The Symbolism Of The Mask In Identity, By J. Adams

In "Identity" the short film by KJ Adams, The filmmaker uses the symbol of the mask to show that people hide identities.It is only when the protagonists mask breaks that she reveals her true self.In the beginning of the story we see a girl, the protagonist putting on a unique white decorated mask.The protagonists mask seems too be a symbol that she is scared what people think about her true identity because her peers may not accept her differences, so she wears a mask.The author uses the pattern of diffrent solid colored masks throuout the film to symbolize the white decorated protagonists mask as diffrent than all the kids in high school. As the story progresses we are found in a classroom where the teacher is talking about Plato’s Allegory,

where the prisoners have never seen life outside the cave until one person decides to step outside and he finds a whole new world outside the cave. It appears that the teachers want the students not to feel like prisoners to themselves and not feel like they're trapped. The students seem to want to take off there mask but are afraid because of the judgemental society we live in.After some time has passed the protagonist goes outside the classroom, we see groups of people with different colored masks and a girl changing her mask to be with a different group.This demonstrates people change themselves to hang out with other people like the “cool kids” or the “popular ones.”When we see the teens with different colored masks we see them as different than us, but instead of talking to them boys and girls spread gossip.As a result to the teachers, students and the masks at the end the protagonist took off her mask when she looked in the mirror, she then walked out and smiled.