The Bluff

Life is like a game of poker. You never want anyone to know your next move. That is why underneath each person is a person no one ever sees. Our fears, our mistakes, we hide them in places that no one will ever see. This goes for regular people, celebrities, and gangsters.

A perfect example of Gangsters not expressing themselves would be when Don Corleone told Johnny Fontane not to cry. The reason he gave was that men don't cry, showing age-old misconceptions about what it means to be a man. A secondary example of a dual self-presentation in The Godfather is when Don Corleone tells Sonny not to speak his mind outside the family. Showing us that gangsters maintain a dual self when dealing with business. Another example of an unlikely person who does not show their true self with gangster qualities is the Grinch.

The Grinch hides his true self deep in a cave of hate for Christmas. But as the story goes on, we learn that he truly loves Christmas. During his childhood, he had a traumatic experience that led him down his path. Until Cindy Lou brings his true self out.

Not showing your true self means you can get the bluff in on the competition. Keeping your true self away from the public allows you to have something special, something sacred. Having a true self that no one sees allows you to be free. As long as you can enjoy the truth that other people can say and do what they want with the self they see, but you will always be protected by the front you have made.