Emotional Avoidance Mask Essay

1026 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: How does society influence one's behavior

The purpose of a mask is to hide everything that is wrong by not showing it in the slightest. Not even that makes anything better for the mask user and will NOT solve anything for them. A short-term solution will not solve a long-term problem and can make the situation worse. Characters like Avis in the novel “We Are Called To Rise” use a variety of masks to hide the variety of problems in their lives. In the novel, Laura McBride uses Avis and their use of an emotional avoidance mask to demonstrate that she purposely hides how she really feels by showing no strength or emotion.
Specifically, Avis uses an emotional avoidance mask because she fails to address the issues that affect her the most by unhealthily covering them up. Avis deals with …show more content…

Bashkim, a young boy, is shown to wear a societal mask. This shows that anybody, even kids can wear masks of any kind. This is shown after Bashkim’s parents argued with his school principal and made Bashkim “afraid that (he) will never be allowed to come to school again…(Bashkim) just made the thought go out of (his) head. (Bashkim) pretended (he) was in a movie and (he) walked… with his movie face on” (McBride 44). Bashkim hides his reality; he does not want to face the issues of his mother and father fighting and being escorted out of the school so he pretends that he is in a “movie” which shows a perfect life. McBride clearly shows that societal masks can be harmful since they cover up the true feelings of someone and will only make it harder to make it better for them or help them. It is important for a character to express their true emotions in order to be helped so their situation won’t get worse. While McBride uses Bashkim as a prime example, she uses Avis again to explain the importance of how masks affect how Avis is as a person. Avis refers to flashbacks throughout the novel about her life and tells the story up to her current life in the book. One memory is when she had moved into a new neighborhood with new faces and people. Avis however blended into the newer society and became like everyone, when her “old life seemed to slip completely off (her) when a group of women assumed (Avis) was one of them...nobody seemed to notice that (her) memories were not the same as theirs.” (McBride 32). “Second life” shows that Avis is trying to blend into a life that is different from her life before. She is having to blend in with the moms around her even though her background life is different. McBride is showing that an assimilation mask is causing her to not be who she really is, in order to be accepted by society. If this were

Show More
Related

  • Analysis of Louisa May Alcott´s Behind a Mask

    851 Words  | 2 Pages

    Behind a Mask is a book that demonstrates the power a woman possesses. During a time in which those who are not rich are considered mere human beings, Louisa May Alcott creates a character by the name of Jean Muir who surpasses the society she lives in. Muir is a woman who seeks to have a prestigious title that will give her the recognition she desires. As governess to the Coventry family Muir puts in play a plan to marry Sir John, the old uncle in the family, whose title she wants. In the process of getting sir John’s tittle Jean causes controversy in between the family which results as a positive thing for the family as a whole. While stepping over the boundaries set by her society, Muir takes a journey which she must face with intelligence and courage.

    Read More

  • Hidding Behind Masks in Our Secret by Susan Griffin

    1680 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...ords, she expresses how living under a mask is as like living trapped within oneself.

    Read More

  • Masks In Lord Of The Flies

    732 Words  | 2 Pages

    In William Golding’s “Lord Of The Flies”, a group of boys is stranded on an island that completely changes them. The boys turn totally different from how they act from society as if they were putting on masks. It’s not just the boys that wear masks, but a lot of people try to hide from other people. What a mask does is that it hides a person’s trait and shows something completely different. I have made a mask like one of the boys, Ralph, that tries to show that he’s a leader, but hides a different personality. Here are some of the qualities of my mask.

    Read More

  • Analysis: In Defense Of Mask By Kenneth Gergen

    728 Words  | 2 Pages

    Masks are a way an individual expresses themselves with various types of people. We are given different occasions and have to act a certain way to do so. Gergen states that the cause of having a mask is “When an individual seeks approval from this diverse range of personalities,he or she adopts a wholly different mask or public identities.” (197) Each person has a different personality when they are with certain people, based on actions and reactions. For instance, when having a guest visiting for the first time, we tend to look our best and choose the best way to make them feel welcome. We tend to hide things that don 't seem “appropriate” and take out things that seem new. We probably don’t notice, but we create a mask based on appearance since we are hiding the reality based on their first

    Read More

  • A Pair of Tickets by Amy Tan

    1117 Words  | 3 Pages

    influence all her life and struggles to accept her true identity. Through the story you can

    Read More

  • The Mask You Live In Research Paper

    1082 Words  | 3 Pages

    George Orwell quote, “He wears a mask, and his face grows to fit it.” The documentary, “The Mask You Live In”, directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom shows different ages of males who struggle to be themselves while battling America’s limited meaning of manliness. George Orwell quote, “He wears a mask, and his face grows to fit it.” Influenced by the media, among their age group, and the grown-ups in their lives, adolescents dissociate their emotions, disrespect women, and is aggressive. Society gender stereotypes affect young males to change to fit into the societal norm as they characterize “real” men.

