Deception In Margaret Atwood's Richard Griffin

“Works of literature often depict acts of betrayal. Friends and even family may betray a protagonist; main character may likewise be guilty of treachery of may betray their own values.”

Deception, as well as their relationship, is crucial to the overall plot. The character of Lady Anne has crucial dramatic functions within the play because her character supports Richard’s growing reputation of manipulating and morally wrong motives. When she is seduced by Richard, it shows his success at manipulation, which eventually does fail in the later acts of the play.

Deception is an act intentionally inflicted upon others in order to, satisfy one's wants and needs. In the novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby deceives others for both his personal gain and love. While Jay Gatsby lives day by day deceiving others, he thinks not much of it. Gatsby sees himself has merely just moving on from the past and onto a new life. However, through his acts of deception he is stirring up a fatal situation. Fitzgerald portrays Jay Gatsby as a man who is wealthy and as some may say “living the life”. Jay Gatsby however, is merely a mask put on by James Gatz, the same man, to live the life he has always desired. Once settled in as Jay Gatsby, he starts to find it difficult to maintain an image expected by others. In this novel, James Gatz lives a false life as Jay Gatsby to satisfy his wants and needs, but has his act of deceiving others comes to an crumble Fitzgerald is able to showcase the struggle and cost of deception.

Have you ever wondered why it can be so hard to tell the truth, or why it seems better to tell a lie? In both F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and Rob Marshall’s Chicago, characters lie because they feel that it is easier. However, lying leads to a downward- spiral. The society we live in can either lead us to a complicated relationship with the truth or easy going. The problem with constantly telling lies is that it starts off with one then leads to another until everything you say is a lie. People know it is easier to tell lies than face the truth because they are either doing it for money, or protection for themselves, people they love, or relationships. Yes, telling lies can help but imagine the damage you’re building up on the way. Nobody likes liars and liars can be found anywhere, even families lie to each other. Relationships are just like thin pieces of paper that make small tears to it every time a lie is told. The paper can be put back together but it will never be the same or be seen the same.

“Reality is easy. Deception that's the hard the hard work” -Lauryn Hill. In the novel the Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses literary elements such as symbolism, irony and conflict to show deception and secrecy can lead to self-destruction. This relates to the Scarlet Letter because in the book the protagonist character commits an act of sin that was more than just frowned upon. Not only does the community gossip and turn their cheek to the sinner but a sickness comes along from keeping a secret from the community.

Fitzgerald lets the reader know that Gatsby is hiding something that he doesn't want anyone to see. Next we see that when Gatsby practically kidnaps Nick to take him to lunch in the ride into town Gatsby is talking to Nick about his background and “I don't like mysteries” Nick said but Gatsby acts as if he's hiding nothing but when he really is (76). Gatsby is a mysterious man who one thing we think about him is a lie but even when we hear it from him something doesn't match up or something is left out or unknown. Gatsby talks about when he was in the war and shows Nick the photograph he had where Gatsby looked out-of-place. When Gatsby talks to a room full of people including Nick he leans more towards Nick to talk to and address more often. When Gatsby tells Nick about his story about his past but Nick isn't buying any of it Gatsby tries to show proof of his past but Nick finds it to be “Threadbare”. However this shows that Gatsby is indeed mysterious because Nick doesn't fully trust Gatsby as a good friend. Also Gatsby’s metals and photograph don't exactly line up with what Gatsby is saying to

Then, in a well-written essay, analyze the motives for that character’s deception and discuss how the deception contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. In Steinbeck’s novel East of Eden, the character Cathy Ames is a selfish, deceitful, and manipulative person. She appears to be a heartless person throughout the novel. The ironic device of verbal

Mary Elizabeth Braddon's novel "Lady Audley's Secret" presents readers with a captivating account involving the central character, Robert Audley, and his attempt to reveal more information concerning a suspicious story that he has come across. The text is relatively similar to other modern detective stories, but one of its main characteristics is the fact that it is dominated by drama, with humor being generally absent from the novel. While this text is meant to provide readers with a clear message, it is difficult for most to simply accept Lady Audley's version of her condition and of the things that influenced her in taking on such an attitude. Thus, readers are left with the question: Was Lady Audley really suffering from a mental illness, or was she too proud to admit that she was motivated by material values.

