Consequences Of Sin Essay, Research Paper

Consequences of Deception in Humanism

What roles does deception play in people s lives? People use lying and falsehood in order to get away with the consequences of their fault. .We apparently need illusions to feel good about ourselves and to maintain a sense of self-continuity x (Lewis & Saarni 7). However, these lies destine peoples to the point where they face harsher consequences. Although there are many other elements that fall under the category of human wickedness, deception plays major role for human deterioration. In a moraless society, deception of humans results in the loss of lives or friendship.

Deception possesses the potential to result in the loss of lives. This idea is displayed through in classical literary works. In F. Scott Fitzgerald s novel, The Great Gatsby, the author illustrates how deception causes people to lose their lives by his illustration of Myrtle Wilson. Myrtle deceives her husband by having the secret affair with Tom Buchanan. Tom answers Nick s question about their affair; .Wilson? He thinks she goes to see her sister in New York. He s so dumb he doesn t know he s alive x (Fitzgerald 30). Myrtle s deception eventually leads her to a sudden death. Daisy kills Myrtle by running into her while driving Gatsby s car. Nick Carraway explains scene of Myrtle s death; .The other car, the one going toward New York, came to rest a hundred yards beyond, and its driver hurried back to where Myrtle Wilson, her life violently extinguished, knelt in the road and mingled her thick, dark blood with the dust x (Fitzgerald 144-145). By showing this tragic end of Myrtle, Fitzgerald reminds the readers how deception ruins a person s life. Similar aspects are shown through Geoffrey Chaucer s writings. In the Medieval author s, The Pardoner s Tale, Chaucer shows how three rioters deceptions lead them to their own death. Three rioters exemplify deception. While the youngest goes into town and fetch food and drink, the other two remain and decide to murder the third in order to gain more treasure. .To have a wrestle; then, as you attack, I ll up and put my dagger through his back Then all this money will be our to spend, Divided equally of course, dear friend x (Chaucer 170-74). However, the third rioter, buys poison from an apothecary which he pours into the wine bottle to kill the other two. .Lord, to think I might Have all that treasure to my self alone! and deftly poured the poison into two x (Chaucer 183-217). This eventually lead all three into their death. Three rioters foolish intentions lead them to total destruction. W.A Davenport analyzes how Chaucer portrays deception and corruption in his writings;

The reader perceives the layers of The Pardoner s Prologue and Tale in terms of the ironic relationship between the speaker s corrupt purpose in preaching and the vivid moral efficacy of his tale-that is, primarily as a dual form Human actions are composed into an almost mathematical proof of man s folly and vice, displayed in the framework of an antithesis of life and death. (Davenport 205)

Davenport agrees with the idea of deception in humans corrupting the society and people s morals. Not only deception results on loss of life, but it also effects human relationships.

Deception greatly influences on the change or loss of friendship. Two novels demonstrate this universal idea. In Great Expectations, Charles Dickens reveals how relationship between Pip and Joe alters. By Pip s false action of stealing, Pip s friendship with Joe changes forever. This deception takes place when Pip, fearful of losing Joe s friendship, decides not to tell Joe the truth. .The fear of losing Joe s confidence and of thenceforth sitting in the chimney-corner at night staring drearily at my for ever lost companion and friend, tied my tongue x (Dickens 71-72). However, from the moment he steals the file from Joe, Pip s fear comes to reality. As Pip s latency of guilt grows, a gap in between Pip and Joe grows also. Bert G. Hornback states; .As the weld of relationship creates the weightless chain that frees us, together, so the heavy chain of guilt binds us in our isolation, making relationship impossible. x Their damaged friendship is clearly shown when Pip explains how he feels about Joe s visit to London. Pip confesses;

Not with pleasure, though I was bound to him by so many ties; no; with considerable disturbance, some mortification, and a keen sense of incongruity. If I could have kept him away by paying money, I certainly would have paid money. My greatest reassurance was that he was coming to Branard s Inn, not to Hammersmith, and consequently would not fall in Bentley Drummle s way. (Dickens 203)

Pip is ashamed of Joe s reputation of not being considered as the gentlemen. .the blacksmith s little relative grows into a conceited youth ashamed of the old companion and the old home x (Gissing 97). Pip is incapable of bringing his friendship back because of his pride in himself. By showing shattered friendship of Joe and Pip, Dickens proves that deception breaks human relationships apart. John Steinbeck exhibits similar approach with this idea through his novel, Of Mice and Men. George deceives his boss and all the other workers by not warning them about the dangers of Lennie. George tries to hide Lennie’s inability to control himself physically. Before George and Lennie reaches the ranch, George warns Lennie several times to remain silent when they meet the boss at their next job; . What you gonna say tomorrow when the boss asks you questions? Lennie stopped chewing and swallowed. His face was concentrated. I I ain t gonna say a word. x (Steinbeck 15). This portrays George s attempt to hide their escape from previous job when Lennie was accused of rape. This secrecy is necessary in order for George and Lennie to fulfill their dreams. Lost friendship is shown when George kills Lennie. By ending the life of Lennie, George no longer has a friendship. .What George is actually trying to kill is not Lennie, who is only a shell and a doomed one at that, but something in himself. Peter Lisca points out that Lennie s need for George is obvious, but that George s need for Lennie, though less obvious, is as great x (French 75). Not only George kills Lennie by pulling the trigger but he also destroys something important in himself; George s friendship with Lennie. .He pulled the trigger. The crash of the shot rolled up the hills and rolled down again. Lennie jarred, and then settled slowly forward to the sand, and he lay without quivering x (Steinbeck 106). Pip and George, victims of deception, lose something that he or she cares for very most; their friendship.

These examples clarifies the fact that deception is a most dangerous aspect of human nature. It destroys trusts between relationships and this mistrust result in deaths of people or friendships. .Lying is first of all a matter of interpersonal trust, and to say that lying is wrong is to point out that a lie breaches the very trust it necessarily presupposes, not in the abstract sense argued by Kand but in the very personal and concrete sense that usually goes by the name of betrayal x(Lewis & Saarni). The roles of imposition, falsehood, untruth, fraud, and guile may differ in people s lives. However, in someway, those elements certainly impairs valuable possession of people for it sometimes takes away people valuable lives or friendships.