Masks in Literature Free Essay Sample

The metaphorical use of “masks” is prevalent in both Paul Laurence Dunbar’s “We Wear the Mask” and Mark Twain’s “ The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson”. Within “We Wear the Mask”, Black slaves smile and sing through the pain of their daily existence, as they are tortured.  In “The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson”, Chambers, who is now being referred to as Tom, is living lavishly, while Tom, who is now referred to as Chambers, is dealing with the brutal reality of being a slave. Throughout this process, people are hiding who they truly are, and the reader becomes aware that wearing a metaphorical mask for too long can alter and erase someone’s true identity. 

Paul Laurence Dunbar’s “We Wear the Mask '' is a good example of a metaphorical mask altering someone's identity as they hide how they truly feel. This idea is presented very early in the poem, with the first stanza stating, “We wear the mask that grins and lies, / It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—  / This debt we pay to human guile; / With torn and bleeding hearts we smile…” (Dunbar, lines 1-4). We are quickly able to see both the physical and mental deterioration of these slaves. Not only are they physically withering away, but they are being mentally drained. Dunbar’s choice of words, such as ‘lies’, ‘torn’, and ‘bleeding’ evokes a sense of  sorrow for the slaves who feel the need to mask their pain and tiredness with a smile. 

In the final stanza of “We Wear the Mask”, Dunbar states, “We sing, but oh the clay is vile / Beneath our feet, and long the mile, / But let the world dream otherwise, / We wear the mask!” (12-15). Throughout these lines, one can see that the world is blind to the treatment and dehumanization of slaves. Dunbar depicts the challenging conditions that the slaves are living in, with reference to the hot clay beneath their feet, alluding to the idea that they do not have proper footwear, let alone any footwear for the extreme conditions they are working in. Despite these treacherous conditions, the slaves are forced to wear a mask to hide these emotions from the world. With that being said, wearing a mask for too long will ultimately begin to impact an individual's mental health. As we end the poem, this notion becomes evident and the mental health of the slaves begins to deteriorate, which is a powerful message to send to the reader. 

While “ The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson '' is a work of fiction, this literary piece also shows how wearing a metaphorical mask can alter and erase the identity of an individual. Roxy, the mother of Chambers, switches her son with Tom to avoid her son being sold down the river. What she is unaware of, is how the constant wearing of a mask will impact these two boys and eventually, her. An example of these two boys hiding who they are is in chapter four. The chapter states, “Tom had long ago taught Roxy "her place." It had been many a day now since she had ventured a caress or a fondling epithet in his quarter…she had been warned to keep her distance and remember who she was. She saw her darling gradually cease from being her son…” (p.62). These sentences show that while “Tom” is not aware that he is wearing a mask, it is altering his identity. In “Tom’s” eyes, Roxy is below him, and therefore, she is barely treated like a human being. If he was aware that he was Roxy’s son, he most likely would not be treating her with this amount of disrespect.  Not only does this mask alter “Tom’s” identity, but it erases who he truly is as well. Biologically, he is Roxy’s son and would be a slave if he was not switched at birth. Who “Tom” was at birth is being completely erased, altering who he is presently and how he treats the people around him.  

Another example of identity being altered in Mark Twain's “Pudd'nhead Wilson” is in regards to “Chambers”. The story says, “ [Percy Driscoll] told Chambers that under no provocation  whatever was he privileged to lift his hand against his little master. Chambers overstepped the line three times, and got three such convicting canings from the man who was his  father and didn’t know it, that he took Tom’s cruelties in all humility after that, and made no more experiments” (58). “Chambers”, just like “Tom” , is unknowingly wearing a mask. However, unlike “Tom”, “Chambers”’ mask is impacting him in a negative manner. While “Tom” is coddled as a child, “Chambers” is not. He is abused, put to work, and forced to become a strong and independent individual. While “Chambers” is not a slave by birth, this mask that he is wearing has erased his privilege. Instead of giving orders, he is taking them. As a result of this mask, Chambers is  degraded and dehumanized by his birth father, “Tom”, and everyone else around him.