Though set in entirely dissimilar countries at different points in history, Margaret Atwood’s ‘Alias Grace’ and Hannah Kent’s ‘Burial Rites’ possess significant comparisons. Both for instance, are fictionalized historical novels following the tribulations of a female protagonist convicted of murder and both have been widely acclaimed for their incredible literary style which merges classic poetry, epigraphs, folklore and historical articles with fiction. The most striking parallel between each novel that can be drawn, however, is the way in which authors masterfully craft the stories of untrustworthy, cunning and deceptive criminals to elicit sympathy from their audiences. Readers of the novel and secondary characters alike are gradually pulled into sympathising with ambiguous and untrustworthy female leads, Grace Marks (Alias Grace) and Agnes Magnusdottir (Burial Rites). Despite the heavy suspicions of others and a lack of evidence to support their claims of innocence, these characters present artfully manipulated features of their defence stories to provoke empathy, sympathy and trust from those within the novel, and those reading it.

No one wants to be described as a deceitful person. When people utilize deception, they are often deemed liars, tricksters, or cheaters instead of being praised for their cleverness. As a result, many people are afraid to deceive others and fail to realize that deceit is actually a valuable skill for one to have. In the Importance of Being Earnest, Jack, Algernon, and Cecily reveal that the true purpose of deception is to help one escape societal roles while still being acceptable in society.

Ibsen, the writer of the play “A Doll House,” provides insight on self-right when faced with assisting a loved one and its deception that arose from it. The character of Nora has the most extenuating circumstances for the reason of deception within the play. Her deceitfulness is based on illegal applications, social expectations and the fear of her husband. Unfortunately, the biggest fabrication that is revealed at the end was the falsehood she had told to herself. All Nora’s deceptions began as an act of love for her husband Torvald, as the doctor inform her “it was necessary he should have no idea what a dangerous condition he was in”(p.

Not only does Ann Radcliffe use the gothic trope deception and destruction William Godwin uses it as well throughout his novel Caleb Williams. However, Godwin uses deception through political systems and through the two main characters, Falkland and Caleb Williams. Falkland is an urban landowner and hires Caleb Williams to “transcribe, arrange certain papers and partly write his dictation letters of business, as well as sketches of literary composition: he performed the functions of a librarian as well as secretary” (Godwin 1.1.pg.5). Falkland is believed to be a well-off and exceedingly appreciated landlord, who is passionately eager of keeping his appearance. For example on page 4 in volume one chapter one Caleb describes Falkland as a man of stature and he was kind and attentive. He is known to be an understanding businessperson but is vulnerable to uncharacteristic hysterics of convulsions which no one knows about except his servant, Collins. On the other hand, three months after Caleb started working for him he saw Falkland having one of these distempers: “he heard the lid of a chest hastily slam and lock and heard a voice that seemed supernaturally tremendous. The sound of it thrilled Caleb’s very vitals and saw Falkland rising up from the floor” (Godwin 1.1 pg.7) because of this Caleb was very curious as to why his boss had this random outburst. Caleb later finds out this outburst is caused by “his sensibility and how it is shrunk up and withered by events that are most disgustful to his feelings…his mind was incapable to survive the wound that his pride had sustained” (Godwin 1.1. pg. 8). This makes Caleb even more interested in finding out about his boss because he now believes Falkland is being misleading and is hiding something he did in the past. Caleb examines his master’s habits and history and finally comes to a conclusion that this apparently honorable character is a murderer. As soon as there is intensity in the house, Caleb is on the verge of opening a chest in his master’s room, however, Falkland catches Caleb in the act. Once Falkland believes that Caleb knows he actually confesses and threatens Caleb with horrible retribution if he makes an effort to leave his duties. Falkland states:

Lies and deceit are major components in the development of the plot of Charles Dickens’s nineteenth-century novel, Great Expectations. Deceit, the action or practice of deceiving someone by concealing or misrepresenting the truth, coupled with lying tend to be the prevailing character trait of many of the characters in the novel. As a matter of fact, Dickens not only inaugurates the story with a lie, but the deception continues to shape the plot until the end.

In Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn creates a world full of distasteful characters to show how their manipulating behaviour is a result of their dissatisfaction. Each time one of the characters try to lie and manipulate others or even themselves, it reflects on how unhappy they are with their situation thins. And it is because of this that the more dissatisfied you are, the more inclined you are to hurt and try to control your environment.

In a moment of absurdist, it turns out that the shotgun is a toy pistol that only shoots out a flag. Although we are relieved since that the gun isn’t real, this revelation does not dissipate the tension invoked during this scene.