Masquerade and Multiple Personalities in Nightmare Alley

ENG 2140 Literature and Film

Tuesday, June 3
rd
, 2014
focus on the idea of multiple personalitiesidentities, mas!uerade
num"er of characters #ho e$hi"it multiple personalities or chan%e their identity
Stanton Carlisle
in the "e%innin%, #or&in% at the Ten'(n')ne, is simply *tan
as he and +olly lea,e the carni,al to perform their o#n code act, he is referred to as the
Great *tanton or *tanton the +entalist
he e,entually ta&es on the role of -e,erend .arlisle
+rs /ea"ody0 12+r3 .arlisle4s5 so sincere and sympathetic6 7p3 839: he has "uilt up a fa&e
reputation for himself under this ne# identity
the reason for these chan%es is to further himself; does not ha,e a pro"lem decei,in% people
for personal %ain 7noir characteristic for anti'hero:
to#ard the end, *tan %oes into hidin% from Grindle, chan%in% his identity once more, this
time for his o#n protection
Molly Cahill
her name chan%es numerous times throu%hout the no,el
sometimes referred to as +ary +ar%aret .ahill or +iss .ahill
referred to my *tan as +iss .ahill #hen #ith clients to masquerade the nature of their
relationship
Zeena
her identity itself does not chan%e so much as her personality or characteristics
1<eena4s ,oice had ta&en on a deeper southern t#an%6 7p3 =>8:
she does this to "etter relate to her clients and ensure the success of the .ode act
the Code Act 7falls under mas!uerade:
more su"tle chan%es, not in the entire identity of the performers, "ut in their characteristics
the %oal is the ma&e the readin%s more "elie,a"le and the readers more relata"le to those
"ein% read
the Geeks
this is the most drastic e$ample of a chan%e in identity
the process of 1ma&in% %ee&s6 is re,ealed in the first chapter of the no,el
the other#ise normal performers are scared into "ecomin% %ee&s "y the threat that they #ill
"e replaced "y real ones
this causes a complete chan%e in identity and e,entually happens to *tan