“You will learn, at your own expense,
that on life’s long journey,
you will encounter many masks but few genuine faces.”
(Luigi Pirandello, Italian Nobel Laureate in Literature 1934)
Pirandello suggests that people wear different masks depending on the situations and circumstances they face.
However, this is often done unconsciously, without real awareness—sometimes as a result of societal expectations, as if they were trapped in a way of life that does not truly represent them.
We constantly adapt our behaviour depending on whom we are interacting with.
We believe ourselves to be a singular, unified person, yet others perceive us differently, interpreting us through the lens of their own experiences and personal history.
Each of these interpretations holds some truth—none is more ‘real’ than another.
Yet, ultimately, a person may come to realise they are “No One,” unable to fully identify with any of these masks.
This understanding brings with it an awareness of solitude and the unsettling feeling of being fundamentally misunderstood.