White lies examples from literature

White lies. Examples from the literature. Works containing white lies

Probably all parents tell their children that lying is wrong. No person wants their beloved child to think it is okay to lie.

However, parents never tell their children that white lies exist, although many of them often use this method themselves.

It is impossible to say for sure whether it is good to lie in certain situations, because very often you can hear the phrase: “Better the bitter truth than a sweet lie.”

White lies. Examples from literature

Russian literature of the last century is simply replete with examples of white lies. This topic is relevant at all times, so many famous writers also touched upon and developed it.

Maxim Gorky wrote the play “At the Depths”. It also touched on the topic of white lies. The main character of the play, Luke, believed that a “sweet lie” could make life easier for everyone. He said that one should not stun a person with the “butt” of the truth.

Luke convinced all the people around him that a sweet lie could help a person believe in something better and thereby change his life. He believed that self-deception could help one endure any difficulties much easier.

But it is worth noting that Luke did not deny that even the bitter truth is sometimes worth telling.

In the play “At the Lower Depths” you can often see phrases that Luke utters to the night shelters and other people who live the same way as them: “Eheh... Gentlemen, people! What will happen to you? Despite the fact that the elder always strived for the best, the pure and the good, he still spoke with sadness about the sorrowful life of man.

Majority opinion about white lies

Everyone associates the quote “white lies” with something different. Some may believe that white lies are the only correct solution in difficult situations. However, the other half of humanity may disagree with this opinion and argue that it is better to always tell the truth, even when it is very “bitter” and unpleasant, than to tell a white lie.

Examples from literature open readers' eyes to many things. Some people who have read Maxim Gorky's play “At the Lower Depths” may condemn Luka for giving the residents of the shelter false hopes for a bright and happy future.

But this situation can be looked at from the other side. Many people in the modern world need support from their loved ones, be it going to university, getting married, etc.

Good words very often encourage people to take action, awaken in them self-confidence and hope for a good future.

“White lies are good. But only to the one for whose benefit it was done.”

Many people ask the question: “Is white lying good or bad?” This question cannot be given a specific answer, because it depends on the situation and the motive. Each person evaluates white lies differently. Examples from the literature can help readers take a different look at deception, understand its nature and form an opinion different from what they previously had.

In “The Captain's Daughter” by A. S. Pushkin there is also a theme regarding white lies. In this work, one can recall many situations in which the main characters had to resort to deception in order to save themselves and other people.

Examples of the expression “white lie” appear several times in The Captain’s Daughter, and the most striking of them is Grinev’s deception. He wanted to save Masha Mironova, who was his beloved, and introduced the girl to Pugachev as a poor orphan.

Grinev deceived Pugachev to save his beloved, which is a clear example of a lie for the greater good. However, it is worth noting that Grinev never went against honor and lied when he found himself in difficult and dangerous situations for him.

But if Pugachev had found out that Masha was the captain’s daughter, she could have been mocked, beaten and even executed. Therefore, Peter decided to lie for the benefit of his beloved so that she would remain safe and sound.

Grinev and his lies for the greater good

Examples from literature often provide food for thought and help to understand the true origin and nature of certain emotions, behaviors and actions.

The character who is the absolute opposite of Grinev is Alexey Ivanovich Shvabrin. For him there were no such concepts as honor and dignity, kindness and truth. He often slandered Masha Mironova, and also slandered Grinev. Shvabrin's lies cannot be called a white lie, because his deception played a positive role only for himself, but not for other people.

Lies for good and evil

There are several examples of lies in The Captain's Daughter. The first is Grinev’s lie to save his beloved. The second is Shvabrin’s lies and slander against Masha Mironova, which only brought trouble to other people. Therefore, we can say that lies can be different: with good and with bad intentions.

Is it possible to lie for good? Most likely possible. Sometimes deception can become a lifeline for someone, as in the work “The Captain's Daughter.”

However, if we remember the play “At the Bottom,” then a white lie did not bring anything good, but only aggravated an already difficult situation.

Therefore, one thing can be said: white lies exist only when they are committed with good intentions.

How often do we resort to white lies?

