So for my analytical research paper, I decided to write about how people have private and public personas. How they want people to see them, how people do see them versus how they are in a different light and area of their lives. In Buffy the Vampire Slayer this is very apparent, how she lives two different lives. Having two personas; is this something we all have? Is is it something we can control? Also are we able to prevent it? In addition, according to Lewis, he states "Public versus private person is a concept also addressed by Shakespeare. He explores the complexities that affect the self, and finds that its desires are often in conflict with what society demands." In other words, Lewis is stating that having a private self and public self, separate from each other can maybe have a negative toll on a person's life and well being. What do you do when you want to act and be something separate from what society says what should be and shouldn't be? How do you come out to who you are and stay true to who you are?
Being comfortable with the realities of your life can be a difficult task. Buffy demonstrates this obstacle in a number of her episodes. As mentioned by Lewis, the complexities of the issue of having separate personas go as far back as Shakespeare. Not only was it apparent then but its also apparent now in real-life and in many television shows and movies.In the show we see her as Buffy the student, daughter, and friend but we also see her as Buffy the Slayer. Two, almost complete different people. Throughout many episodes Buffy tries to keep both of these personas as two separate and simultaneously different aspect of her life. In the day Buffy is more reserved and sometimes it seems as though she is bit fragile as well. At night it seems is when the feisty, go get'em attitude comes into play. The complexities to Buffy's identity, for her to handle but it's not difficult to understand. We all struggle with this challenge everyday. However, you have to learn to put those two separate sides together and also be confident in what that entails. In the end your still same person but different parts make you who you are. Later, we see that Buffy begins to grasps this concept.
I completely agree that people would have two sides or even more when they are with different people. It is very hard to be who you really are in the real life because when you with different people, you would change the way you usually behave and your personality to cater to that environment.
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