The Incurably Dishonest: Ethics and Self Deception
Are lies a force of good, that better the lives of the characters?
“Most affectations conceal something eventually, even though they don't in the beginning.”
- Nick Caraway, The Great Gatsby
How is it possible for characters to deceive themselves and others? Do characters intentionally lie to themselves?
Self-deception has become an interesting topic for philosophers and psychologists in analyzing human behaviour. For philosophers, this once again becomes quite a broad term since it relies on one’s previous understanding on the human mind (ex: idealism vs materialism). To understand self deception, philosophers relate it to interpersonal deception, which upholds two conditions: a. It is an intentional form of lying that b. creates contradicting opinions. In this, however, philosophers debate whether self deception is truly intentional or not. If it were intentional, then the person would be aware of the deception and would not truly believe. If it were not intentional, then there are no contradicting opinions and could not be considered deception. Donald Davidson and David Pears developed a theory which upholds conditions A and B, stating that while the mind is aware that self deception is occurring, it keeps the contradictory beliefs apart. As Davidson says, this type of deception is like “a brain suffering from a perhaps self-inflicted lobotomy.” This is one among many philosophers’ approach to self deception.
Self deception is never considered to be a moral thing to do. Ignorance in any sense because it, as Aristotle says, leads to a state similar to drunkenness. Self deception is ignorance in a long term (or even eternal) sense. This can lead to changing ones’ grasp on himself and the surrounding world. For Gatsby, self deception is most prevalent in him, although it does present itself in several of the other characters. Nick noticed that Gatsby does appear to be aware of the skeptical nature of his dreams and desires to change himself and his past. Nick writes, “he [Gatsby] must have felt that he had lost the old warm world, paid a high price for living too long with a single dream. He must have looked up at an unfamiliar sky through frightening leaves and shivered as he found what a grotesque thing a rose is and how raw the sunlight was upon the scarcely created grass. A new world, material without being real, where poor ghosts, breathing dreams like air, drifted fortuitously about.” Gatsby lied to himself but still continued to dream, ignoring the fact that the dream had passed him and had changed into a ‘grotesque thing.’ He dreamed because it was all he had left and it was better than a physical suicide (which brings me back to the topic of existentialism).
What does self deception mean for morality and ethics of the characters?
Many philosophers believe that self deception limits knowledge and knowledge leads to reason and morality. It becomes an addictive drug that leads to moral decay and emotional discord because it blinds people. One can act cruelly and unjustly without being morally conscience of what he is doing. Philosophers Adam Smith and Bishop Joseph Butler both discuss how self deception blinds morals. It distorts how one perceives everyone else. For example, Tom Buchanan uses self deception to delude himself from his hypocritical actions. Immoral things he does are unacceptable for others. He cheats on his wife, is physically abusive to Myrtle, emotionally distant from Daisy, quick to judge others, and demeaning to everyone, especially women and black people.
There are some instances where self deception is positive and completely unrelated to morals. People who believe they are better than they are generally have higher confidence and are happier. While this is true in the novel, Fitzgerald also associates this kind of self deception with barren illusions such as the American Dream. In the twenties, the American Dream had become corrupted. People desired to be like the inherently wealthy, who were rich, carefree, and seemingly happy. But people who aren’t inherently rich can never become inherently rich. The continuous belief that one can be that kind of person, as Gatsby did, is a desolate path. Gatsby deluded himself with the belief that he was like East Egg people, changing the way he acted, the way he dressed, and the way he spoke. True, Gatsby was more confident and charismatic but it was false and only made people distrustful of him. Self-deception may not always be morally wrong but it can be personally catastrophic.
Does Nick, who is to act the role of objective narrator, become untrustworthy through his self deception?
To the audience, Nick becomes the most trustworthy character in the novel through his portrayal of himself as a third party, uninvolved in the storyline. Nonetheless, he is describing the past (at least 2 years prior) with complete knowledge of what will happen. He can describe people and change the way they look based on what he remember or how he perceived them.
W.K Clifford wrote against self deception in The Ethics of Belief, believing that it prevented object reasoning and one’s moral duty. Self deception would blind someone to the evidence presented. As a character, Nick is very flawed and due to his unassertiveness and weak morals, he often does not take part in the action and becomes a narrator. He made preconceived judgements which alter the story for a reader. At the end of the novel, he is left disenchanted and the East leaves a bitter aftertaste that flows into the storytelling. This may not be intentional but the evidence that the readers would like to see from a third person perspective is lost. Nick is deceiving himself because of the results of the story in the end. He immediately vilifies Tom, makes Daisy appear desperate, isolate Gatsby, and .desensitize Jordan While Nick’s narration is reliable enough that the characters shine through, the truth behind the story is strained through the eyes of this disheartened man.
