Human beings are inextricably condemned to be the sole creators of their own lives. Each person exists as a living biography; the author of his or her own life. The lives we continue to live have characters and themes, conflicts and resolutions, rises and falls, beginnings and ends. These stories — our life stories — are the narratives that constitute our identity and being. We become the autobiographical narratives we tell about ourselves, for the only way to share the experiences that define us are through our stories. In order to discover one’s true identity, we must ask what innermost stories constitute our definition of self. The connections we make between ideas, actions, and events give intent and justification to our lives. As we construct
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This negative emotion festers inside the individual, who wishes nothing more than to bury their failure. From this, self-deception is born: in self-deception, an individual attempts to modify their perception of reality in an effort to comfort themselves. However, reality inevitably undermines the quasi-structures the individual creates. This can be seen in the play M. Butterfly, where Gallimard presents his tragic story to the audience. Song, in the form of a memory within Gallimard’s mind, occasionally disrupts the narrative to tell aspects of the story Gallimard avoids sharing. Although Gallimard urges Song to end these interjections and tell the events as he remembers them, he never succeeds in masking the truth. The interactions between Gallimard and Song are merely figments of his imagination, yet even in his mind he cannot control the narrative and his attempts at self-deception fail. Gallimard’s modified life story — his narrative — represents his inability to hide it beneath a deceptive veneer, leading to his inevitable demise. Gallimard’s attempts at altering his narrative failed and reality took its toll, resulting in his committing suicide. His genuine narrative was masked by his denial of the truth, and through Song, Gallimard witnesses the undressing of his false narrative and can finally accept his
This negative emotion festers inside the individual, who wishes nothing more than to bury their failure. From this, self-deception is born: in self-deception, an individual attempts to modify their perception of reality in an effort to comfort themselves. However, reality inevitably undermines the quasi-structures the individual creates. This can be seen in the play M. Butterfly, where Gallimard presents his tragic story to the audience. Song, in the form of a memory within Gallimard’s mind, occasionally disrupts the narrative to tell aspects of the story Gallimard avoids sharing. Although Gallimard urges Song to end these interjections and tell the events as he remembers them, he never succeeds in masking the truth. The interactions between Gallimard and Song are merely figments of his imagination, yet even in his mind he cannot control the narrative and his attempts at self-deception fail. Gallimard’s modified life story — his narrative — represents his inability to hide it beneath a deceptive veneer, leading to his inevitable demise. Gallimard’s attempts at altering his narrative failed and reality took its toll, resulting in his committing suicide. His genuine narrative was masked by his denial of the truth, and through Song, Gallimard witnesses the undressing of his false narrative and can finally accept his