In the short story "The Lie," by Kurt Vonnegut ,Jr., you learn the lessons of truth. Eli plans to lie to his parents about getting into Whitehill. His father is a Doctor and has attended Whitehill just like the thirty some boys in the long line of Remenzals, and he wants his son also to add to the chain. Unfortunately, Whitehill isn't for everyone and Eli fails to get in and neglects to tell his parents. The lesson is that parents are too hard on their children and force them to do things they don't want to do. Some people are born leaders and others are born followers.
"The Lie" is an Irony, because in the beginning there is chaos. While Eli's parents are talking about excited they are for him to be going to Whitehill, at the same time he is trying to work up the nerve to tell them that he didn't pass the entrance exams. Now the conflict becomes serious and it's sanity vs. insanity when Eli's parents find out about his lie. Eli and Mrs. Remenzal remain sane and understand that Whitehill isn't for everyone. While Doctor Remenzal becomes insane and goes against what he originally said "that he should get no special treatment for being a Remenzal," and tries to bribe Eli's way into Whitehill. Next it ends in death, but not a literal death a symbolic death. It's the death in the chain of Remenzals' going to Whitehill.
This story teaches valuable lessons that we should take to heart. Some people were born to follow
and others were born leaders. This means that Doctor Remenzal is a follower he continues the chain of Remenzals going to Whitehill. Eli is a born leader and breaks away from the chain. There is also the lesson of truth, people must learn that no matter how bad the situation is it is always better than lying. This isn't just Eli's fault for lying in fact it his parents are the ones to blame when the forced him to be a follower when he is a born leader.
Symbols are abound in this story, such as Whitehill, it symbolizes the dream that everyone should
be followers. Their car symbolizes wealth because the rolls Royce is an extremely expensive car, It also symbolizes the guilt Eli is feeling driving to Whitehill. Eli symbolizes the little prince, and just like him he beaks the chain to escape to the world of leaders. Mrs. Remenzal symbolizes the flower, she just like her is racist in their own way. The flower believes there is no one else like her, and Mrs. Remenzal is racist to the Africans when they are trying to get into Whitehill. Africans symbolize the other flowers that are just as good as all the rest but a little different, but sometimes different is good. Doctor Remenzal symbolizes the Adults from that story and he bands creativity from his mind just like them.
Parents need to realize they shouldn’t be so hard on their kids, because this will lead to lying just
as it did in "The Lie." They must also know that their kids are the only ones who really know what best for them. Kids know if they are a leader or a follower, in this case Eli is a Leader and does not go to Whitehill like all of the other Remenzals. What are you, a leader or a follower?
