A mask is an object that can be taken to a literal or abstract altitude. One usually thinks of a mask as a physical object that can conceal an identity, or a simple object that conceals the face. A mask also has a more contextual meaning, which relates to a person’s non-physical identity. A mask can be an intangible substance that completely changes who a person is. It can be a concealment of emotion or appearance. People usually wear masks in order to cover what they are ashamed of or to hide from their problems. Masks unfortunately exist in society, which makes it harder to really get to know a person. There is a perpetual problem with masks, which is that anyone could be wearing one. If most people actually reflected on how they act, they would probably realize that they wear multiple masks throughout the course of one day.

In The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Golding states that certain characters were, “compelled by the mask.” A mask may give one a sense of power and force, but it is only temporary. Those who wear masks feel supremacy in becoming something that they are not. They know that they can be whoever they want to be behind their hidden faces.