    Read More

  • The Symbolism of Masks in Lord of the Flies by William Golding

    834 Words  | 2 Pages

    Though a mask may just be a paper cut out, a molded piece of plastic, or in the Lord of the Flies, a painted face, they all have the same ability to create a feeling of freedom from responsibility. They may make they wearer feel more important or powerful and too good for work, leading to a lack of fulfillment of their responsibility. This belief in freedom from responsibility is best exemplified by Jack, the first one on the island to begin wearing a mask. He used a mask because he felt it gave him power and skill, giving him reason to take up hunting as a prime responsibility, opposed to keeping the fire going. In their...

    Read More

  • Synthesis Essay On Fear

    2084 Words  | 5 Pages

    One of the most controversial topics of the century hinges on one simple question: What makes the world go round? Most will jump to say money. Some will argue in favor of their religion. Others will point out scientific facts. The truth is, none are correct. One emotion, one aspect of life shines above the others, extending its light on merely half of our beloved globe, leaving the other semi-circle to deal with pitch black: fear. To understand its impact, society’s definition of fear must be perceived. Fear is officially defined as an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something dangerous will harm him/her. However, with his classic novel, Alan Paton shows that it extends far beyond that. An old man by the name of Stephen Kumalo leaves the comfort of his tribe in Ndotsheni, and embarks on a

    Read More

  • The Mask

    822 Words  | 2 Pages

    The mask is a form of deception or illusion. Sometimes, it can be worn as both. It hides the true emotions of slaves, keeping the slave master from knowing what is going on in their minds. The mask also allows the slave to have an identity without the master’s detection. The mask gives the illusion that the slave is exactly how the masters believe, ignorant, incapable of true emotion, and unable to think for themselves.

    Read More

  • Social Psychology In The Mask You Live In

    760 Words  | 2 Pages

    Social psychology is the study of our thoughts, feelings, and behavior about other people and how other people influence our feelings. Social psychology is mainly based around stereotyping, discrimination, and prejudice. In the documentary The Mask You Live In, these three factors come into play in more lives than most people realize, and also have major effects to people’s lives. In our society, many schemas have been developed, which now result in discrimination if a person does not fit that schema. This will then cause many people to develop psychological issues.

    Read More

  • Mask Of Motherhood Essay

    912 Words  | 2 Pages

    With Eva, he is at least partially his honest self. Eva, in moments where she unmasks, is able to be her honest self with him. For example, after throwing Kevin across the nursery, she declares, “I’d felt…like [his] real mother…I felt we were finally communicating” (Shriver 196). She then theorizes that Kevin, at that moment, may have known himself “for my son” (Shriver 201). Years later, he tells her he was proud of her honesty at that time (Shriver 174). Surrounded by inauthenticity, Kevin becomes preoccupied with finding out what secret lies beyond the masks in his life by testing his capacity for cruelty, and Eva’s capacity to tolerate it. After the nursery incident, Kevin’s glimpse behind her mask and “this revelation of his mother’s true colors—her viciousness, her violence—seemed to please him” (Shriver 203). His interest in the secrets behind the mask culminates in the shooting, where he discovers “the secret is that there is no secret” (Shriver 379). Because when we fake a life, we no longer make a life, and in the end, there is nothing authentic left behind the mask – there is no secret left to uncover (Maushart

    Read More

  • Arnold Friend Character Analysis

    1062 Words  | 3 Pages

    While we all may be shown different faces and persona’s each day, it never becomes clear which a true personality is and which is just a mask. Joyce Carol Oates demonstrates the need for her characters to disguise themselves from the rest of society in order to either be accepted by others or to be seen in a more pleasant manner. However, these characters who conceals themselves are ultimately hurt because of their inability to shed their false fronts and accept who they truly are.

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of We Wear The Mask By Paul Dunbar

    796 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lines 14 and 15, “But let the world dream otherwise, we wear the mask!” shows us that the worldly responsibilities of these people are just being brushed to the side and are being dreamed upon like it doesn’t matter. The speaker is showing us once again that it is easier for them to just accept the mask and avoid the truth rather than just facing them and accepting them as who they are unselfishly. Whereas the people wearing the masks are not dreaming at all, they are more so in a nightmare than a peaceful dream.

    Read More

  • Harmfulness Of Fear Essay

    1535 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the words of Bertrand Russell, “Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom” (Russell). Fear causes many problems in our lives. Fear influences many of a person’s actions and decisions. However, people usually regret the decisions or actions they made out of fear. Also, these actions and decisions can cause problems for those people in their future. Fear is a harmful emotion, for it clouds people’s judgement, disables them from taking action, and causes them to make decisions that they will regret later.

    Read More

  • Not Waving But Drowning Poem

    782 Words  | 2 Pages

    It’s like when she refuses to go to school and instead chooses to “HomeSchool” herself, she is refusing to accept the fact that one day, she’ll lose either Sofie or Adrienne. Instead of facing the reality of things, she chooses to “ [Flip] on the TV” instead of “Writing a poem” for school, hinting that she no longer wants to think about the school. Unknowingly, however, she makes connections to her real life situation, like when she watches “THE MOST DANGEROUS AND AWFUL MOMENTS EVER”, which seems like a very violent show but she chooses to watch it anyway. Her choice of show, seems to replicate her situation, which is riddled with violence, denial and cover ups. The next show that pops up is the Reena Virk case, where she feels mad.

    Read More

More about Emotional Avoidance Mask Essay

Open Document