This weekend, a bunch of us watched the movie "Don Juan del Marco." It was amazing how many times during the movie you heard people say, "Goffman!" A young man who claims to be Don Juan is brought into a mental institution. He then makes this agreement with one of the psychologists: "Don Juan" has ten days to prove who he is, ten days to prove his identity before he will be put on medication.
There was one part of this movie that I noticed an incredible connection to what Goffman writes about. Throughout Don Juan's life, he always wore a black mask around his eyes. He initially wore this mask to hide his shame after his dad died; this mask made him feel stronger. He took this mask off after making a huge mistake that hurt the woman he loved. The connection to Goffman that I thought of was how he let down his front that made him appear stronger and showed her who he was behind the front...at his most vulnerable state. I think when we talked about what identity was in class I felt more that your front was more part of your identity, but the more I think about it I feel that your front is an act that covers up your identity more than portrays it. Though I do believe your front is part of your identity, I think its a very small part. Your front is largely due to a combination of social cues and expectations whereas who you are in the back region is your true self, your true identity.
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While Watching the movie, I had similar feelings as the yours. "Don Juan" has a clear mask and front that he puts on without embarrassment, but his mask is different than most masks. His mask doesn't make him fit into society, it makes him stand out. Because of this, I think he lost some of his coolness when he took off his mask. I believe that in some situations it is better for a person to leave their mask on, because in a way it completes them.
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