Appearance and reality can relate to mainly two things: the actions that people do and the personalities that people portray. Usually, these two things differ slightly in the eyes of the people acting than those of the people watching. There are instances in which people will openly show somebody there personality and character and then hide it from others. On a large scale this can create conflicts between appearance and reality.
Invisible man
“It goes a long way back, some twenty years. All my life I had been looking for something, and everywhere I turned someone tried to tell me what it was. I accepted their answers too, though they were often in contradiction and even self-contradictory. I was naïve. I was looking for myself and asking everyone except myself questions which I, and only I, could answer. It took me a long time and much painful boomeranging of my expectations to achieve a realization everyone else appears to have been born with: That I am nobody but myself. But first I had to discover that I am an invisible man” Page 15
“Who was this Rinehart and what was he putting down? I’d have to learn more about him to avoid further misidentifications…” Page 484
Invisible man: The main character struggles with his inner and outer identities throughout the entire novel. He is consciously aware of his appearance, or outer identity, because he is a public figure. He also refuses to face the reality of things, his inner identity, because he is afraid of the outcome. He loses track of his goals and in the end it comes down to him finding no place for himself in society, he becomes an invisible man. The Leader of the Brotherhood also struggles with two different personas. He appears to be a good, trustworthy person but in reality he is a lying scoundrel. Outside he acts as a supporter of good causes to help Harlem grow but inside he is really using the main character to help him effectively burn Harlem to the ground.
The Scarlett Letter
“-So that both men and women, who had been familiarly acquainted with Hester Prynne, were now impressed as if they beheld her for the first time,-was that SCARLET LETTER, so fantastically embroided and illuminated upon her bosom. It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity, and inclosing her in a sphere by herself.” Page 37
The Scarlet Letter: The way that Hester Prynne, Reverend Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth appear in public are contradictory to the emotions they are feeling inside. All of them are attempting to hide their inner identities and the secrets that are attached to them. Hester Prynne lives an honest and open life towards Dimmesdale but on the flip side she lives a closed off life towards Chillingworth and the people in her community. Chillingworth attempts to do the same by hiding his revenge towards Hester and Dimmesdale through the impersonation of an innocent doctor, although, Hester doesn’t fall for this. She appears to be acting spiteful and happy in public, but in reality she is suffering a lot. During her act of adultery, she along with most of the people in her town believed that her husband was dead or lost at sea. The truth of the matter is that the affair that she had with Dimmesdale was not, by any means, wrong because, at the time, Hester believed that her husband was dead and would never return. She did not commit any sins behind Chillingworth’s back. Dimmesdale was pressured by the community, by Hester and by Pearl to live two separate lives, one as an honest man of God and the other as a man acting out of love for his family. Eventually, he joined his inner and outer identities and showed everyone his true self.
Hamlet
Gertrude: “Mad as the sea and wind when both contend
Which is the mightier. In his lawless fit,
Behind the arras hearing something stir,
Whips out his rapier, cries, “A rat, a rat!”
And in this brainish apprehension kills
The unseen good old man..” Act 4, Scene 1
Claudius: “Yet must not we put the strong law on him.
He’s loved of the distracted multitude,
Who like not in their judgment, but their eyes.” Act 4, Scene 3
Hamlet: The conflict between appearance and reality in Hamlet is expressed through the characters motives. All of the characters struggled with their inner and outer identities causing everyone to die, either intentionally or unintentionally, near the end. Their hidden secrets caused them to live double lives. Some fought for what was right, some fought for power and some fought for revenge. It was these realities that people tried to take hold of and force upon others. People appeared one way but were in fact another and this is why Prince Hamlet wanted revenge towards his uncle.
All of these quoted materials contain some form of identity mixed with either reality or appearance. Appearance is what people try to portray and reality is the actual meaning of what and why they do things. They are very similar it inner and outer personalities. In relation to the modernist movement, these quotes show people what problems could arise in today’s society from the difference between appearance, reality, an inner personality and finally an outer personality.
