Little White Lies

Many people in the world are pretenders and liars. Even in the early stages of life many children pretend to be a distinguishable figure. Whether it is a princess or a superhero, these children create false images of themselves to feel important or confident. Although everyone has his or her own reason for doing such a thing, many do it for their own personal gain. Countless amounts of people can relate to this (including myself) because many have told lies or pretended to be something they are not multiple times in their lives. Even as adults, people still lie and pretend. Not only do they create false statements to build images for themselves, they create images in which they can look upon in a positive way. Whether it is to win over the heart of a woman, make good friends, or even get revenge, lying is used for personal gain everywhere in the world. Brock Clarke once said “Sometimes the lies you tell are less frightening than the loneliness you might feel if you stopped telling them.” The lies one tells are used to create false images to gain securities and a completely new life. These lies improve self-esteem and make people feel they are more important than they actually are. Without lies people would feel alone, unimportant, and even boring because they will continue to live their dull, normal lives. With lies, people build walls of confidence and live with integrity, not fearing isolation and abandonment in the world. Three examples of literature where lying is used for personal gain are “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Even though these books contain examples of liars, each character uses lying for different intenti...

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...le to feel good about themselves because they are masked with lies. Characters such as Jack Worthing, Algernon Moncrieff, Jay Gatsby, and Edmond Dantes all lied for various reasons. They avoid loneliness by using lies to create false images. Whether it was for friends, love, social status, or revenge, each character committed the sinful act of lying to create false images and accomplish their goals. Without lies, each character would be alone and helpless in the world. Brock Clarke once said “Sometimes the lies you tell are less frightening than the loneliness you might feel if you stopped telling them.” Many people, young and old, can relate to this quote because they have told lies or pretended to be something they are not. The truth is many are afraid of being alone in this big world. People tell lies to feel bigger and more important than they actually are.