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Examples Of Deception In The Grapes Of Wrath

Decent Essays

Is Deception Ever Justified?

Honesty is a good principle, however it does not have to be absolute. Although we should always strive to stay honorable and genuine, deception, under certain conditions and during certain times are justifiable. This point is acknowledged and bolstered in the novel Grapes of Wrath, repeatedly throughout history and proven through scientific research.

First, in The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck,there were multiple incidences where the characters had to resort to lying to others and occasionally to themselves in order to survive. In one particular scene, the mother tricked the family and the border guards to believe that their dead grandmother was merely sleeping by lying beside the dead body for a whole night. The mother thought, correctly, that the rest of the family would stop and not make it through the desert otherwise. In another case, the son and the mother suppressed their feelings of hatred and their own intelligence in order to act the part of contrite and ignorant refugees. It was only through this guile that the family was safe from trouble. Throughout the novel, the characters engaged in …show more content…

An example would be during the Nazi’s reign in World War Two where the Jews were persecuted by Nazi Germany. Benevolent and intrepid neighbours would often choose to protect their Jewish friends through weaving elaborate webs of falsehood and truth. They had to live under the constant threat of death hanging over their heads, wondering if today was the day that the Gestapo would come banging on the door, carrying loaded guns at the ready. They must live the lies that they tell day and night; their truths buried deep underneath layers of deceit. Yet without these cozenage, more Jews would have been found and killed and the goal of Hitler to eradicate this race may have succeeded. Deception during times such as these are

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