The Lie: A Reader Response

Originally, this paper was submitted as Lacanian but it doesn’t really apply the mirror principle or examine any of the psychology of its writer. As such, this paper was a low C Lacanian response. However, this is an excellent example of a Reader Response critique and would receive a B/B- in Honors English: an A for content but a C for style and mechanics.

Pleasing people and the pressure that comes with it. This is a major factor in one's everyday life. Eli Remenzel, however, has been caught in the middle of just one of the many lies he will ever tell. It just happens to be that this lie was one that would make a lot of people disappointed. In the short story "The Lie", the parents, and Eli's actions make me angry. However, I can definitely relate to what Eli is going through.
To start with, I got extremely annoyed with the mother throughout the story. Actually, it wasn't just the mother, it was both of the parents in general. Sylvia is way to bubbly and fake. And Dr. Remenzel is extremely self-centered."Eli, sit up! What's the matter with you?". Dr. Remenzel is too obsessed with the family image to pay attention to the obvious hints his son is providing. The thought of Mrs. Remenzel considering  to ask for special accomidations for Eli angers me. She acts like the typical rich family is percieved. "I thought maybe through some fluke...". She claims that she is just a "simple- minded country girl", but this statement is almost hypocritical. Maybe she was a simple minded country girl, but years of being  treated as a higher class have made her take things for granted.
Next, I find myself upset that Eli was too much of a coward to confess in the first place. I am angry that the parents found out from Dr. Warren, not Eli. Since he was the one to lie, he should be the one to uncover the truth. He got the easy way out. "Eli's parents did not know this because Eli had found the awful notice in the mail and had torn it up." I understand how he must feel, but when this is revealed I could not believe that he did not tell his parents.
Finally, I can relate to Eli in this story. I know how it feels to have that much pressure put in you. The entire conversation about how many Remenzels went to Whitehill School furiates me because it just goes to show that Eli will become a shame. For instance, my older sister and brother both made Senior Choir their freshman year. I was indirectly told several times that if I didn't make it my freshmen year as well, then I would become a disgrace to them. Eli's circumstance is much like mine. If he does not get into the school, he becomes a disgrace to the Remenzel family. And being the youngest child (in my case) and the only child ( in Eli's case) makes it so that we pretty much already have a path set out for us to take. "The best four years of your life are just about to begin". When Sylvia says this to Eli, it makes me think of how many times I've heard something much like that.  We have to live up to the older figures in our lives. It really shouldn't be that way, but unfortunately it is.
To end with, I do not believe that it is right to put that much pressure on a teenager. This story illustrates what could happen if too much pressure is felt. Although I can relate to Eli, I don't approve of his actions in this circumstance.  I especially do not approve of his parent's way of handling it either.The ending of the story, when Dr. Remenzel says, "I don’t suppose that we'll ever be coming here anymore", gives me a sense of understanding between the doctor and Eli.