The Lie: Discussion, Analysis, and Interpretation

 

Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s “The Lie” is a short story that shows arrogance and entitlement of privileged people which was portrayed in the characters of the Remenzel family. Eli, the main character in the story hides the truth from his parents that he failed to pass the entrance examination; only to be revealed in the worst way possible. When the parents find out that their son was denied admission to the most prestigious school for boys where all his forefathers had gone, they had demanded the board to make an exception for him. The Remenzels are known for the many contributions to their school that had led to opportunities for the less privileged, at least according to Mrs. Remenzel. In the beginning of the book, they displayed prejudice towards the less fortunate and the ‘colored people’ but are then veered towards a revelation that would cause them shame. They are humbled when the chairman disagrees with their arrogance and commands.

 

Discussion:

            The Whitehill School for Boys is a place of great importance to the Remenzel family. It is in that school that they have built their history and legacy since the end of the eighteenth century. Many establishments and foundations in the school were named after them. It is no wonder why Eli had kept telling his parents about his failure to pass the entrance exam. They expect very highly of him and sees their son as another legacy of the Remenzels in Whitehill. It would be inconceivable for them to know that Eli could not go despite his failing grades in primary school.

            In the excerpt above, Dr. Remenzel despises the arrogance displayed by Mrs. Remenzel. He replies that even though their family was of high importance, they are not entitled to special privileges in the school and reminds Eli of it. Although Eli was wrong for hiding the truth, his parents should be responsible for his actions. They were too complacent, and their son’s achievement was their only concern. They thought too highly of themselves that they thought their history with the school is enough to get their son admitted. They showed little importance to Eli’s uneasiness in the car. He showed signs of pressure, but his parents were only focused on their titles and prejudices.

            Many people can relate to Eli Remenzel as many of us are under a lot of pressure in order to meet the expectations of the world. We often hide our true selves, so we could prove something to our family, other people around us, and ourselves. Failure is hard to accept, and it is harder to share to our loved ones that we had not succeeded. In this way, we sympathize with Eli and the way he reacted to his failure.

 

Analysis:

            “The Lie” by Kurt Vonnegut is a short story fiction that is aligned with Postmodern Literature. The story’s themes are influenced by its characteristics such as reflexivity, irony, and social fragmentation. This is revealed as the author unfolds the reality between the characters in the story. It is written in third person limited omniscient since the author lacks knowledge about most of the characters in the story; except for Sylvia and Eli Remenzel. The author focuses most on the thoughts of Sylvia and Eli, and also revealing their lives in retrospect.

            Vonnegut plays with his characters to reveal the theme of the story. Sylvia is a manifestation of arrogance and privilege due to her attitude towards the scholars of Whitehill. She thinks that their family and other rich people are more deserving of education in the school. Her distaste towards the unprivileged students is shown when she is surprised that anyone smart can enter Whitehill even if their families could not afford to pay the tuition. She is also shocked to know that a ‘scholar’ wrote the school’s hymn and not a Remenzel nor any other upper-class alumna which she thinks is more deserving.

            Vonnegut hides the true character of Dr. Remenzel on the course of the story. He is portrayed as a ‘righteous elite’ for disagreeing with Sylvia who thinks that their family should be entitled to special privileges in Whitehill. He believes that his son, Eli should be treated as how other students are treated without the entitlement. However, his hypocrisy is revealed at the end of the story. He found it unacceptable that his son could not get into the school for failing the entrance examination. He attempts to use their ‘special privilege’ by asking the representative of the school to let his son in even though he was not qualified.

            Eli Remenzel who was the ‘liar’ was upset throughout the story before his parents find out that he tore up the letter containing his failure to pass the entrance exam. When he finds out that he was denied admission, his first instinct is to hide the truth from his parents. It is due to their high expectation of him. They expect their son to be like all the generations of the Remenzels who studied in Whitehill. His parents however disregarded the fact that he was struggling academically. The author reveals that Eli’s grades in primary school was ranging from medium to terrible; to which his parents pay no attention to.

            The social fragmentation is a symbolism of the two factions in the story. Vonnegut represents Whitehill as a perfect society who welcomes diversity and celebrates honesty by staying true to their virtues. The other faction in the other hand was the Remenzel family who was at first full of arrogance and entitlement. Their morals revolved around money and privileges. 

The themes irony and reflexivity are revealed when Dr. Remenzel who preaches that they are not entitled to special privileges in the school actually asks for a ‘special’ favor since he knows the representatives very well to admit Eli to Whitehill. However, his favor was not accepted and in return causes shame to him and his family. Their disappointments towards Eli becomes guilt as Mrs. and Dr. Remenzel becomes aware of their own actions. They have realized how arrogant and hypocrite they were that their son chose not to tell them the truth.

 

Interpretation:

            Kurt Vonnegut portrays the flaws of some of the upper-class society. The Remenzel family is a symbolism of privilege and how some people use it to get anything they want and get away the troubles of life. The author imparts a message that humility and honesty can defeat the system of arrogance in the society. We can also acquire a lesson from the short story that teaches us to be honest about our abilities. We do not have to bury our true selves to satisfy other people around us. True failure is not about failing to get what we want but about not wanting to accept our failure. The author implies that real success is staying true to one’s virtue.

References:

Essay about The Arrogance of The Lie by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (n.d.). Retrieved from bartleby research: https://www.bartleby.com/essay/The-Arrogance-of-The-Lie-by-Kurt-FKBPEXYVC

Sutori. (n.d.). Retrieved from The Lie - Kurt Vonnegut Jr.: https://sutori.com/story/the-lie-kurt-vonnegut-jr3EAAZbcm16ckJRGPwKSJ5KLb