- Nick Caraway, The Great Gatsby
How is it possible for characters to deceive themselves and others? Do characters intentionally lie to themselves?
Self-deception has become an interesting topic for philosophers and psychologists in analyzing human behaviour. For philosophers, this once again becomes quite a broad term since it relies on one’s previous understanding on the human mind (ex: idealism vs materialism). To understand self deception, philosophers relate it to interpersonal deception, which upholds two conditions: a. It is an intentional form of lying that b. creates contradicting opinions. In this, however, philosophers debate whether self deception is truly intentional or not. If it were intentional, then the person would be aware of the deception and would not truly believe. If it were not intentional, then there are no contradicting opinions and could not be considered deception. Donald Davidson and David Pears developed a theory which upholds conditions A and B, stating that while the mind is aware that self deception is occurring, it keeps the contradictory beliefs apart. As Davidson says, this type of deception is like “a brain suffering from a perhaps self-inflicted lobotomy.” This is one among many philosophers’ approach to self deception.
Self deception is never considered to be a moral thing to do. Ignorance in any sense because it, as Aristotle says, leads to a state similar to drunkenness. Self deception is ignorance in a long term (or even eternal) sense. This can lead to changing ones’ grasp on himself and the surrounding world. For Gatsby, self deception is most prevalent in him, although it does present itself in several of the other characters. Nick noticed that Gatsby does appear to be aware of the skeptical nature of his dreams and desires to change himself and his past. Nick writes, “he [Gatsby] must have felt that he had lost the old warm world, paid a high price for living too long with a single dream. He must have looked up at an unfamiliar sky through frightening leaves and shivered as he found what a grotesque thing a rose is and how raw the sunlight was upon the scarcely created grass. A new world, material without being real, where poor ghosts, breathing dreams like air, drifted fortuitously about.” Gatsby lied to himself but still continued to dream, ignoring the fact that the dream had passed him and had changed into a ‘grotesque thing.’ He dreamed because it was all he had left and it was better than a physical suicide (which brings me back to the topic of existentialism).
What does self deception mean for morality and ethics of the characters?
Many philosophers believe that self deception limits knowledge and knowledge leads to reason and morality. It becomes an addictive drug that leads to moral decay and emotional discord because it blinds people. One can act cruelly and unjustly without being morally conscience of what he is doing. Philosophers Adam Smith and Bishop Joseph Butler both discuss how self deception blinds morals. It distorts how one perceives everyone else. For example, Tom Buchanan uses self deception to delude himself from his hypocritical actions. Immoral things he does are unacceptable for others. He cheats on his wife, is physically abusive to Myrtle, emotionally distant from Daisy, quick to judge others, and demeaning to everyone, especially women and black people.
There are some instances where self deception is positive and completely unrelated to morals. People who believe they are better than they are generally have higher confidence and are happier. While this is true in the novel, Fitzgerald also associates this kind of self deception with barren illusions such as the American Dream. In the twenties, the American Dream had become corrupted. People desired to be like the inherently wealthy, who were rich, carefree, and seemingly happy. But people who aren’t inherently rich can never become inherently rich. The continuous belief that one can be that kind of person, as Gatsby did, is a desolate path. Gatsby deluded himself with the belief that he was like East Egg people, changing the way he acted, the way he dressed, and the way he spoke. True, Gatsby was more confident and charismatic but it was false and only made people distrustful of him. Self-deception may not always be morally wrong but it can be personally catastrophic.
Does Nick, who is to act the role of objective narrator, become untrustworthy through his self deception?
To the audience, Nick becomes the most trustworthy character in the novel through his portrayal of himself as a third party, uninvolved in the storyline. Nonetheless, he is describing the past (at least 2 years prior) with complete knowledge of what will happen. He can describe people and change the way they look based on what he remember or how he perceived them.
W.K Clifford wrote against self deception in The Ethics of Belief, believing that it prevented object reasoning and one’s moral duty. Self deception would blind someone to the evidence presented. As a character, Nick is very flawed and due to his unassertiveness and weak morals, he often does not take part in the action and becomes a narrator. He made preconceived judgements which alter the story for a reader. At the end of the novel, he is left disenchanted and the East leaves a bitter aftertaste that flows into the storytelling. This may not be intentional but the evidence that the readers would like to see from a third person perspective is lost. Nick is deceiving himself because of the results of the story in the end. He immediately vilifies Tom, makes Daisy appear desperate, isolate Gatsby, and .desensitize Jordan While Nick’s narration is reliable enough that the characters shine through, the truth behind the story is strained through the eyes of this disheartened man.