Lying, this word might mean different things to different people; however, one thing that everybody can agree on is that there is nobody that has never told a lie. People lie naturally, whether it be to get out of embarrassing situations, please a friend, or even write a fiction book, which in itself is simply a collection of lies written by a somewhat creative person. The Great Gatsby is a perfect example of how and why people lie, as well as what types of lies people use. The characters in this book by Scott F. Fitzgerald which depicts the world of the wealthy as a world full of illusions and deceits, display several types of lies, ranging from a benign white lie, to a full-fledged deceitful, harmful lie. Stephanie Ericsson, the author of
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Tom, Daisy’s husband as well as Myrtle’s lover, is no exception. He makes use of several types of lies throughout the novel; but one of these lies stands out as it occurs following a major event in the book. This lie is a paragon of ignorance of plain truths. Tom might have perceived this lie as an act of love or heroism for his wife Daisy, or just a way to get Gatsby killed; but this is up to the reader’s interpretation. However, there is one thing that does not need debating, and that is the fact that Tom completely denied any knowledge of what had happened. Daisy ran over Myrtle with a car, and did not admit it, later letting Gatsby take the blame for it. Although it is a major lie as well, what should be focused on is how Tom deals with this situation. When George Wilson asks Tom about the accident, Tom not only denies the fact that Daisy was driving the car but goes as far as accusing Jay Gatsby for it. In the same way that Ericsson talked about how the Catholic Church ignoring the pedophile priest named Porter resulted in it being a “co-perpetrator with Porter” (Ericsson 2), Tom’s denial of Daisy driving the car resulted in the death of Gatsby. The example given by Stephanie Ericsson perfectly illustrates this point , Tom tried to protect Daisy by lying and ignoring these apparent truths similarly to how the Catholic …show more content…
Daisy used white lies in order to cover up her love for Gatsby but also to avoid any harm being done to her marriage, which proved to be unsuccessful at the end of the novel. Tom on the other hand ignored what he knew was true, such as the fact that he should have told Daisy about his affair with Myrtle or that it was Daisy driving the car that killed Myrtle, not Gatsby. The third and most important lie in this novel is, as it was discussed earlier, Gatsby’s lie about his family being dead and him inheriting their money. This was a pure example of a façade and therefore showed how much Gatsby’s persona revolved around lying, he could not function in that society without lying. In addition to this, Gatsby demonstrated that he was in fact delusional but also that he was dismissing the reality, whether it be when he thinks of marrying Daisy or when he tries to convince himself that he does come from a rich family. All of these different things combined are what make Jay Gatsby The Great Gatsby’s biggest
Tom, Daisy’s husband as well as Myrtle’s lover, is no exception. He makes use of several types of lies throughout the novel; but one of these lies stands out as it occurs following a major event in the book. This lie is a paragon of ignorance of plain truths. Tom might have perceived this lie as an act of love or heroism for his wife Daisy, or just a way to get Gatsby killed; but this is up to the reader’s interpretation. However, there is one thing that does not need debating, and that is the fact that Tom completely denied any knowledge of what had happened. Daisy ran over Myrtle with a car, and did not admit it, later letting Gatsby take the blame for it. Although it is a major lie as well, what should be focused on is how Tom deals with this situation. When George Wilson asks Tom about the accident, Tom not only denies the fact that Daisy was driving the car but goes as far as accusing Jay Gatsby for it. In the same way that Ericsson talked about how the Catholic Church ignoring the pedophile priest named Porter resulted in it being a “co-perpetrator with Porter” (Ericsson 2), Tom’s denial of Daisy driving the car resulted in the death of Gatsby. The example given by Stephanie Ericsson perfectly illustrates this point , Tom tried to protect Daisy by lying and ignoring these apparent truths similarly to how the Catholic …show more content…
Daisy used white lies in order to cover up her love for Gatsby but also to avoid any harm being done to her marriage, which proved to be unsuccessful at the end of the novel. Tom on the other hand ignored what he knew was true, such as the fact that he should have told Daisy about his affair with Myrtle or that it was Daisy driving the car that killed Myrtle, not Gatsby. The third and most important lie in this novel is, as it was discussed earlier, Gatsby’s lie about his family being dead and him inheriting their money. This was a pure example of a façade and therefore showed how much Gatsby’s persona revolved around lying, he could not function in that society without lying. In addition to this, Gatsby demonstrated that he was in fact delusional but also that he was dismissing the reality, whether it be when he thinks of marrying Daisy or when he tries to convince himself that he does come from a rich family. All of these different things combined are what make Jay Gatsby The Great Gatsby’s biggest