Day 6: The Faceless Man

There will be at least one monologue today, hopefully two, but right now I have to read Dostoevsky so I don't fail a test!

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Okay, managed to read all 110 pages of Crime and Punishment needed, and I think I did pretty well on the test. Woo.

Now onto the monologue!

Challenge: to write a monologue where the sound of words themselves helps to establish the atmosphere. Reference: Gertrude's explanation of Ophelia's death in Shakespeare's "Hamlet".

Character bio:
The Faceless Man. The Faceless Man is a man without identity, a tool of the government, a figure of mystery and intrigue; his very name brings up questions. He is never seen--only his silhouette, if anything. He is an enigmatic figure. In a rare moment, we see him talking about what it's like to have no identity--to be a tool, without the ability to follow drives of your own. He has no self-identity, beyond what is given to him, and he has no choice.

Emotional undercurrents:
This is a character who is very "alien"; he has been taught not to think or feel the same way that other people do. He feels a certain absence from his emotions, though he does feel them; there's a certain frustration, and a longing for something he's never experienced. There's also the overriding knowledge that he must not make emotional contact with others.

This means that his speech should be very neutral, punctuated by the occasional burst of consonants--'t's, 'k's and 's's.

Synopsis:
It has been decided that he will undergo a psychological evaluation; the government has noticed him acting a little strangely of late, and want to ensure he is still fit for duty.

During the evaluation, he must answer a number of simple questions, which he reads from a single piece of paper in the room.

"Who are you?"
He says he is an arm of the government, and beyond that he is nothing.

"What is your job?"
To do what he is told. To avoid attachment, and resolve the problems set before him, regardless of simplicity, complexity or content.

"What do you feel?"
This is a difficult one: he has to say "nothing", but mean a little more.

He then leaves the room, looking defeated.

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I found this much more difficult than I thought. I used formal language to try to set up the atmosphere, and I think it worked to an extent, but I'm not sure.

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