Statistics show that only 6% of people tell the truth, 8% lie constantly, 26% of people lie every day, 28% lie a couple of times a year, and 32% several times a month.
There are many situations when it is impossible to do without lying. As a rule, people tell white lies:

At the moment when you need to cheer up a person during illness. This is a necessary procedure for a person to continue to resist and fight for his health.
When communicating with children. In order not to traumatize the child’s psyche, it is sometimes better to hide something.
You don't want your family to be upset or disappointed in you. Sometimes it's better not to talk about all the problems.
When you don’t want to start a conflict with your loved ones, because the truth is not always pleasant and can lead to a quarrel.
When communicating via the Internet, do not tell the whole truth to maintain your safety.
If a person wants to cheer someone up. Such lies are harmless.
By supporting your loved ones, you can show your solidarity so as not to spoil your relationship with them.

A white lie remains an evil. But it happens that the truth brings more troubles than the worst lies. Karina Pyankova (Rights and Responsibilities. Ealius the Dragon Slayer)

White lies: examples and arguments from literature

101student.ru > Literature > Essays > White lies: examples and arguments from literature

Lying is usually perceived as a negative phenomenon. From an early age they try to explain to children that they cannot lie, no matter what the circumstances. But in real life, good and evil, truth and fiction are inseparable from each other. There is a concept that is commonly called a white lie. Examples from the literature allow us to explore this philosophical question.

White lie

Scientists have proven that an ordinary person can lie from 10 to 200 times a day . Most often this happens unintentionally. Sometimes false information is given out of fear of punishment. For example, a schoolboy tears out a page with a bad grade from his diary so that his parents don’t scold him.

It’s even worse when lies are used for personal gain. People give false information to improve their situation or to slander another person. Lying has negative consequences, so it is usually classified as a negative phenomenon.

But sometimes there are exceptional situations in which the truth can harm a loved one. For example, parents do not tell their children about their problems so as not to hurt the child’s psyche.

This action is quite logical, which is why the phenomenon is called a white lie. An essay-reasoning on this topic is often assigned to high school students. The essay allows you to analyze examples of deception from your own life.

Lying can be justified in several cases:

to improve the mood of a person who finds himself in a difficult life situation;
for the safety of others;
so as not to hurt the feelings of a close relative or friend.

For example, a person suffering from a serious illness should not be told bad news if it could make him feel worse. The aircraft crew prefers not to inform passengers about minor equipment problems so as not to cause panic in the cabin.

Examples from literature

The white lie argument proves that in some situations, honesty can be cruel and even dangerous. Classics of Russian literature often raised the problem of confrontation between truth and deception in their works.

Social and philosophical play by Gorky

The opposition between truth and lies is most clearly demonstrated in the work “At the Depths” by Maxim Gorky. The action takes place in a rooming house where people who have sunk to the very bottom of society live:

thief;
a prostitute;
former aristocrat;
drunken actor.

The author shows 2 different points of view. For example, Satin says that truth is the only force that can change a person’s life. The wanderer Luke, on the contrary, preaches a comforting lie.

Luka tells terminally ill Anna about a happy life after death. He describes amazing hospitals for alcoholics to the actor, and advises the thief Vasily to go to Siberia to earn money. The Wanderer uses lies as a tool to inspire and change lives.

The hero disappears as suddenly as he appears. Residents are left alone with the truth of life and unfulfilled dreams. As a result, the actor commits suicide, and Vasily goes to prison.

In the play “At the Bottom,” Gorky gives an example of the disastrous consequences of any deception, even for salvation.

Story by A. I. Kuprin

The opposite point of view is demonstrated in the work of A. I. Kuprin “Holy Lie” . Ivan Ivanovich Semenyuta is presented as a positive character who is constantly unlucky in life.

At school he was attacked by classmates, and in the service he was unfairly fired and accused of theft. Wanting to protect his beloved mother from worries, he lies to her, saying that his business is going well.

The woman, in turn, lies to her son that she does not know about his problems.

The deception in the story is an expression of love and care. It is not for nothing that the author calls such a lie holy. It does not have negative consequences and is perceived as something natural and harmless.

Arguments from other works

The heroes of many literary works have to make a choice between the bitter truth and deception. Some authors justify the actions of their characters if a lie is used to save a person:

In the work “The Fate of a Man” by M. A. Sholokhov, the main character deceives an orphaned boy, posing as his own father. Thanks to such deception, the child finds a family.
In the novel War and Peace, Marya Bolkonskaya decides to lie to Lisa about Andrei’s fate. She protects the pregnant girl from unnecessary worries.
In “The Captain's Daughter” by A. S. Pushkin, Pyotr Grinev saves the life of Masha Mironova, presenting her as an orphan.

