Pride under Oppression-Examining Paul Lawrence Dunbar's "We Wear the Mask"

Josh Proctor
English 1102
Dr. Perry
February 8th, 2011

Pride under Oppression


     Halfway through my first reading of the “We Wear the Mask,” I might have guessed that this was yet another contemporary poet “discovering” the secret truth: people tend to hide their emotions from one another. However, the dates at the top of the poem indicated that the author, Paul Laurence Dunbar, was born in the late nineteenth century, and I kept this fact in mind as I finished the poem. Upon reading the last stanza, I concluded that my original impression was inadequate; the poem is truly quite prideful and describes an interesting method for facing adversity, narrated by the none other than the oppressed ones themselves.
     The entire poem is not ambiguous in its meaning, but it is hard to grasp the full intent from the beginning alone. For this reason, I think it is best to interpret the last stanza first and then examine how the first two add to the overall meaning.
     The last stanza has many contradictions. The smile in the first line contrasts the heaven bound cries of tortured souls that follow (Lines 10-11). Similarly, the singing in line 12 seems to be out of place with the description of the “vile” clay (Line 12). Upon further inspection of the last stanza, I began to relate the motif of contrast to a passage form the Bible, no doubt prompted by the mention of Christ in line 10.
     In one of his sermons, Jesus cautioned his followers not to appear dismal or hungry while fasting. He cautioned:
“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it is not obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
Matthew 6: 16-18
I think that this message is very prominent in the last stanza of “We Wear the Mask,” where “smile” contrasts “cries,” “sing” contrasts “vile,” and “long the mile” progresses into “let the world dream otherwise” (Lines 10, 12, and 13). The poem ends in a triumphant cry of “We wear the mask!” (Line 15). This indicates that Dunbar believes that the mask is a good thing for the people in the poem, or at least that they themselves think so.
It is interesting that he gives away the speakers’ secret, telling us in the first line that they wear a mask that “grins and lies”. However, perhaps there is a reason. Dunbar might be trying to tell us that in certain situations, masking your feelings is the best thing to do, and that for the people in the poem, it is indeed their best option. However, he tells us their secret so that we might gain insight into who they really are, and not who they appear to be. Their secret is out because they should not have to wear the mask forever; at some point in the future people should accept them for who they really are, and at that moment, the mask will no longer be necessary.
     The Biblical interpretation seems to hold up well in the last stanza, and serves to explain the numerous contradictions present there. However, how is the message behind Jesus’ sermon present in the first two stanzas?
     In contrast to the ending lines, the beginning of the poem is much more surly and stubborn instead of proud or triumphant. Negative diction is common throughout the entire poem, but no positive counterparts such as those found in the last stanza exist to match words such as “lies,” “debt,” “torn,” etc. (Lines 1-3). These words give the reader a negative vibe and without a positive message this feeling continues through the poem.
     Also troublesome to the Biblical interpretation is the lack of religious reference in the first two stanzas. The only possible reference is in line 5, which reads “And mouth with myriad subtleties.” This line seems to refer to prayer, but it is vague at best. If it does indeed refer to prayer, it is certainly not a prayer that is outspoken or popular. The choice of the word “subtleties” suggests that perhaps the people are praying under their breath or very quietly (Line 5). Although this is still a religious theme, it is in contrast to Jesus’ message to hold one’s head high and appear triumphant while fasting.
     However, at the conclusion of the second stanza something interesting occurs. Line 8 begins with a strong “Nay,” which suggests that perhaps the speakers are rejecting their previous statements. The line continues with “let them only see us, while/We wear the mask” (Line 8-9). Perhaps the speakers are realizing that a better outlook on their own suffering. This would make sense, considering that the final line is an exclamation, suggesting that the speakers want others to see them masked. Therefore, although the mask is hiding their true feelings, it is also serving to better their condition by making them appear strong in the face of adversity and thereby allowing them to overcome their struggles. I believe that beginning describes the troubles and gives the reader a sense of how the narrators’ situation is seemingly hopeless. The last stanza then defeats the despair of the other two by suggesting an alternate route: when facing troublesome times, hold your head high, and overcome your fears by trusting in your own ability and willpower, as well as those around you.
     The poem’s rhyme is not part of a common form, but for the most part, it follows a rough AABB pattern. The first stanza has five lines; the first four rhyme while the last line rhymes with the first two. The second stanza is similar in that the first two lines rhyme, but the last two, which together form one sentence, do not rhyme with the first two. The last stanza is similar to the first. The first five lines rhyme AABBA, and the last line merely restates the common ending, “We wear the mask” (Lines 10 and 15). In all three stanzas, the last lines seem to hang out as parts that are separate from the rest. Perhaps this is the poet’s way of telling us that the end is what really matters, and indeed, it is in these lines that he chooses to insert the most important line. He does not want us to focus on what comes before the end, just as the narrators choose not to focus on their suffering even though it seems to take up the majority of their lives.
     Just like the rhyme pattern, the rhythm of the poem follows a general structure but is not completely bounded. For the majority of the poem, the lines all contain a steady eight syllables and follow a pattern of unstressed-stressed syllables. The only breaks occur during lines 8, 9, and 15, which, as stated before, contain the expression “We wear the mask”.
     Both the rhyme and rhythm of the poem seem to indicate a slightly unbalanced structure. The stanzas appear very organized but have slight instances where the rhythm and rhyme break the pattern. This seems to point to the fact that the speakers in the poem are bounded by routine and their situation, but every once in a while they are able to express themselves and unmask their true feelings, possibly by praying or commiserating with others. The fact that the last line in particular is so different, both in rhyme, rhythm, and punctuation, further indicates that Dunbar wants us to think ahead to a time where the mask is not necessary, and these tortured souls can find peace.