A dramaturgic trajectory of hiding oneself in eat pray love

Abstract

Eat Pray Love, a memoir, written by Elizabeth Gilbert, was published in 2006 in Great Britain. The story revolves around the writer’s disagreement with herself. Gilbert’s denial to have family becomes only one of the reasons that pushes her into a trajectory of hiding herself from her front-stage society. The story succinctly combines elements of personal melodrama and stream of consciousness. Besides, the memoir captures the frustrations of modern and city life; it reflects everyday life, especially which of the working class people in the world. So, this paper studies the memoir from Ervin Goffman's dramaturgical approach as it finely embraces human everyday behavior including fear, anger, courage, conflict, relationships, and secrets. This research work aims to identify people’s competitive selves, with an emphasis on the way people present themselves in front and backstage of their everyday life. Presenting the prime confusion within people’s inner self and their struggle to control themselves, this research examines the writer’s physiognomies and emotions, replicating everyday human activities as everyday performance. Yet, it also examines what forces the writer to monitor her frontstage actions and pose her freedom. It also advocates the account of hiding oneself and preparing powerfully for the upcoming circumstance. Gilbert, a fair-minded, euphoric, and ambivert character is actually in isolated situations that push readers to know the obscure secret. Her dramaturgic path thrusts her to monitor and guide throughout her travel and life’s critical decision. Yet, Gilbert undertakes a certain backstage role in her efforts to remain true to herself in having a significant and influential role in her life to supervise her frontstage actions and pose her freedom.