Masks In Amy Hempel's In The Cemetery

“In The Cemetery where Al Jolson is buried” by Amy Hempel uses the word masks throughout the story to convey guilt, fear and unacceptance of death. The first mention of the word mask is in the beginning of the story. We are just beginning to understand that Hempel is describing two people in a hospital, the narrator is visiting her friend who is sick. They are both wearing masks, the narrator checks to make sure that she is still breathing and that she is not “ used to the mask yet.” The friend has her mask hanging loose, a “pro by now.” The fact that the narrator describes her friend at being a “pro” and the fact that the narrator is not used to her masks, tells us that the narrator has not been to visit before.
Although the narrator has