Many examples and arguments can be found in the life of any person. Analysis of works, supported by your own experience, will allow you to write an excellent essay on the topic “White Lies.”

Arguments from life and literature on the topic “What is truth”

People often have to look for the truth in life, speak, be afraid of it, reckon with it, so one day it’s worth thinking about the question “What is truth?”, for which we have selected arguments from life and literature, since this question often becomes the topic for the final essay , for essays-reasonings on the OGE and the Unified State Exam in the Russian language. We turned to the works of famous literary classics, statements of great people, folk wisdom, and also gave examples from life. They will help in preparing for an important test in the life of any school graduate.

Problem

What is truth? Can a person live without it?

The author's attitude to the problem

Truth is what exists in reality, corresponds to the real state of affairs. This is what is the greatest good for a person and makes him live on, and the greatest evil that can kill the strongest person.

Arguments

Truth is an undistorted, unembellished truth.
Telling the truth is not always easy.
Sometimes the truth can kill a person.
The truth has great power.
To fight for the truth, you need to be a persistent person.
Morally pure people love the truth, but the spiritually poor flee from it.
Truth is immortal; it can wait in the wings for many years.

Synonyms for truth

Justice, truth, goodness, right, homespun.

Epithets for the word truth

Merciless, impartial, immortal, indisputable, priceless, big, great, eternal, universal, nationwide, all-human, fictional, deep, naked, bitter, formidable, rough, burning, cruel, living, vital, everyday, familiar, true, historical, bleeding, wise, courageous, naked, folk, real, sad, unforgettable, ineradicable, unfading, irrefutable, indisputable, irresistible, immutable, indisputable, unvarnished, undisguised, unpleasant, undoubted, imperishable, accusatory, ordinary, naked, obvious, sad, genuine, real, sharp, light, holy, sacred, perfect, terrible, strict, severe, existing, precise, tragic, sober, terrible, comforting, cold, human, pure, clear, hostile, all-permissive, small, truthful, ardent, disjointed, fatal.

