Despite Nathaniel Hawthorne’s belief, people can have multiple personalities with neither overpowering the other. “No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself, and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true.” It is possible for people create identities alternate to their true self while remaining true to themselves as long as they are comfortable with them self. In fact, it may be necessary for some people to wear different masks in order to get through their life.
Gillian Flynn's novel Gone Girl expresses how one person can have many sides. Amazing Amy, loving wife Amy, and actual Amy were different sides of one character who knew who she was and also knew how to play many other roles. She never was confused as to her true identity, but she kept everyone else confused by wearing different masks in front on them. Her parents wrote about a character named Amazing Amy, and real Amy felt the pressure to fulfill this role. The character from her parents’ books was able to do everything well, and obviously humans cannot do that, but Amy had tried to. She also tried to wear the false face of a loving wife when she wrote in her diary. While diaries usually portray a person's deepest…show more content… While people might not forget who they are inside, wearing different masks can allow someone to explore a new perspective and perhaps add some ideas from that perspective to their true identity. For example, I have worn the mask of an athlete. I know deep down that I am a couch potato. I would rather take a nap than go for a run. But by trying track and pretending to be athletic, I have learned the value of hard work and dedication, and those have shaped my inner self. While I would still rather watch a movie than run a race, joining track has helped me explore more options and take the most important values that the girl in the mask learned and morph them into my deepest
