Masks
Halloween is a time for masks. Aliens, zombies, vampires and werewolves will soon walk the suburban streets in search of tasty treats. But then there is the next level of masks—the likenesses of movie stars, politicians and other celebrities with their most unflattering features exaggerated. Cheap shots, to be sure, but alibied as “satire.” We finally arrive at the “non–off–the–rack” mask–making of actual make–up artists. Here’s where the mask one chooses tells us things about the person we only thought we knew. You see, the scariest thing about masks is their very concept—of a friend or loved one, beneath the surface, not really being the person you know at all. That is a truly fearful thing.
“Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.”
— Oscar Wilde
“The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are. You trade in your reality for a role. …You give up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask.”
— Jim Morrison
“God has given you one face, and you make yourself another.”
— William Shakespeare
“All great things must first wear terrifying and monstrous masks in order to inscribe themselves on the hearts of humanity.”
— Friedrich Nietzsche
