Masks of the Reader and Writer

Walter J. Ong presents an interesting illustration concerning the relationship between writer and audience in The Writer's Audience is Always a Fiction. The whole piece deals with the persona of the writer and what role the audience plays in response to the chosen vessel, and Ong dances around the idea of deception until it comes out fully as he writes, "No matter what pitch of frankness, directness, or authenticity he may strive for, the writer's mask and the reader's are less removable than those of the oral communicator and his hearer. For writing is itself an indirection. Direct communication by script is impossible"(20). True communication, whether spoken or written, is very rarely pure in both intent and presentation, but it is through fictional written communication that writers are allowed to assume any mask and pass that mask over to readers.

In thinking about deception in writing, I am reminded of Aristotle's overall ideas of Good; are writers obligated to present truth for the cosmic sense of justice or is a written manipulation with a pleasant outcome more honorable? I am led to believe after reading Ong's piece that human nature does not naturally point towards goodness, but rather to a learned good intent that has the tendency to get shrouded with personal ambition towards happiness. Ong parallels this thought as he writes, "For man lives largely by indirection, and only beneath the indirections that sustain him is his true nature to be found"(20). After fulfilling basic needs, man is led indirectly towards what will make that individual feel content in the present circumstances. But how does this apply to the relationship between reader and author? Because readers are without direction, they are easily molded and manipulated, making the role of writer extremely influential in history and present day society.