Is it OK to lie?
In the book Trash by Andy Mulligan Raphael, Gardo, Rat (Jun-Jun) and the police lie. They lie for all different reasons, some for good reasons, some for selfish reasons.
Raphael lied when he said he didnt find a bag but found a shoe instead (page 12-13) He also lied when he was interoggated by the police he said he didnt find a bag and was harrased violently because the police thought he was lieing (page 60-66) Grado aso lied in the book; He lied when he told sister Olivia his grandfather, Gabriel Olondriz, was in prison, he also lied to sister Olivia when he told her his grandfather was going to lose his house (page 80) Not only Raphael and Gardo lies Rat (Jun-Jun) lies too, he doesnt say his lies he just doesnt object to things said about him that aren't true. For example when Raphael say that there is nothing to steal from Rat and he doesnt have any money (page 111-113) Then the three boys lied all together to Father Juilliard when they asked to use the computer for a quiz they said they were competing in. These boys lie to survive.
The boys arent the only ones who lie in this book, the police lie too. They lied when they promised to give good money to the person who finds the bag (page 11) the police also lied when they told Raphael that they would give him the money everyone will be happy if he gives the bag he found to them (page 60) There are some parts where the police lie like Rat does, they deny it but doesnt give the evidence to back it up. For example when Pascal Aguila died with 26 bullets in him with the same calibre the police men use (page 50) The evidence seriously points to the police but no one will stand up because they control most people.
Lieing is ok depending on the situation your in. If its life threatening then its fine but if its not and you just dont want to get in trouble by blaming someone else, it is not okay. In the story Raphael, Gardo and Rat lie to survive, they lie to not be killed by the corrupt police. The lies the boys have told are known as "White lies" White lies are lies meant for a good purpose, not bad ones. Whereas the police lie for money, they lie for bad purposes. So it is ok to lie or work against the law if it is life threatening or it is right but lieing everyday just to get out of something you got yourself into is a very bad habit.
Great answer Jess, very well thought out with good examples and a good analysis. You are right that the boys tell kind of white lies, and if they didn't lie then they would probably be dead by now. The most annoying liars to me are police, politicians and religious people because they are supposed to be the ones to trust - government are supposedly voted in to look after the people, the people pay the tax which pays the salary of the police, and religious people are supposed to be morally good because they talk about it all the time and say people will go to hell if they are not good. Anyway, that was a little of the track, but you know what I mean? Great work.
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