Liar, Liar
A lie is an untruth, a false statement or a statement left unsaid. A lie causes someone to be misled. In three different novels I have read this year, a resemblance has been clear in relationship and constant theme of lying. In the Heart of Darkness, the main character Marlow uses lies only to protect people from danger and uses them out of the kindness in his heart. In 1984, lies are used for control. The government controls every aspect of their citizens lives by feeding them lies about their past and making it certain they cannot retrieve evidence that the past has been altered by the government. In Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers, documents are released stating that the United States presidents for decades have been lying about the method the country became involved in a war that was taking the lives of millions of soldiers. Marlow dislikes lies and only tells them in extraordinary circumstances when it is for the sake of others and not for himself. It is unfortunate that all lies are not told with such novel purposes as seen in 1984.
In Joseph Conrads, Heart of Darkness, Marlow dislikes lies and only tells one in an extraordinary circumstance. You know I hate, detest, and cant bear a lie. (p. 44) Lies appall him and make him feel miserable and sick. (p. 44) An unusual circumstance Marlow needed to lie in was keeping the truth from the intended about the events her dead fianc took part of. Marlow knew that Kurtz was dead and that telling the truth about his past would only hurt an innocent woman who was unaware her fianc was evil at heart. If she had found out the things her fianc, whom she thought was admired and loved by all had done, it would destroy her. The circumstances of the lie was that he could either let this devoted and loving woman believe the love of her life was a good man, or cause her grief. Even though Marlow has met a man with a heart of darkness, and has been faced with troubles of his own, he is still able to stay a good man with senses and feelings towards others. Marlow is too courteous and respectful of others feeling so he tells the intended one untruths only to protect her from the dangerous truth.
1984 is George Orwells dark vision of the future, of how the power of state could domination the lives of individuals through lies and cultural control. Winston Smiths personage is wiped clean and he is fed lies by the government for his entire life. Winstons place of work, the Ministry of Truth consumes itself self with lies. The governments ownership of print media gives them the ability to manipulate and have power over the publics opinion. The branch Winston works for is the Records Department. He receives articles or new items that are thought of as necessary to alter. The constant alternation of documents is applied to newspapers, books, posters, films, cartoons and photographs. The government alters every kind of literature document, which might hold any political significance. Past personal documents are confiscated and portrayed as bad to the citizens by the government. The citizens of Oceanias minds had been taken over by the government and their entire lives have been altered by lies.
The subject of Daniel Ellsbergs Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers is the release of the 7,000 page top secret document on the study of the United States real decision making in the Vietnam war to the New York Times and Washington Post to all Americans after being lied to for decades. Ellsberg released these papers as a massive act of no cooperation and defiance to accept evil and cover up the lies he had learned about from. During a meeting Ellsberg attended, he learned that one who accepts evil is just as involved in it as he is against it. Starting in the 1940s, Americans and Congress members were under the idea that the United States had drifted into the Vietnam War due to false pretences the presidents were under. What the documents Ellsberg released reveled were that the presidents and their advisors had been lying to the entire country for decades. The five presidents leading up to this time felt the only way to continue this immoral war was to keep their decision making top secret and lie about it to the entire country. In a meeting with Ellsberg, Janaki Gandhi teaches him that all evil doing is dependent on the corruption of the least passive tolerance of people. Passive bystanders are just as involved as accomplices are. If Ellsberg had not exposed the presidents fraud, he would have been surrendering to the lies and been just as evil as the presidents. The release of the Pentagon Papers changed the entire government system and protected the American citizens from presidents being able to lie to the country again.
Through Heart of Darkness, 1984 and Secrets readers are introduced to different stories involving lies. The lying tactic in Heart of Darkness is shown to be used to protect innocent people out of the kindness of Marlows heart, for the sake of others. In 1984 and Secrets we are shown that lies can also be used for control and to cover up ones mistakes, for the sake of oneself. In 1984 we are shown that lies can be used to dictate citizens and control them enough to rid them of information the government does not want them to be aware of as in 1984. In Secrets, we see a brave man release documents exposing the United States presidents of the lies and fraud they have been hiding to all of America. A lie is an untruth, and the world would be a better place without them.
Already have an account? Log In Now
7460