Arguments from literature

M.A. Bulgakov "The Master and Margarita". Each person has his own idea of truth. Some people search for it throughout their lives, fight for it, suffer and even die, while others adapt to everyone’s lies and never remember the truth. We come to this conclusion by reading works of fiction. One of the writers who was concerned with questions of truth was M.A. Bulgakov. In his famous sunset novel “The Master and Margarita,” the author talks about the attitude of writers and poets, his contemporaries, to the truth. He writes with bitterness that among the creative brethren there are representatives who counterfeit instructions from above. Their works are mediocre and uninteresting, but they correspond to the spirit of the times and ideological principles. M.A. Bulgakov showed such writers in the form of members of MASSOLIT. For them, the main thing is not the search for the truth, but obtaining the coveted certificate of a member of the literary association, which gives them the right to enjoy various benefits: vouchers to a sanatorium or a summer vacation in a literary village near Moscow, the opportunity to improve their living conditions, get into “Griboedov” and taste pike perch. They sincerely believe that Pushkin, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy and other great writers were lucky, just like the Red Army soldier who was shot in the leg and thereby ensured immortality was lucky. Envy, deception, lies, and slander flourish among them, so for them, poor in soul, the search for truth is just an empty, meaningless sound. These “servants of art” are opposed by the Master. He has neither a first nor a last name, since this M.A. Bulgakov emphasizes that his hero is a real genius and talent. The master writes a novel about Pontius Pilate, a work that does not correspond to generally accepted standards and patterns of the time and the ideology of the state. But truth is important for the Master. He painfully searches for her, suffers for her, just like the hero of his novel Yeshua Ha-Nozri. He is not attracted to the beaten path of false art, so no torment could force the Master to abandon the depiction of the truth. Reading the novel by M.A. Bulgakov, you come to the conclusion that truth and real art are inseparable. To be a true master, you must not be afraid to tell the truth.
A.T. Tvardovsky “By the right of memory.” A.T. Tvardovsky is a poet who, undoubtedly, is interesting and useful for all generations to read. In the poem “By Right of Memory,” he exposes the harsh and merciless historical truth about dispossession, the reprisal of the “leader of the peoples” against his own prisoners of war, and the expulsion of entire peoples from their homelands. The truth that he tells burned his soul for many years, did not leave him alone, worried him, so he is unable to keep silent about it. This truth was suffered by the poet, since we are talking not only about the fate of the people, but also about the fate of his family and his own fate. With bitterness A.T. Tvardovsky talks about the tragedy of the “branded sons,” whose fathers were declared “enemies of the people.” He talks about those same fathers, peasant workers. Their hands were covered with eternal calluses because they had to earn their bread through hard work. It was not easy for these people to break away from their homes and, by “blind and wild judgment,” end up where, as the author says, “frost hangs from the barracks walls and ceiling.” The poet blames the tragedy of thousands of sons and fathers, among whom he and his parent were, Stalin and his followers, who propose to forget about these terrible pages of history. But it is impossible to forget about them, because they left a terrible mark on his soul. The poet also tells the truth about those who during the war wanted to remove the stigma of being the son of an enemy of the people and earn their share of glory, but the share of those who were captured was not enviable. These received a double stigma. Reading the work of confession, you are surprised at how much the poet had to endure and suffer, what bitter “healing infusion” of life to drink and what terrible lessons to learn. That is why, he believes, everyone should know the truth.
N.M. Karamzin "Poor Liza". The truth has enormous power, it can kill the strongest person, lead to tragedy, to death. Famous Russian writer N.M. Karamzin, the founder of Russian sentimentalism, in the story “Poor Liza” tells a touching love story between the poor peasant woman Liza and the rich nobleman Erast. The main character of the work is a beautiful, kind, attentive and hardworking girl. She is endowed not only with external beauty, but also with internal beauty. Lisa has a pure, innocent and honest soul. She sincerely fell in love with Erast, a kind and generous young man. He is an intelligent, well-mannered, courteous young man, with a gentle face and beautiful eyes. Erast also sincerely fell in love with Lisa, and they meet secretly. He promises the girl to leave the city, settle with her in the village and live happily. But, being a frivolous and reckless man, he lost his entire fortune at cards, so he was forced to marry an elderly but rich widow. Erast told Lise that he was going to war. The girl was bored without her lover, constantly thought about him, dreamed of his return, and one day she met him on the street of the city, alive and unharmed. Erast had to tell her the whole truth. About the fact that he had never been in any war and that he was going to marry someone else. For Lisa, the betrayal of her lover was a strong blow. For her, the truth was so bitter and terrible that she could not cope with it and threw herself into the river. Indeed, not every truth can be experienced or accepted. Sometimes it mercilessly knocks a person down, deprives him of the meaning of life and pushes him towards tragedy.
L.N. Tolstoy "After the Ball". It often happens that, living next to a person for many years or often encountering him, we are not aware of his true human qualities, and only random circumstances reveal to us the whole truth about this person. L.N. tells about such a case. Tolstoy in the story “After the Ball.” The reader listens with great interest to the love story of the protagonist. He talks about Varenka, his beloved, and her father. Pyotr Vladislavovich (that was the name of Varenka’s father) was a colonel. He was a tall, stately and handsome old man. Despite his age, he remained a lively, lively and agile man who still danced well. The public opinion about him was that he was a sweet, affectionate and very kind person. It is obvious that he loves his daughter very much, spends all his money on her in order to take her out into the world, although he himself wears old-fashioned boots. It doesn’t even occur to Nikolai Vasilyevich that a loving father, cheerful, kind Pyotr Vladislavovich could be a completely different person. The narrator had to see the colonel on the street one morning while punishing a guilty Tatar. Pyotr Vladislavovich, with his strong hand in a suede glove, brutally beat the short, weak soldier in the face because he did not hit the Tatar hard enough. At the same time, the colonel’s angry, self-confident voice was heard. Varenka's gallant, kind, sweet and kind father was in fact a cruel and despotic man who was not ashamed to raise his hand against someone who had no rights and was weak. The truth revealed to Nikolai Vasilyevich was so cruel and unsightly that it not only disappointed him in his military service, but also killed his feelings for Varenka.

