Tuesday, October 4, 2011

My Post Secret Card

       The "post secret" card I made had a picture of Don Draper from the popular show "Mad Men" with the words "Who am I anyway?" written in red sparkly letters surrounding his face. Although only Mad Men viewers would truly understand the significance of this card, I believe anybody could gain a certain understanding of the meaning. The man depicted is a confidant business man with his hair perfectly groomed, a calm expression on his face, wearing an expensive business suit. The written phrase implies that Don Draper is undergoing a crisis of identity- perhaps he does not enjoy his occupation, or he is his hiding his true identity.
       In the show, Donald Draper is one of the most successful business men in America. He is a partner of a innovative advertising agency, has dozens of employees at his command, has a seemingly perfect family and lavish home, and has the finest liquor and cigarettes always in stock in his office. Although it appears to the viewer that Don Draper has the perfect balanced life, it is not actually so. He is unhappy with his marriage and has many sexual encounters with other women (and often his clients), he is unable to devote equivalent attention to his children and family as he does to his job, and we later come to find out that his past is different than it appears. His father was an adulterer and impregnated a prostitute (his mother), his step mother hated him growing up, he was given a purple heart in combat as a result of an accident he caused, and following the war, he changed his identity to start his life from a clean slate.
       The bold red words and their placement around Don Draper's sullen face provides a bold suggestion that he  is undergoing an identity crisis. The broken pocket watch in the top right hand corner is an indication that Draper is lost in time, and is unable to find himself.

No comments:

Post a Comment