Okay, maybe not so much. But I still dug this part near the end of volume 3 of Elric when I was flying back from Portland on the plane and feeling moody:
"And now, Elric had told three lies. . . . And upon those three lies was Elric's destiny to be built, for it is only about things which concern us most profoundly that we lie clearly and with profound conviction."
l
Which brings me to one of my constant nagging questions... Why are we compelled to lie?
ReplyDeleteI honestly don't know. I used to consider myself a compulsive truth-teller, and, uh had to admit to myself that wasn't true a few years back. I think some people lie defensively to preserve their image, some like to make up stories, some get a devilish thrill out of messing with other people, etc. There must be a good book on this somewhere. I think there are many times small lies are essential when the truth is either too personal or pointlessly harmful or irrelevant. Like when you say "I'm fine" when someone asks how you are even if you feel horrible. I'm not sure I believe it, but it occurs to me you could probably make a good argument that all interpersonal relationships are layered with lies big and small, and fairly benign in nature, and mostly there to keep things running smoothly. But the thought kind of depresses me.
ReplyDeleteAs for Elric, to be clear he wasn't actually saying things he knew to be false. He was talking about the people around him and the future and believing it would be good, when the reader knows the 3 things he's so confidently optimistic about all turn out to be utterly tragic. If anything, he is simply lying to himself. That's from the last of the collection (I think there's only 3 total) and his origin was the last thing the author wrote in the Elric collection.