Arguments from life

Truth is immortal. No matter how many years pass, she will definitely wait in the wings. There lived two friends. Together all our lives: at school at our desks, after school at tractor driving courses, then we got jobs together. They worked together, and after work, as young people should, they went dancing at a local club. The guys were prominent, so they immediately found girls for themselves. First, Ivan met Natalya, and then Semyon found Vera. Strong love arose between Semyon and Vera, so after a while they decided to get married. We celebrated a cheerful village wedding and began to live with our little family, not forgetting about our friends. But everything went wrong for Ivan and Natalya. As if he was not himself, he visited Semyon and Vera less and less, and then he was dumbfounded by the news: he was leaving for the North, and had already found a suitable job. I left in the winter, just before the New Year. There were no telephones then, so at first I occasionally wrote to friends about what and how, and then disappeared completely. He didn’t marry for a long time, and then he married a woman with a child, a daughter. Then their common son was born. He came to the village twenty-five years after leaving. Everything was different there, not the same as in his youth. He also visited old friends and during the conversation admitted to Semyon that he left then because he fell in love with Vera. He couldn’t cope with this feeling, but he didn’t want to spoil the friendship or destroy someone else’s happiness, so he left. Now everything is in the past. He loves his family and is quite happy. This is how the truth made itself known after many, many years, because it does not die.
Telling the truth is not always easy, especially when your future fate depends on it. But there have always been and are people who are not afraid to express it openly. Among such people is the Russian poet and writer A.S. Pushkin. He began speaking and “singing the truth” almost immediately after graduating from the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. His freedom-loving lyrics spoke about the true situation of the people, the unbearable living conditions of a simple peasant. This became the reason for sending the poet into exile. At first it was the Southern exile, then a few years later it was replaced by Mikhailovskaya. In 1826, an audience was held with the tsar, who, in a conversation with the exiled poet, asked him the question: “Where would he have been during the Decembrist uprising if he had not been in exile?” A.S. Pushkin answered honestly: “Among the Decembrists.” Not everyone would have been able to tell the truth to the king in his place, in his position, but the poet was not afraid. I think brave and honest people with an inner core are capable of this. Deceitful and cowardly people, that is, people without moral principles, would lie to improve their situation.

Arguments from folk wisdom

“A truthful word is stronger than a lion, and a truthful person is more valuable than gold,” says a Russian proverb. It means that truth is powerful and a truthful person is priceless.
“Even when a sword is raised over your head, speak the truth,” says a Russian proverb. It advises to tell the truth and not to renounce it even in moments of danger.
“Whoever stands boldly for the truth accomplishes a great deed,” our ancestors said in a Russian proverb. In their opinion, standing for the truth and defending it means doing a great job.
“A true word will crush a stone,” says a Russian proverb. It means that a truthful word has enormous power, capable of crushing even a stone.
“Everyone seeks the truth, but not everyone creates it,” says the Russian proverb. She claims that every person seeks the truth, but not every person is able to speak the truth and act truthfully.
“Hold on to the truth - all good people will stick to you,” our ancestors advised. They understood that all good people would understand and support a truthful, honest person.
“Even a mountain will bow before a truthful man, but everyone will hate a liar,” says a Russian proverb. It has the following meaning: a truthful person is respected and revered, but a lying, dishonest person is hated.
“ Whoever fights for a just cause gains double strength,” our ancestors said in a Russian proverb. They noticed that a person who takes up a just cause increases not only physical strength, but also internal, spiritual strength.
“The truth is old, but it does not die, a lie is younger, but it does not live long,” says the Russian proverb. She notes one feature of the truth: although it is as old as the world, it does not die, and a lie, without having time to be born, immediately leaves this world.
“Whoever loses the truth shortens his life,” our ancestors said in a Russian proverb. In their opinion, a person who lives without the truth shuns it and shortens his life.

