The Mask of Sanity

definitively settled – but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved precluded the idea of risk” (179). Intelligence is not the only trait that allowed Montresor to succeed in his plan, as he possessed another symptom of sociopathy, the ability to mask his intentions and seem sane…

themselves, and that he is not so frightened himself as to hide his emotions though he hides their cause”Hamlet uses his madness as a way to scare Claudius into confessing the murder. He does not hide his true manic emotions with a completely sane mask. His emotions are…

certain tasks. This story begins at the end of July (of July, prepositional phrase). I was enjoying my summer vacation. I had decided instead of doing a lot of things I was going to try and relax since I desperately needed to be alone for my own sanity. For a majority of the summer, I swam in my pool, relax on the sunny shores of Ocean City, and rode up and down on my bike. The Apex of my summer though had to be my trip to the Big Apple. I had been…

Towards the ending of the book, Ralph desperately runs from those left, convinced they must kill him for their own survival. He contemplates “They were savages, it was true, but they were human (196),” each driven to the point where insanity became sanity. There were no blurs between right or wrong, only the drive for wickedness that each existed in each of them prematurely. Jack is easily comparable to a devil figure because of his ability to manipulate and show the innocent a dark path they…

The novella “Mrs. Frola And Mr. Ponza, Her Son In Law” written by Luigi Pirandello is a story that leaves readers wondering which character; Mrs. Frola or Mr. Ponza, is the one that is lying. Making it more difficult to choose, the story has no answer to that question and both characters have a probability of being in a crazed state. It’s impossible to know just who is worse, so it’s left up to the town of Valdana to judge the situation of this family. Though it could be hypothesized that one or…

Comparative Study "Physiognomy" refers to to the study of a person's character or personality from his or her outer appearance; mainly using the face. The word comes from the Greek “physis” meaning "nature" and “gnomon” meaning "judge" or "interpreter”. Studies into the science reveal that human kind have evolved an impulsive ability to make judgements of people based on their appearance. What began as a survival skill, assessing efficiently if the person before us friend or foe, has…

that "Her whole careless world revolves around this illusion: that money makes everything beautiful, even if it is not" (“The Great Gatsby”). Daisy’s misconception of finances causes her to become the embodiment of unfulfilled dreams. Her fortune masks the reality of her world and covers up any problems she may endure. Although Daisy’s life seems ideal, she is an unhappy person who struggles to find positivity. Her character proves the illusion of happiness society creates around the idea of the…

into her own hands and is shown to be prepared to kill anyone whom she views as a threat. She is also a brilliant liar, as she can convince the entire town of Alexandria that she is a meek, incompetent old lady to mask her much savvier and skeptical personality. She still retains her sanity and her emotions of sympathy, but Carol will always take the logical route at any cost. Carol is occasionally shown to be extremely cold and cruel. In many anti-hero movies, the crimes committed in the film…

Toni Morrison’s novel The Bluest Eye provides insight on an alienated portion of American society during the 1940s. The central character, Pecola Breedlove, is a young black girl who desperately wants to feel beautiful and gain the “bluest eyes” as the title references. Pecola attributes her ugliness as the center focus for identity. She partakes on the journey of self-actualization to discover that beauty doesn’t lie within blue eyes or blonde hair. Beauty was with her the entire time, she just…

Iago shows very definitive traits of a sociopath, because of how he manipulates people in the play but also by his lack of remorse/empathy he has. Sociopaths always wear the mask of sanity, it is easier for them to corrupt you then for you to expose them for who they truly…