[SPOILERS] The pig mask symbolism

[slo]

The pig mask follows Mandus everywhere. And while the "pigs are really men!" symbolism is kinda evident, the mask itself is somehow a deeper symbol.
The mask is something to conceal your identity with. To play the role of the other. And it plagues the protagonist. The only thing I make from this is that Mandus we play for isn't really Mandus.
I think it might mean that Mandus is really a pig.
Or not. But still: who's masked?

[Cstrang]

Clearly it's the aliens.

[slo]

Originally posted by cstrang:

Clearly it's the aliens.

Argh! The UFO ending!

Almost forgot. Pig masks also translate the message "You're not alone". But who else is there?
Not the Engineer clearly. Engineer isn't even alive for the most of the game. Not the pigs, they aren't intelligent enough. Who's there? Who is the face behind the mask?

[Cstrang]

It's me, but you weren't suppose to know.

[Shadowspaz]

I believe Mandus makes the mention several times that all men are pigs, and they will be treated as such (More eloquently spoken, though). And, with his discovery of all the horrible things he did, I think he just saw himself as a pig that needed to be bled out, and so that's what he did.

[The Bees]

It's probably just keeping with the pig motif, but...

One of the notes mentions "fake parades and streets" used to take captives into the machine. The masks could have been used by these fake paraders.

It could also have been something he found in Mexico, which seems to be where he lost his mind. Perhaps that's what inspired him to gravitate towards the pig theme in the first place.

[slo]

Originally posted by Shadowspaz:

I believe Mandus makes the mention several times that all men are pigs, and they will be treated as such (More eloquently spoken, though). And, with his discovery of all the horrible things he did, I think he just saw himself as a pig that needed to be bled out, and so that's what he did.

The mask is tempting Mandus to put it on and become the very pig he despises? I like the idea.
It might be the guilt or the thought of giving up.
Do masks still appear after the machine is started?

[slo]

Originally posted by Waking Dream:

It's probably just keeping with the pig motif, but...

One of the notes mentions "fake parades and streets" used to take captives into the machine. The masks could have been used by these fake paraders.

It could also have been something he found in Mexico, which seems to be where he lost his mind. Perhaps that's what inspired him to gravitate towards the pig theme in the first place.

He used pig motifs in the church. He certainly could have used masks for fake paraders.

[DAYMAN]

"The mask is tempting Mandus to put it on and become the very pig he despises? I like the idea."

I wish it were something such as that, but to me it seems that it just symbolises the game, and tells the player that they are on a right track.

It would be nice if the mask had been placed in some places where a human had done a "piggish" deed aka. put on the pig mask, like in the place where someone took those nude photos secretly in the mansion. Then they could place the pig mask in some places where it is not so clear what happened, and players would have to figure it out themselves using subtle hints from their surroundings.

[Shadowspaz]

Originally posted by DAYMAN:

I wish it were something such as that, but to me it seems that it just symbolises the game, and tells the player that they are on a right track.

Well, the Chinese Room seems to have the trademark of doing everything intentionally, whether that intention is to tell a story, or to make players wonder. But even if it was just "hey, let's put these masks here," they're doing so with the knowledge it will draw attention, and it's clear that the masks are a vital piece. So they knew the weight of what they were doing.

[TMAC Blade]

Originally posted by slowpoke64:

Originally posted by cstrang:

Clearly it's the aliens.

Argh! The UFO ending!

Almost forgot. Pig masks also translate the message "You're not alone". But who else is there?
Not the Engineer clearly. Engineer isn't even alive for the most of the game. Not the pigs, they aren't intelligent enough. Who's there? Who is the face behind the mask?

who the hell is leaving the pig maskes everywhere? is mandus pooping them out unknowingly without his knowledge

[Chudah]

The painting on the mask is very Aztec inspired, which leads me to believe that it's a reminder that these murders are indeed sacrifices. I can't remember where they all show up, but one point sticks out in my mind towards the end of the game, right after you discover with certainty that you murdered your own sons. If memory serves, Mandus is crawling towars a ladder going up when a half dozen masks fall on the ground in front of him. This could be reinforcement of the sacrifice theme.

[slo]

Yes! Yes it urges Mandus to put it on!
There is a pig mask in the head of the chair at the end.

PS
I put a chair where mask was supposed to appear. The next thing I saw was a pig mask flying across the room. It was funny.

[Gotta Ramble]

Remember when the pile of pig masks dropped from nowhere? That must have been a clue.......

[liannamator]

After reading some people's interpretations of the ending; I believe the pig masks might have been left as a kind of 'trail of breadcrumbs' for you by the other (evil) half of your psyche which had fused with the machine. Chudah might be on to something in that the masks are very influenced by the sacrificial Aztec imagery. It's as if your other half is trying to draw out your memories of what happened in Mexico in that fateful temple.

[Nostromo]

The Aztec point seems likely.

But also, remember the quote at the beginning of the game?

"He who makes a beast of himself removes himself from the pain of being human."

The note which expresses Mandus's identity crisis is surrounded by the falling pig masks--the juxtaposition of the two seems to boil down to "am I a man hiding behind the face of a beast?" or "am I a beast hiding behind the face of a man?"

While there's much evidence to suggest Mandus didn't have the healthiest mentality even before his wife died (watching her bath and taking pictures), the story of his empire, as surreal as it is, seems to be grounded by something very human--the pain and misery of his loss. And he lost much more than family; he lost faith, hope, and happiness and he came to despise himself and the human race. The horror of this game is what a man can become in his darkest hour, and the even more horrifying idea is for the player to ask themselves "could I forgive myself?" or "do my actions define what makes me human, or what makes me a beast?". The comparisons of man and beast are numberous, but notice how there's not much mention of a loss of humanity. When Mandus is asked if his machine is humane he gawks at the notion of being humane, like it's entirely subjective.

I think the pig mask is the centerpiece of these questions in the player's mind, or at least the question of how mankind compares to beasts. The example I gave is one of many, this game is loaded with subliminality.