In “Behind a Mask” our key character, Jean Muir puts on quite the show. She creates this persona for herself as a governess and loftily charms everyone. As the story unfolds, you find out that she is really an actress pretending to be a governess because she wants to have a better life and get away from being an actress. In the end she gets exactly what she wants but along the way, she unmasks Gerald. Even though they discover each other’s true identity, they agree to continue to keep the charade up to protect their reputations.
I found this story difficult to analyze for gothic elements because its gothic nature is more subtle. The element of suspense is there when trying to figure out who Jean Muir is and there is a slight sense of horror at the end of chapter one when she takes off her hair and teeth.
I also thought it was difficult to like Jean. I really don’t like manipulative people and she is a pro. I can respect that she at least made Gerald a better man but I really don’t like the way she went about doing so. I found myself feeling bad for Lucia.
As much as I hate the nature of manipulation, I feel like this story could be a metaphor for society. Politicians ultimately are not effective unless they are manipulative. So, just like them, Jean would not have been able to get what she wanted as the mere actress that she was.
I think it's really interesting that you compared Jean to today's politicians. That's a really interesting observation that I haven't thought about, but it makes sense. Many politicians are two-faced, like Jean, but it is usually not revealed until after they get what they want, which is like Jean as well. Nice comparison.
ReplyDeleteI also had a really hard time liking Jean in this story. It's hard hard for me to get into a story if I can't be sympathetic to the main character. I agree with Allison about your comparison to politicians. I hadn't considered that while I was reading the story but it's so accurate!
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