Naturalism includes the idea that society helps form an individual. How does the mask in Dunbar's poem support that belief?

In Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem “We Wear the Mask,” the mask hides the speakers’ suffering behind smiles and pleasant appearances. This supports the naturalist idea that society shapes individuals: racial oppression pressures African Americans to conceal their pain in order to face the world. The mask is not an escape from society; it is a response to social pressure.

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