Prompt: Many works of literature contain a character who intentionally deceives others. The character’s dishonesty may be intended either to help or to hurt. Such a character, for example, may choose to mislead others for personal safety, to spare someone’s feelings, or to carry out a crime. Choose a novel or play in which a character deceives others. 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 the novel The Blind Assassin, Margaret Atwood employs the intentional misleading in storytelling and story within a story method of telling in order to convey the need for self-protection but still expose the truth, ultimately illustrating people will misguide for self-preservation.
To begin, Atwood uses Iris’s intentional misleading to recall the past without taking accountability. The appearance that she gives in the book as more of an observer when she recalls the events that happened highlights the want to not take accountability. Because of this perspective, Iris chooses to run from the truth even when she is recalling her past. Consequently, she can’t escape the guilt that she feels when she reflects because of her inability to accept fault. Therefore, her deception in storytelling is used to show that Iris is not a reliable author by misguiding throughout her book. Continually, Iris’s choice to not tell the truth when storytelling deepens the guilt that she has. Iris’s actions to not save her sister show that she still struggles with the regret of not taking action. Because of this choice, she does not take blame for the death of her sister. Since, she chooses the lie by presenting the death of her sister as something out of her control rather than a wrong choice. Thus, the use of intentional misleading makes her an unreliable storyteller, and exposes the guilt that she has as the truth slowly unravels throughout the book.
Although the truth is eventually revealed, her attempts at concealing it proves that she does not want to admit the truth and would rather hide in lies. Atwood’s uses of Iris recounting her past through a story shows her want to hide truth The deception through giving Laura the credit of the book highlights the want to hide the truth. Because of this deception, Iris alters the truth by not having her identity known as the author of the book. Because of this change, Iris shifts the blame that she had from her to her sister. Consequently, her inability to take accountability shows the lack of credibility in the story that she tells. Therefore, due to the story within a story approach, Iris shields herself from the blame that she has for not saving her sister. Moreover, Iris does not want to get caught by writing the story. Her choice in choosing Laura to be the storyteller shows the methods to keep herself safe. Because of this want, the credibility of the story goes down as she does more and more to mask the truth. Since, she hides her identity as the author but at the cost of the truth. Thus, the use of the story within the story demonstrates the means the Iris goes to in order to protect herself.
Ultimately, Iris’s use of deception and change of perspective in the story highlight the reality that she regrets the actions she made, but also that she can not accept that she is at fault. Her attempts at masking the truth do not support her but only make it harder to understand the truth, normally leading to questions about what is right or wrong. Her intentional misleading shows that she, and many others, will do anything to change the truth to keep themselves safe.