The Masks We Wear

When I haven’t been screwing around, studying for finals, or sleeping, I’ve been playing a couple of games I rented for my new (for me) PS2. They are Persona 3 and 4. I haven’t really gotten far in P4 yet, but so far it’s following the same formula as the third one. With that in mind, I’ll be speaking mainly about Persona 3 for now. If you’re curious about the series, mainly the gaming aspect as I’ll be talking about the story more than the gameplay, as always, hit up the fountain of all knowledge, Wikipedia.

(AHOY, SPOILERZ FOR PERSONA 3 OFF THE STARBOARD BOW! STEER CLEAR IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW SOME KEY PLOT ELEMENTS!)

As one could guess from viewing the name of the game, Persona 3, the game deals largely with people’s personas. What is a persona by definition?

“The aspect of a person’s character that is presented to or perceived by others” – Oxford Dictionary

Interestingly, the word originated from the masks actors use to wear as they acted on stage. But it has taken on more of a psychological meaning through Carl Jung and others, and as a result, it was used as the term in this game. Literally, in the games, the Persona is, essentially, a guardian the characters summon to defend themselves from Shadows, which are literally Personas without owners. Every single character has a specific Persona assigned to them, except the protagonist. He can uniquely switch his Persona at will. A variety of Personas can be used by him, ranging from loose Personas that can represent an emotion, all the way to Beelzebub, Michael the Archangel, Satan and Yahweh.

As the story progresses, these facts are revealed to you. Many questions arise as to the nature of the protagonist, the nature of the Personas, and so on. Eventually, the game addresses such serious topics as nihilism, the meaning of life, and the sad state of mankind. It’s definitely one of the more deep games I’ve played, and even though it gives extremely unsatisfying answers to some questions, it accurately depicts others. I would definitely recommend it on that level. It’s also a pretty fun game to boot, so if you’re looking for a very Japanese RPG, look into this game.

The whole concept of a persona is interesting because I personally am aware of such a phenomenon occuring in me. I seem to have two moods, two personalities, two very different states of being on that level. Also considering the duality of man, and the conflict between the spirit and the flesh, that leaves me a very fractured being. What is the key to controlling our inconsistent selves?

Interestingly, in Persona 4, each character has to conquer their Persona by accepting that they are part of their being. If they do not, the Persona goes berserk and attacks the protagonists.  Once they admit that their undesirable, evil, ugly side is a part of them, they Persona is calmed and controllable, like a bridled horse. One of the more bizzare things, that must be a result of their dualistic metaphysical beliefs, is that the characters never seek to purge themselves of this newly found evil within. How all beliefs deal with evil is perhaps one of the most important questions in a pragmatic sense. Buddhist/Taoists/Hindus accept evil as a necessary part of life, which is probably why this very Japanese game hasn’t addressed the issue of the inherent evil of man in Persona 4. Who knows? Maybe they will further in the game. I do not know.

But, bringing it back to what it means to us in the real world, what are the masks we wear? If you had a Persona, what would it be? Would it be a Lover Mask? A Justice Mask? A Devil Mask? But, a better question is, what is under that mask? Do you ever take it off? When was the last time you saw your true self in the mirror? Perhaps you’ve been trying to be many thing to many people. A good student to your teachers, a good child to your parents, a good friend to your friends, a good spouse to your spouse, etc. But who exactly are you? Only when you know who you really are can you change. I encourage you to put aside your masks and look at yourself in the mirror, no matter how ugly that person may be. And when you do, do not forget that face. It is you. That is what you shall be judged on ultimately. Do not be a whitewashed tomb that  looks pleasing on the outside, yet is filled with death on the inside.

As for how you wash that tomb, that’s for the fun of special revelation. Fun stuff.