Ideas and Beliefs in Justine Larbalestier’s Liar Essay

Justine Larbalestiers enthralling novel prevaricator features unreliable protagonist, Micah Wilkins, dealing with issues of identity and truth. I give way come to realise, through studying Larbalestiers novel, that the ideas of truth and identity weed be extensively challenged, that lies can become someones identity. Micahs cryptic character has forced me to question what I impudence and who I entail I am. I have been faced with rethinking my views on sexuality, gender roles, guilt and the real meaning of truth due to Micahs uncertain and unpredictable words.Due to societys restrictive and sexist attitudes towards what is considered male or female, people who dont fit neatly into a stratum face issues of identity and belonging. Micahs relationship with her sexuality and how she perceives gender roles is extraordinarily untidy and indecisive. Being a teenage feminist myself, I can make out with Micah not desiring to subscribe to gender roles although Im not entirely sure Mica h is avoiding acting and looking conventionally feminine because of feminist views.I desire Micah is genderqueer or transgender and too afraid to embrace it because it is a hard truth for her to face, Being a boy was fast becoming my favourite lie (p. 8). When Micah negotiation about her taking the pill to supress her periods she says I wish I was a man and that Her mother thought having your period was what made you a woman (p. 57). Perhaps Larbalestier is imp hypocrisy that Micah is not a woman because she doesnt experience menstruation?Being a woman comes with oppression no matter what class or race you atomic number 18 in this oppression is more often than not related to sex. Micah constantly refers to being called a slut by her peers, By kissing Sarah and Tayshawn first I confirmed the thousand slut calls (p. 238). I intrust there is a part of Micah that subconsciously oppresses herself. Right after Micah tells the reader she never slept with Zach she said, See? I am a good girl after all (p. 116).This tells me that Micah believes being a good girl is not having sex- this only emphasises my suspicion that Micah desires to be a man because men are free of the slut label. She has desires that she feels she cant pursue without judgement due to her being a biological woman. Identity can be organise from the constructed truth and straight-out lies people can create their accept realities. The worst danger of being a liar is when you start to believe your own lies (p. 194).Micahs story suggests that when you begin to believe your own lies, it shapes who you are and becomes your truth. I believe Jordans death contributed to Micahs muddled identity, that his death was so traumatic that she created a world of her own to escape the reality. I believe that Micah was responsible for her brothers death because of how she refers to him vile, horrible and awful. Micah depicts Jordan as being this right smart so its easier for her to deal with her guilt, maybe the world is better the way I tell it (p. 34), We dont talk about Jordans death. I cant think about it (p. 284).My assumption with this theory was formed by my own experiences. Whenever I have lost something of value, I told myself that it wasnt that long or important anyway which resulted in less guilt and unhappiness we lie to ourselves in hope of finding protection from confronting notions. Perhaps the reality Micah has formed for herself actually becomes reality, her truth. Society has conditioned us to accept certain pieces of information without questionning whether it really is the truth.More than with any other work of fiction I have read, Liar led me to question whether what the protagonist said was true. In the first part of the novel Telling The Truth, Micah is supposedly being honest and real with the reader when she reveals she is a liar this idea in itself is problematic and intensely complicated. The way Larbalestier has written Liar challenged me, for the first time, t o question why I believe what I do why did this particular work of fiction spark such a notion, such a feeling of distrust and uncertainty?Should I have these feelings with everything I read? Whilst talking about her ability to spin detailed lies, Micah says Its odd how often telling the truth feels like lying and lying like the truth (p. 53). I believe this can be reversed and applied to the reader its easier to believe lies and reject truth. Constantly end-to-end the novel, Micah reassures the reader that she isnt lying and that shes a good girl this shows that she is trying to convince herself of those things and using the reader as a distraction, a scapegoat.Micah as well sounds condescending and makes the reader feel small by saying things like You buy everything, dont you? You make it too easy (p. 225). This directly links back to the idea that Larbalestier is forcing the reader to evaluate why we trust and believe what we do. Every story has an underlying moral, intentiona l or not, and I believe Liars is Dont believe everything you read. Liar has addressed many ideas and issues such as societys view towards gender roles, identities created by ones self, and being accepting of certain information despite the validity being possibly compromised.Larbalestier has made me question more about my determine and beliefs than I thought possible. Ive formed the belief that lies are a part of all of us, unintentionally or otherwise they become our truth. Micah has made me think about why we as humans try so hard to seek the truth and then lie to ourselves when its too unbelievable. Larbalestiers open-to-interpretation styled-writing is close to metaphorical in relation to life. No truth is absolute, nothing is exactly what it seems and everything is affected by an individuals perception.