Take off that Mask

The film Mask we see the story of Rocky Denis, played by Eric Stoltz, is a teenage boy dealing with the effects of craniodiaphyseal dysplasia. Craniodiaphyseal Dysplasia also known as Lionitis, is a life shortening disease that causes calcium to accumulate in the skull. The calcium make the head grow to twice the normal size. Rocky obviously does not look like the average tee

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The argument he has with his mother shows us that he does not feel he can have a relationship with a girl because of his face. The reason this is a warm and non-judgmental greeting is because the person was not saying it in order to upset Rocky. At one point Rocky gets in an argument with his mother in which he asks her “Don’t you get it, it’s girls?” Rusty’s answer to this is quite shocking. The conversation he has with Gar also gives some insight of his lifestyle, it gets the viewer thinking that maybe Rocky’s lifestyle has a little bit to do with what goes on in his life and the way people look at him. In two scenes we see how people outside of Rocky’s immediate family treat his disorder. The principal also shows Rocky a little surprise when he offers him a job at a summer camp for blind children. During this conversation Gar explains that Rusty may not always to the right thing but she always tries to do what is right for her son. The reason this scene is disturbing is because the doctor inadvertently makes himself no better then a common person misjudging Rocky.

The movie is quick to bring some of the stigmas about Rocky’s disorder to our attention. This movie enables the viewer to throw this stereotype out and view a person with a facial deformity as a person. Rocky and Rusty deal with the situation by pretty much brushing off everything the young doctor says. She drinks and uses drugs, and although she seems to try and hide these things from Rocky he is well aware of what his mother is doing. The movie is able show us how a person with a facial deformity is a person. With all of the new students in his new school Rocky is again stuck behind his face and trying to make a first impression.

Common topics in this essay:
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Approximate Word count = 1333
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

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