Bicol University

College of Education
Integrated Laboratory School
HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
Legazpi City, Albay

Order for Masks by Virgina Moreno

CRITIQUE PAPER
Authors: Maravilla, Benedict D., Ombao, Francis A., Ramirez, Aldrin Roy F., Sarad,
Jan Nikku R., Balingasa, Angela Marielle T., Lee, Princess Loraine Thea T.,
Mojal, Eowyn Kaye T., Palomillo, Ara Reign Q.

People often talk about women's agony in terms of how a patriarchal society deals with
them. The quest for uplifting women from their situations in life in general has created ideologies
that would soon be of great help in achieving that goal. With this in mind, there is a need to
deeply understand the reasons behind their hardships—their individual relationships with men.
The poem ‘Order for Masks’ by Virginia Moreno specifically depicts how women act in favor of
men—the ones who are close to them to add to that. Thus, delving into the said poem would
introduce to us the truth behind the aforementioned issues.

The poem begins by implying symbolically that her life is a lifelong circus in which she
commits herself to entertaining and pleasing the three men in her life. The ridiculous clothing
she wears is a metaphor for the facade she puts on every time she faces them. She attempts to
conceal her inner sentiments, her pained expression, and her true and genuine emotions—all in
three masks—all in an effort to pacify the three men.

The first stanza delves into the concept of performative femininity, indicating how women
may feel pressured to comply with societal expectations in various roles such as sister,
daughter, and wife. This emphasizes the pressure on women to embody different roles or
personas in order to meet societal expectations. These societal norms contribute to the
internalized idea that women must adhere to these values to fit into a predominantly
male-dominated world. Women may adopt these roles subconsciously to please men and seek
validation for their actions, often at the cost of losing their sense of individuality and identity as
they neglect their own needs and feelings.

The second stanza perpetuates the age-old perception that ails society: that men and
women shall conform to preconceived archetypes that dictate their entire lives. The symbolic
choices present in the stanza capture the essence of a woman’s disadvantaged experience,
highlighting the imbalance between both sexes. The polarity of the devil and the saint
strengthens the dichotomy of sexes and evokes archetypal gender stereotypes. The divide
eternalizes the narrative that women shall remain chaste and embody purity and benevolence,
as portrayed by the saint. Whereas men are free to follow their primitive instincts as agents of
rebellion and malevolence, as portrayed by the devil. This theme persists through the
comparison of the staff and the fork, then the horn and the crown. The staff and crown
symbolize characteristics associated with royalty—calm authority, astute guidance, and an
orderly presence amidst the chaos of life, all of which women are expected to embody. On the
other hand, men shall carry the horn and the fork that bring the negative connotation of
viciousness, aggressiveness, and chaos, which all align with stereotypically masculine traits.
The metaphorical use of such imagery reinforces the rigid power dynamics that are
indispensable for society. Lines 13-15 show the idea of individuality and resistance to societal
expectations. "Nil," which means having no value, creates a desire for a disparity that eliminates
the unchanged predefined roles imposed on women across different times. The act of being
walked out without a frown is a metaphor for women’s societal acceptance when adhering to
prescribed roles. The need to "pretend" also draws attention to the difficulties women encounter
in expressing themselves freely and without fear of criticism, highlighting the intricate
relationship between social constraints and individuality.

The woman here is a vessel of purity, a purity that is forced upon herself. She moves to
uphold the gender roles that siblings are imposed on, roles that are invisible to the eyes of the
men who are favored. As a woman, she had to prove her worth and be the epitome of purity,
while men are accepted for who they are—a reflection of the fact that women are treated as
nothing but a trophy of greatness while men ridiculously stroll off their path of life.

The second mask she needs to wear is a mask designed for her father. In this stanza,
the woman, who is the persona in the poem, wants to show her father the woman that he
expects her to be—innocent, chaste, and pure. This is supported by the line “His child once
eating his white bread in trance”, which implies being pure and innocent. Moreover, the next line
“Philomena before she was raped. I hope by likeness.” further amplifies the father’s expectation
of her daughter to become a woman of purity. Philomela, a figure in Greek mythology was a
woman who was ensnared and raped by his brother-in-law, Tereus. It symbolizes purity and
innocence, similar to that of a child. Alluding to the daughter as a child also insinuates that he
wants her to never be exposed to any form of malevolence, despite the inevitable disclosure of
such instances. Therefore, the persona disguises herself by wearing a mask that is designed
with innocence and purity to cover her ‘real’ self to let her father believe that she is still the same
child he once cared about.

