and that he has established himself and can afford to be seen as weaker. Mr. Norton already has a social positions, solidified by the fact that he is white, and has no more status to gain.
Further evidence that Mr. Norton isn't hiding behind a mask is that he does not question or mistrust the narrator when he takes him to real slums of the area around the college. If he were wearing a mask he might be more skeptical of others because he knows that his own outward actions are not completely honest.
Between these two characters the reason that one can afford to not be deceptive is because of initial social status, especially race. Now that both of the characters are in stable places in their careers there is still a difference because Dr. Bledso must, at least appear, reliant on other people to keep his life's work going.
Due to the poem and these two characters I feel that the lack of a mask is something that people who are securely in a social status and not looking to go up any higher can afford not to have. In relation to this a humorous quote comes to mind about the difference between eccentric people and crazy people, how much money they make.
The poem We Wear the Mask by Paul Dunbar discusses the importance of hiding our true feelings from the world and creating what we want them to see despite suffering. In the novel Invisible Man there are two characters that I would distinctly like to talk about in relation to masks, the necessity of them, and our reaction to these characters.
The most obvious character during this point of the book in relation to masks is Dr. Bledso due to his actions in chapters four and six where we see him manipulate situations by controlling his emotions expertly. Dr. Bledso does this to further himself in the world and you can't really argue that it hasn't worked. Dr. Bledso sees his mask as a very important part of his identity, possibly all of his identity, and is dumbfounded when the narrator is shocked by his actions and the narrators willingness to please without the thought of how it could help him.
An interesting character to contrast Dr. Bledso with is Mr. Norton because at least how the narrator sees him it appears that he is not hiding his true emotions. Mr. Norton is not afraid to talk with the narrator about why he donates money to the college, share about his daughter, or show emotion to the story that Trueblood tells him. The reason for this seeming honesty I believe stems from the fact that the narrator is socially below him and that he has established himself and can afford to be seen as weaker. Mr. Norton already has a social positions, solidified by the fact that he is white, and has no more status to gain.
Further evidence that Mr. Norton isn't hiding behind a mask is that he does not question or mistrust the narrator when he takes him to real slums of the area around the college. If he were wearing a mask he might be more skeptical of others because he knows that his own outward actions are not completely honest.
Between these two characters the reason that one can afford to not be deceptive is because of initial social status, especially race. Now that both of the characters are in stable places in their careers there is still a difference because Dr. Bledso must, at least appear, reliant on other people to keep his life's work going.
Due to the poem and these two characters I feel that the lack of a mask is something that people who are securely in a social status and not looking to go up any higher can afford not to have. In relation to this a humorous quote comes to mind about the difference between eccentric people and crazy people, how much money they make.
A very insightful post, Beth. While you didn't quite touch on this, I felt that the mask of the poem is more defensive, while the mask of the novel was more offensive. Also, you make an interesting distinction between Bledsoe and Norton. Since Norton is in a secure, wealthy position, he does not need to wear a mask to get what he wants, as he perhaps once did. Bledsoe on the other hand, while powerful, is still black, and needs to keep his mask on to retain power. I also felt that perhaps Bledsoe also keeps the mask on because he still wants to gain power, even though he is in an influential position. The mask has become all that is his personality.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with your comment that the poems mask was defensive mainly because of the sense that there is nothing to be really gained by wearing it. Yes you can maintain your own dignity in a way by wearing it and not letting others see your pain but you are still paying a "debt."
ReplyDeleteAlso I think that your comment that Bledso seems to have lost track of his true self. Whereas in the poem the writer seems to understand that the mask is just something you can do and something you show the world, not who you truly are.