When Lying is Too Much Essay
Ring, ring, ring, ring, ring! There goes the alarm for school. You slowly get out of bed because you’re not looking forward to long lectures in English class, and boring algebra problems for homework. You walk out into the hall to hear that your older sister is on the computer. You quickly dash into her room, open her closet, and take the cute black shirt that you've been wanting forever. You go into your room, get the shirt on and put a jacket over it right as your sister is walking up the stairs. Ten minutes later she's asking everybody where her shirt is because she needs it for her job interview. You know that she'd kill you if she found out you took it, but she is panicking like crazy. When she asks you if you've seen it you say, "No of course not." That lie was small and wasn't that big of a deal, but in the book, "The Lie." by Kurt Vonnegut, a boy named Eli goes too far with a lie that is sure to start chaos.
First off, the Remenzel family is a very wealthy family that is well known in the Whitehill school community. For generations the men of the Remenzel family have always been accepted in Whitehill Schools, never being denied. So what’s different about this generation of the Remenzel name? Two people, Dr. Remenzel and his boy Eli. In order to get into Whitehill, you must be the best of the best. You have to have perfect grades, clothes, and even manners. But when Eli isn’t good enough to get in, will his lie be a good beginning for everyone, or a downhill disaster?
It’s a new year at Whitehill Private Preparatory School and every parent wants their son to be accepted, but that won’t be the case for many. Whitehill only lets in the finest boys in the country, and if your son isn’t good enough, don’t expect him to get in. In "The Lie", the mode is irony. It starts out with a boy named Eli ripping up a letter stating that his grades were not good enough to attend Whitehill for the school year. Then the conflict is serious because no one in Eli's family knew that he wasn't accepted into the prep school. Therefore when all of them went to visit the school, nobody understood why they were there if Eli wasn't accepted. And in the end of the story it ends in insanity because Dr. Remenzel said, "I don't suppose we'll ever be coming here anymore." There are also symbols that point to the mode of Irony. The letter is one, recognizing the admittance of Eli getting into the school or not. The school is another symbol. The school stands for what his dad wants, not what Eli wants. And the test is for Eli's worth. It was to see if he is up to Whitehill's standards.
If you think about it, many kids in today's society feel pressured by their parents to be the best at everything they do. And if they don't live up to their parent's expectations, their parents don't think they are doing the best that they can, even if they are. "The Lie" shows this when Eli is pressured to get into Whitehill, even though he doesn't really want to go. He is being pressured by his father to carry on the Remenzel name, and Eli's mom is pressuring Eli just because he is a Remenzel. She thinks he should get privileges that others don't get just because, once again, he is a Remenzel. I feel that parents should not put so much pressure on their children, because I know from experience that it isn't that much fun.
In conclusion if you don't tell the truth, it could come back later in life and hurt you. Eli learns this when he doesn't tell his family about his lie. Today, many people think that you can just lie about stuff to others, and eventually it'll just pass over. Many people don't understand the consequences that they might have to face because they didn't want to stand up and say, that was my fault, I lied. And the ones who do should be greatly rewarded for their bravery. I'd rather be told the truth, not lied to. Even if that means getting hurt.
