The Individuality or ‘Plastic Sheen’
The Individuality or ‘Plastic Sheen’
The whole concept of ‘beauty lies in the eye of beholder’ is not applicable everywhere. Beauty first of all lies in the belief and conscience of an individual which is poignantly reflected through demeanour. And then, the beholder too finds beauty in that individual. When one begins to read The Eye of the Beholder by Grace Suh, it is inevitable to occur in mind that how such an author can fall for the feeling of ‘stark ugliness’ about herself (par. 2). But, then through her realisation of what she really is rather than what cosmetic ‘makeover’ can turn her into, the reader gets to grasp the essence of this story. Unless one decides to choose and admire his/her own natural identity, nothing in the name of cosmetic makeover can help a personal feel beautiful. Hence, it is of utmost significance to accept one’s individuality with a healthy respect.
There are two main purposes for which one ought to read The Eye of the Beholder. Saying merely that it is a brilliantly penned essay would not be a reason strong enough to convince a reader to go through it. The fact is the purpose this essay serves. Firstly, it illuminates the natural urge in everyone to ‘look beautiful’ because one who does not often faces some sort of criticism from the society. It is totally unfair but most of people fall for appearances instead of admiring the inner beauty. The narrator too falls in the misleading concept that she was not beautiful as she saw herself in the mirror of the office towers. She finds her face detestable. And like a usual person, she decides to change the way she looks (par.1).
The second important purpose of the story is to inspire people to admire themselves for what they are and not for what they can be made to look with fake embellishments. Though the narrator goes for the makeover but eventually she does not choose to keep doing the fake touch up every day and leaves the pack of cosmetics on bus.
In an honest opinion, as one reads the introductory paragraph of the essay, the details of the Grace Suh- especially her achievements like fellowship by Overbook Foundation and Edward F.Elbee Foundation makes one feel the credibility of the writer. Hence, there is an exalted expectation. But as the essay tells about how she falls for the urge of enhancing physical beauty and found herself ‘to have broken the Unsightliness Barrier’ (par. 4), the Ethos loses its impact. However, again as she decides to quit adorning her face with lots of make-up (par. 29) as suggested by Estee, ethos comes back again showing that someone with a significantly wise mentality takes that decision.
The essay shows the dark side of the desire to look beautiful. A reader cannot help but agree with Suh that people like Estee exist in huge numbers around us. They are blatant enough to point out the ugliness of ‘Oriental eye’ (par. 19) and also appreciate the fake crease in eyelid to show that the made-over looks is better than the natural look of some people. It is hurtful to hear. Another example from the essay where logos has been employed brilliantly is the depiction of the feeling in common folk to look beautiful. Sadly, it is a ‘beautiful appearance’ or the ‘feeling of being beautiful’ which is associated with confidence. Grace Suh clearly indicates
her lack of confidence because of her ‘ugly’ looks. But as she enters the building of Estee Lauder
and gets a belief that she can be turned into beautiful, there is an evident enhancement in her
positive attitude- she was happy, hopeful and imagined herself to be beautiful rather than just
okay. She watches the pictures around and keeps admiring the beauty along with feeling good.
She becomes hopeful that she would be ‘impeccably groomed as Estee’(par. 10). This is what happens with most people. They want good looks to fit in the crowd of admirers of physical beauty.
There is an amazing style of writing, beautiful selection of words and excellent phrasing which makes the diction of Grace Suh in The Eye of the Beholder worth admiration. The phrases like ‘painfully epiphanous day’ (par. 4), ‘fight back against the forces of entropy’ (par. 5) and ‘blue eyes recessed in an intricate pattern of folds and hollows’ (par. 25) are artistic indeed. The tone and tenor of the essay along with picturesque description of events are so effective that the reader can see a video getting created in mind while reading. The explanation of how Estee does the make-up is pretty image-provoking (par. 9). One can see how Estee draw the eyelids on Suh’s Oriental eyes using charcoal and eye-shadows (par. 19). The selection of words again is quite effective. There is no display of high-sounding vocabulary but through crisp and correct sentences with beautiful words like entropy (par. 5) and epiphanous (par. 4), Grace Suh creates a pleasant essay for reading. She has used emotionally effective explanation in the concluding paragraph to show how she realises that ‘being herself’ was comforting and the fake look was not worth the effort. Pathos has been optimised everywhere, be it while she disapproves of Estee’s remarks or when she chooses to admire herself without makeup (par. 24). In an overview, the diction is really enjoyable and there is no part of the essay where a reader would lose interest. She has maintained a narrative which is meant is both efficient and interesting for the reader. The second last paragraph tells how her outlook changes- ‘I wasn’t pretty. But I was familiar and comforting. I was myself.’ (par. 28). This inspires the readers to be that way.
A commonly prevailing trend or thought has been presented here through a very good diction, right use of logos and pathos, effective phrasing and above all, an inspiring ending. What Grace Suh thinks of initially- regarding physical beauty and makeover is still secondary. What matters is her decision to emerge as a wise individual eventually who chooses to accept her own identity. So, indeed it was not the plastic sheen which she admired; it was her individuality. In the end when she leaves her make-up box in bus, she proves that she would not feel beautiful wearing it. And hence, she goes to respect her individuality.
Reference
- Suh, Grace. ‘The Eye of the Beholder’. 1992. A Magazine.
