tion they are attempting to create (Wallace & Wolf, 1995, p. 222). In the terms of the Unabomber case, the front region would be his decision to articulate his philosophy and mail it to the New York Times. By doing so, the Unabomber was attempting to create in the public's mind a perception of him as a person of strong social beliefs who was willing to kill and endanger other's people lives in support of his principles. In addition, the artist's sketch of the Unabomber that was so prevalent before his capture further in the public mind the vision of a furtive man who operated outside of society.
If the front region is the place where the actor is playing out the script of impression management, the back region is just the opposite. The back region remains hidden from the audience before, during, and after the individual's performance and Goffman describes it as the place where the techniques of impression management are practiced (Wallace & Wolf, 1995, p. 222). Thus, it is the space where the individual rehearses the actions that will form the viewers' impression in the front region. The back region is also the where the performer can relax. Wallace & Wolf argue that by drawing our attention to the back region, Goffman helps us to understand all the hidden work involved in accomplishing successful presentation of self in public (Wallace & Wolf, 1995, p. 223). In the case of the Unabomber, the revelation of his family life and the place where he lived presented the back region of his performance to the public. Many were amazed at the difference between the public perception of him as almost ubiquitous and powerful and the revelation that he lived in a small one-room shack on the West Coast.
Herbert Blumer's description of the line of action views social interaction along slightly different lines than does Goffman. For Blumer, the coordination of lines of action marks social organization. Coordinating these lines of ac...