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Deception in Literature

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In life or in art, deceptions can play a big role. Lies can have good or bad intentions. They also serve as a function to justify certain behavior to protect someone. Lies are powerful and can have an unintended effect. In A Doll House and The Importance of Being Earnest, lies and deceptions are used for the context of romantic relationships. In each play the “deceiver” has his or her motives for the deception in which it cannot be justified. Sometimes fabrications are used with no harm intended. In Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, lies were used either to go somewhere or to get out of something. Jack “invented a very useful younger brother named Ernest” in order to get out of town (1607). Jack’s “brother” always “gets into the most dreadful scrapes” so Jack has to come bail him out or check if he is okay. Algernon “invented an invaluable permanent invalid called Bunbury” so he may “be able to go down into the country” (1608). “If it wasn’t for Bunbury’s extraordinary bad health,” Algernon wouldn’t be able to get out of engagements with his Aunt Augusta. The lies in this play are for selfish engagements to fulfill their own needs and wants to which they desire. Lies are sometimes used to protect a person. In Henrik Isben’s A Doll House, Nora was the deceiver in the play. She did not actually tell a lie, she just kept the truth from her husband. She had done something indiscreet to save her husband from dying. Nora received a loan from Krogstad without her husband’s consent. At the time, Torvald’s life was in danger and she had nobody to go to; her father was “very ill” at the time” (1463). Nora did not tell him about the money because she knew that with all his masculine pride, it would be painfully humiliating for him if he ever found out he was in debt to Nora, a woman who happens to be his wife in the matter. Not only did Nora borrow money without Torvald’s permissio

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