The Only Woman in the Room

Initially, Hedy dons a mask only for her performances. She sees it as stepping in to the body of a character. As she is more exposed to the world, she realizes that when she alters her personality to fit the interaction, she is also acting. She is perceptive, detecting what others “secretly long for” and becoming that to get “whatever [she] wanted from them” (11). In this way, mask-wearing is both a way for her to achieve her ends and a defense mechanism. She learns that women are given few tools with which to navigate the world, but her beauty and ability to captivate serves her. It also protects Hedy from ever showing who she really is. Having learned that she can be whomever others want her to be, she becomes less comfortable being herself. Gradually, the mask becomes its own prison; the world’s perception of Hedy becomes all that is allowed to exist.

Benedict uses the theme of mask-wearing to critique women’s roles in society. Hedy relies on her chameleon qualities to succeed and to survive. During her marriage with Fritz, she is literally expected to play the role of his wife, to wear a mask that Fritz prefers.