The Ways We Lie

In The Ways We Lie, Stephanie Ericsson’s categories of liars are seen often in the novel. Three that are seen in The Great Gatsby are facades, ignoring the plain facts, and deflecting. Not only did these lies bring trouble to the characters but also destroyed their lives.

Myrtle Wilson, can be put into the category of facades. Her life at home was not lavish, she helped her husband run his gas station and could not afford luxuries. However with Tom she lived differently as Stephanie Ericsson states, “Facades can be destructive because they are used to seduce others into an illusion.” After boarding a train she would change her dress and would buy a different perfume to take the role of Tom’s mistress. When she invited friends to the apartment she would again change into something more elaborate and with that her personality would become different. She was no longer the wife of a gas store owner but the mistress of a wealthy man. Nick notices throughout chapter two how she become haughty even when giving a compliment she waves it off, “By raising her eyebrow in disdain.” Perhaps preparing herself for her future life she lost the value of herself for Tom.

Another type of lying seen in the book was ignoring the plain facts such as Daisy Buchanan did. Being part of an elite society she was in the constant eyesight of other elite. This causes her to find out of Tom infidelity but instead of putting a stop to it she continues to be with him and even has a child with him. At first in their marriage she thought by keeping him constantly with her infidelity would not occur. Once they have their daughter, Daisy realizes it is better to be a fool as she state, “And I hope she’ll be a fool-that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” Later in the novel she decides she can have an affair also instead of trying to win her husband back. Stephanie Ericsson says in her essay says “lying is a false action intended