All throughout the play, we see a plethora of examples of lies and deceit. The characters lie, not only to other characters, but to themselves. Some prime examples of this are Willy lying to almost the entire community about the success of his children, Biff lying and saying he was a salesman for Oliver during previous years, and Willy's affair with The Woman. Each situation is different, but a lie is a lie, no matter how severe or far from the truth they may be.
I don't understand how people think it's okay to lie. It's one thing if it's to protect someone or for someone's safety, but it's something completely different if it's because of selfishness, pride, or greed.
People lie because of all different reasons: pressure from others, fear of reaping harsh consequences of telling the true story, or sometimes even for no reason at all.
In the story, we saw that with every lie, there was an awful consequence for the characters. With Willy lying about the accomplishments of his sons, it hurt himself and both of his kids, Biff the most, because they all realized that they never reached their full potential in life and it was disappointing. I'm sure Willy also received judgment from others because of his false words. When Biff kept tricking himself into believing that he was a salesman for Oliver, he made himself look like a fool asking for a favor when Oliver didn't know who he was. Lying to his family about The Woman he was having an affair with, Willy destroyed the trust he had with Biff when he discovered what his father was doing behind his back, and the rest of his family. Willy also hurt the three people who knew about the affair. After Biff found out, he burned his shoes and pretty much threw his life away because he lost the trust he had in his father and lost all hope to make anything of his life.
Trust isn't easily gained so when it's lost, there's not a whole lot of hope to gain it back. You're constantly thinking about whether or not that person, or any person for that matter, is telling you the truth. You wonder and worry if you've only been fed lies. Losing trust ruins many relationships. Losing trust makes life more difficult. Losing trust breaks everything.
The Bible has a lot to say about liars. It describes liars as having no value, being wicked, deceitful, an abomination, and fools, just to name a few. John 8:44 says, "'Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own; for he is a liar, and the father of it.'" The devil is the father of all lies and deceit and is the reason for all lies. The Bible states many times that God cannot and does not lie, because he is the father of all goodness and perfection. Satan makes it seem so easy to lie, but in reality, it ends up coming back to destroy some part of you and/or your life. Jeremiah 23:32 says, "Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err be their lies, and b their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the Lord." God isn't going to bless those that lie because they don't glorify his kingdom.
It's not only in stories and movies that people get in trouble by the actions of their lies; it happens in real life. God hates liars, and us as human beings aren't too fond of them either. Sometimes it's hard to tell the truth, but it's better to tell the truth and not lose trust than to lie and have to face the possibility of regrettable consequences of your falsehood.
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