One of the main themes that I felt this novel covered pretty well is that of an 'unmasking' in order to get at the essential core within a person. There is this dramatization within the masks that each of these various personas wear which is presented through this 'godgame' where Maurice Conchis is the magus, or the magician, which brings forth the actors and actresses and then proceeds to 'unmask' them as they proceed to take on their new roles. Nicholas, who is the protagonist of this novel, is destined to become the hero but in the beginning he is very uncertain with himself so he must be tempted into this realm in order to release or gain a newfound knowledge that can only be found within his self. Having left because of the complications of love, he is easily tempted by none other than that a beautiful, young and mysterious woman, Lily, a character that adopts multiple masks based off of Nicholas' personalities and challenges his cynical view on life.
Nicholas is ultimately unmasked in the end which allows him to be reborn into this previously unknown higher state of consciousness which opens his eyes to who he really is, presenting a sense of stripping away appearances in order to unveil essential truths. He has gained the ability to choose and in turn Nicholas learns how to be free.
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