The Conscious Realm - Becoming The Persona
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A perfect way to symbolize “becoming the persona” is through Jim Carrey’s role in The Mask.
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Stanley (Carrey) is a moral and quirky character. A hopeless romantic. He is introduced as someone who would not be tempted by evil and the odd one out from society. In a moment of despair, he finds a mysterious mask.
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On the TV plays a psychologist promoting his book. He states,
“We all wear masks metaphorically, we suppress our darkest desires and adopt a more socially acceptable image”
Stanley mimics these words in the mirror as he picks up the mask. When he put it on, it takes full control. He turns into a new person and proclaims, ”This is incredible, with these powers I can be a superhero”
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When he is wearing the mask, he notices society begins to accept him. Especially a woman he finds attractive. He continues to act out this new side, taking him on a ride of its own. The wild ride was short lived, causing havoc in his surrounding world.
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Stanley is arrested for the damages done while he was under control of the mask. In the prison cell, he is approached by the woman he has been chasing. She wondered how the mask worked.
He replied, “it brings your most inner most desires to life; if deep down inside you’re repressed and a hopeless romantic, you become a love crazy wild man”
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He noticed what the mask was doing. It was taking aspects about himself that he did not wish to be and personified the opposite. This represents the direct connection between persona and shadow...
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Through this conversation and personal reflection, Stanley knew that the true self he represented is who he should be proud to be.
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The movie concludes with Stanley and his lady friend on a bridge. He asks, “are you sure you are not going to miss this guy, once he is gone all there is left is me”
She takes the mask, throws it into the water, and give him a kiss 😘
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To conclude, to mask one's identity is to reject one’s responsibility. Stanley forfeited himself to the mask and became what the mask wanted him to be.
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You must maintain your true identity and self or risk losing it to a fabrication you created.
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Next, we will look at the benefits of the persona.
