Till We Have Faces, Again

Masks are used to hide. Today they hide the faces of strangers and loved ones alike. What else is hidden that we only see and recognize in glimpses?

Mark Spiske on unsplash. Masks today are everywhere, a sign of safety and protection. But masks hide and today they hide from us the faces of strangers and loved ones alike. What else is hidden that can tell us more about what is real than we recognize in our everyday lives? The novel by C.S. Lewis “Till We Have Faces” helps us see there is more, perhaps much more behind the mask.

When we escape from the comfort and security of our home and the familiarity of those whom we do not fear, even a quick trip to the local grocery reminds us of the unusual life we now live. Everyone is hidden from us. Unfamiliar eyes peek at us underneath baseball hats and above masks. We strain to look at them to see if they are familiar. But they move away showing that to them you represent a mortal threat.

Masks signify many things but above all they intend to hide. At the Carnivale that hiddeness adds to romance, intrigue and mystery. It is all fun but with a darkness that adds to the gaiety perhaps reflecting the mix of joy and pain, laughter and regret that characterizes our shared lives. The Lone Ranger’s mask allowed him to do his good deeds with anonymity, protecting his ability to ride to the rescue while adding an element of strangeness and uncertainty to his otherwise purity and goodness. The fact that masks are associated with the bad guys, the burglars, those who need to keep identities protected, adds to the sense of danger of anyone wearing a mask for fun or out of necessity.

Right now, when in public we do not have faces. Unless, of course one intends to rebel against what they sense…