Octavio Paz

The Other

The Other - meaning Summary

Identity as Manufactured Mask

Paz presents a compact meditation on self-invention and the gap between persona and self. A man creates a face to inhabit; behind that mask he lives, dies, and is reborn repeatedly. Over time the adopted face accrues age, but its marks no longer point to a living identity. The final image—wrinkles without a face—suggests a hollowed persona that endures beyond any authentic self beneath it.

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He invented a face for himself. Behind it, he lived, died, and was resurrected many times. Today his face has the wrinkles of that face. His wrinkles have no face.

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