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| Mardi Gras masks and beads |
Carnival is about doing things that
you would never normally do before you have to sacrifice something for Lent and
the idea of masks and costumes helps to perfectly keep this idea alive by
hiding the identity of the people doing the things that they want that they
would normally never do otherwise. This is where the underlying chaos of
Carnival comes into play.
I didn’t actually go out on Mardi
Gras day, but other than Thursday at Muses I went to 5 different parades over
the weekend (Iris, Tucks, Okeanos, Mid-City and Thoth). The colors at all of
the parades were very bright and vibrant, reflecting the spirit of the season
however there was almost a darker feel to the parades for the fact that
everyone was wearing masks and in some cases dressed in full costume to hide
their true identities. There were also darker and more evil elements in some of
the floats too. At Iris there was a float that was Voodoo themed and had a
giant Voodoo doll with pin stuck all in it that passed by and at Thoth there
was a float called “The Valley of the Kings” as well as a float dedicated to
Stephen King and more specifically the movie IT. Evil is present quite
obviously in theses float because Voodoo dolls are used to bring harm to other
people and the pharos of Egypt believed in the possible evils faced in the
afterlife. The Stephen King float (which kind of speaks for itself) has evil
elements in it because IT was supposed to be a nice clown that all the children
loved, but instead ends up killing all of them.
Masks and the idea of having a
double identity are very evident in Burton’s works; for example Catwoman is not
only a secretary by the name of Selina Kyle, but the other side of her is a
strong and very powerful feminine figure who calls herself Catwoman. During the
day Selina Kyle would never be a strong and powerful woman, but as soon as the
night draws near, she puts on the Cat suit and mask and becomes a completely
different person, more confident and hard-as-nails, than earlier that day. The double identity concept reminds me of a quote from Alice in Wonderland where Alice says "'I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think: was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is 'Who in the world am I?' Ah, that's the great puzzle!'"(Alice in Wonderland, Caroll, Ch 2 Pg 8)
It's interesting how Burton's characters reflect the same dual-nature of people during Mardi Gras. Even though these people can have alternate identities, I think Mardi-goers are in it for the fun. They are not necessarily looking to hide anything (except maybe their drunkenness). The characters in Burton's films are much darker and have a hidden agenda they don't want others to know about. For example, the Joker is colorful and kooky just as people seem during Mardi Gras, but underlying that is an evil man who is out to destroy a whole city. Sometimes it's fun to dress up just for the fun of it and that seems to be what people enjoy doing for Mardi Gras. It's a time to release yourself and let loose. Everyone seems happy and eager to have a good time. Also in contrast with Burton's characters, the people of carnival are much more willing to help others to spread the happiness of the season.
ReplyDelete-Kathleen McCurdy