Apart from disguising herself as what her father expects her to be, the mask also serves
another purpose—to protect herself from her own father. King Lear, a character in a tragedy
written by William Shakespeare, is a father who is not afraid to punish his disobedient child. The
persona’s allusion to King Lear also represents the father’s affection towards his daughter, like
how King Lear provided his daughters with kingdoms. On the other hand, it also highlighted
women’s need to show affection towards their fathers. King Lear is harsh and can banish even
the daughter who loves him the most, just because the latter does not provide any means of
being affectionate. In this scenario, this demand can be achieved by giving him the image he
expects—a woman of abstinence.

The third stanza highlights the role of a daughter in a male-dominated society. Women
are expected by their fathers to be innocent and pure. In this poem, the persona wears a mask
to conform to her father just like a child, only listening and believing in his father’s desires in
order to be seen as a good daughter. However, despite the daughter’s efforts to seek approval
and please her father, she may still not be recognized, just like how the poem used the word
‘child’ to refer to the father’s daughter. This possibly displays disinterest to the daughter, given
that there is a so-called tradition of continuing bloodline through sons, which, in this case, would
be cut off by the daughter.

Beyond the struggles as sisters and daughters, women, in the broader context of
navigating societal norms and expectations, encounter more challenges in romantic
relationships. The life of a woman whose ‘true love’ is yet to be found or whose intent is to not
be committed to someone at all is a deviance of what is expected of them—to marry and have
children. They are imposed with a norm that rejects their freedom and gives them no choice but
to submit themselves to men. In the fourth stanza of the poem, 'Order for Masks’, the lines
revolve around the effort of a woman to disguise herself to fulfill a man’s satisfaction and
pleasure. It tackles power dynamics and societal expectations within a romantic relationship.

The first seven lines reveal the woman’s desire to give her man everything that she can
offer, what she has, and what she has to bear. The woman displays willingness to do such
things too—maybe because she truly loves her man, or she was just forced to, or there is a void
in her heart that needs to be filled. Any of the three reasons still gets to the benefit of the man.
The woman is there to make him happy, and the man frankly takes it as ‘love’. Tackling the first
reason, there could really be genuine love between the man and the woman. But the situation
showing power imbalance makes it a not-for-romanticizing act because it places the woman on
the more unfair side with the efforts she provides to the man. If she is aware of these things, that
implies that she willingly submits to the man and lets him hold control of the relationship. In
actuality, the man manipulates the woman to project an illusion that conforms with the partner’s
desires. Women are expected to prioritize meeting others’ expectations at the expense of their
own.

As the stanza continued, it shifted into another situation but under the same knife. The
woman is aware and thus knows that she is being manipulated. She does it for a
reason—making the man's fantasy a reality. The figurative language in lines 8–13 depicts sex
and pleasure. The woman devotes herself to doing the things that would make the man happy.
Moreover, she tries to make herself appear clean to the man—in her physical state or in the
things she had done in the past. She shall only touch a man if she is clean. All her deeds just to
be a toy to a man is a degradation of her worth as a woman and as a person. The concluding
lines, "This magician will walk me out. Newly loved," insinuate the woman's double life. Publicly,
she adopts a new persona—a tantalizing facade built to suit the magician's desires. The man
continuously erases what he thinks is a shortcoming of the woman and replaces it with a new
face for his advantage. However, these transformations prompt reflection on its influence on the
woman's individuality.

The sacrifice of self-identity, especially to attune to beauty standards and to fit the
desires of her partner, poses a feminist critique. The societal expectation for women to prioritize
meeting others' expectations over their own is still an appalling conflict in this society. Overall,
this stanza illustrates that women are bordered as embellishments for their husbands. The
seducer is the man, and the woman is the toy.
 A sister, a daughter, and a wife. There are three masks for the three inevitable roles a
woman must fulfill. There are three masks that will hide her true self in order for her to be the
woman society wants her to be. And three masks that will reveal the paradoxical behavior of
women—the realization of captivity and conformity to these restraints.

The poem exhibited women’s ironic conundrum in which they are in control of their lives,
yet they need to follow a role that is aligned to the desires of men around them. As such,
women are expected to exhibit positive qualities, values, and morals.

These qualities are often constructed as something in favor of men. They bear the
societal presumption of being righteous and well-behaved sisters, innocent and obedient
daughters, and compliant and submissive romantic partners. All these roles are just to ensure
that womanhood represents—the epitome of conformity.