Aphorisms

“Truth means the victory of conscience in a person,” wrote the famous Russian writer Mikhail Mikhailovich Prishvin. In his opinion, real truth is associated with a clear conscience. The man whose conscience wins is truthful.
“If you tell only the truth, you don’t need to remember anything,” said the American writer Mark Twain. He argued that a person who always tells the truth does not need to have a strong memory to remember everything he said. Deceitful natures need a strong memory to avoid getting into trouble.
“No one could live with a man who constantly spoke the truth; thank God, none of us are in danger,” said the American writer Mark Twain. The famous classic believed that it is difficult to live with a person who speaks only the truth. And he is glad that no one is in such danger, because people still sometimes lie.
“Everyone wants the truth to be on his side, but not everyone wants to be on the side of the truth,” said the English philosopher and economist Richard Whately. He rightly noted that every person wants the truth to be on his side, but not everyone takes the side of the truth when necessary.
“The truth is always difficult to tell, a lie is always easy to listen to,” said French actress Suzanne Broan. In her opinion, it happens that the truth is so bitter and cruel that it is not at all easy to say, but it is always easy to listen to a lie.
“My way of telling jokes is to tell the truth. There is nothing funnier in the world,” wrote Irish playwright and novelist Bernard Shaw. He claimed that the truth is the funniest thing in the world, so he often jokes.
“Truth is like a bitter drink, unpleasant to the taste, but restoring health,” said the French writer Honore de Balzac. He compared the truth to a bitter medicine, which is very unpleasant to drink, but useful, since it restores health.
“Truth can wait, since it has a long life ahead of it,” wrote the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer. In his opinion, truth is immortal, so it can wait for the moment of its triumph for a very long time.
“Where truth emerges through the fog, deception fails,” wrote the Persian and Tajik poet Ferdowsi. According to him, deception always gives in when the truth emerges.
“The truth requires perseverance: one must stand for the truth or hang on a cross; a person moves towards the truth. We must adhere to the truth - we must seek the truth,” said the Russian writer Mikhail Mikhailovich Prishvin. He believed that truth always requires perseverance, since in order to achieve it, you need to either fight for it or hang on a cross. But when the truth is torn out in battle, you need to hold on to it.

Essay on the topic: “White lies” - examples with arguments

Many people use this technique because of banal fear, which is not synonymous with something shameful. On the contrary, it helps restrain uncontrollable instincts and promotes survival in this world.

A person’s desire for security and comfort is quite natural, and it is the fear of deprivation of these and other benefits that forces them to resort to deception. Lying can also become a motive due to the fear of losing trust, authority, or a loved one.

Sometimes the truth can:

upset; upset
offend;
frighten;
provoke any unpredictable actions.

To avoid such consequences, you have to resort to deception. For example, in order not to upset your parents, you don’t have to tell them about any personal problems. Schoolchildren also often use this technique to hide minor pranks or bad grades from their parents.

A striking example of a lie for the greater good from literature is the story of A. I. Kuprin “Holy Lie” . At the center of the story is the fate of a little man whose life circumstances brought him to complete collapse. Having been dismissed from service for no reason, Ivan Ivanovich is deprived of all means of subsistence. She huddles in a rented corner, where she drags out her monotonous life.

However, visiting his mother in the almshouse, the former clerk with rapture and importance tells how good his official and personal affairs are.

This continues for many years and the mother, who has long guessed the true state of things, cannot, in turn, inflict trauma on her son, for fear of hurting his feelings.

Such “mirror” care can be justified from a moral point of view solely by love for a loved one. It is not for nothing that the author calls it a holy lie.

This type of deception causes a lot of controversy and controversy. Some call it the only possible solution in hopeless situations, while others insist on the truth, no matter what it leads to.

This theme is widely represented in the works of Russian classics. In each of these stories, the author places his character in circumstances where deception is the only way out of a difficult situation.

Expression of sympathy

K.M. Simonov in the story “Days and Nights” very subtly touches the line on which truth and deception balance. The hero of the story, Captain Saburov, responds to the relatives of the fallen soldiers in moments of calm. The writer emphasizes that Saburov did not ignore these letters, as the majority would have done if they did not want to take on this burden.

He is tormented by the thought that the very message about the death of a soldier will change the entire meaning of the life of an orphaned family, so he writes in such a way that the widow and children, reading this letter, feel that it was written by a loved one who shares their grief.

A small exaggeration regarding the feat of a killed soldier and his last words is considered by him not as a fantasy, but as a consolation and relief of suffering.

Consequently, a lie is ambiguous and can act both as a killer and a healer, otherwise the ancient philosopher Plato would not have called it a medicine. Lying can lead to serious consequences.

Deception in the name of love

Another argument for lying for good is love. This is justified in cases where a loved one is blissfully unaware of his incurable illness or his life is in real danger.

As an example. One can cite a situation in which one of the family members is diagnosed with a diagnosis that leaves no chance. If the patient was previously different:

lack of willpower;
weak psyche;
had suicidal tendencies, etc.

Definitely, in this case it is better to hide the truth from him. The immune system, undermined by the disease, can completely break down from such news and, instead of mobilizing forces to prolong life, the departure of a loved one can accelerate.

The same motives force the hero of the story “The Captain's Daughter” to lie for the sake of love. When the ataman and his companions showed up at the fortress, the parents did not have time to transport Masha to a safe place. Shvabrin uses blackmail and threats to force her into marriage.

Having learned about this, Peter goes to deceive Pugachev himself, presenting her as an orphan who is offended by his people. If the ataman had found out that Masha’s father was the commandant of the fortress, she would have suffered a sad fate.

Since Grinev saw no other way out to save her, Pushkin does not condemn his hero, since the life and honor of his beloved girl is at stake.

Therefore, in this essay, white lying is a peculiar phenomenon that runs counter to the classical idea of it as a vice. It does not imply malicious intent towards another person and, rather, is used out of fear of getting into trouble or losing any valuables.

Good deed or sin

The topic of lying is widely discussed by psychologists and representatives of religious denominations and discourses. The word "good" implies nothing more than grace .

Lying, as a generally accepted concept of sinfulness, at first glance, cannot in any way be connected with the first.

But life is not two parallel straight lines of black and white that never intersect, so it is quite difficult to give an unambiguous answer to what a lie leads to without understanding the details.

If the situation creates harsh conditions where difficult choices have to be made, and the lie turns out to be more humane than the truth, without a doubt, this choice will not be considered a fall.

Thus, an essay on the topic “White Lies” will allow schoolchildren to distinguish between different types of deception.

White lies: examples, arguments FOR and AGAINST, quotes about white lies

Here we have selected for you popular problems regarding lying from texts for preparing for the Unified State Exam in the Russian language. The arguments revealing them are selected from Russian literature. You can download all this in table format at the end of the article or read them directly on this page with convenient navigation on problematic issues.

One of the central themes in Gorky's play "At the Depths"
is the problem of white lies. Thus, Luke and Satin represent two opposing points of view: to tell the truth, despite mental torment, or to lie, but with intent, implying compassion for “your neighbor.”
The preacher consoled the inhabitants of the shelter and gave them hope, even if it was not supported by real reasons. But the sharper spoke out against such false healing; he told the truth head-on, without thinking about how his interlocutor would accept it. In his opinion, a real person must live with open eyes, without illusions.
Since Luke capitulated with his philosophy and left those who believed him to their fate, we conclude that the author is on the side of Satin, that is, a lie cannot be justified by good.
Sometimes in life there are situations that require lying to save yourself or a loved one. A.S.
Pushkin in the novel “The Captain's Daughter” contrasts ordinary deception with the “white lie” that helped Masha Grineva escape from Emelyan Pugachev. If not for the cunning move of Pyotr Grinev, the innocent girl could have been executed. Each of us must distinguish between cases when to bend our hearts means saving a person from terrible misfortune.
Then we can go against the truth. But in other situations, when personal gain is involved, this trick is immoral and borders on a moral crime.
Comedy A.S. Griboyedov "Woe from Wit"
also contains the theme of pretense and deception.
the heroine assumes the presence of lies, but only in cases where it is necessary to save true love. So, for example, Sophia deceives Famusov in order to secretly meet with his secretary. Her intentions are pure, but with this crookedness the girl approaches the hypocritical way of life of that society, whose morals are far from ideal.
Her feeling turns out to be an exposed illusion, her knight turns out to be an ordinary swindler, and her lie turns out to be the first step into the secular world of falsehood and deception. So even a “white lie” does not lead to good, because a person cannot always figure out what is good.

False values

False values are a boat without a life preserver. Victims of circumstances suffer because they did not realize their own mistake in time. Sofia Pavlovna - the main character Comedy A.S. Griboyedov "Woe from Wit"
- is a “hostage” of his own beliefs.
So, Sophia’s ideal is the modest Molchalin, while Chatsky, who loves her all his life, is a person “not her type.” The collapse of her hopes for a future together with her father’s secretary collapses after she learns that Molchalin’s feelings are not reciprocated. This becomes a real tragedy, which Sophia cannot cope with due to her shock.
Alas, her values turned out to be extracts from vulgar novels, and not real truths that guide a person.
Often, false values can play a cruel joke on the entire society. For example, in N. Gogol's comedy "The Inspector General"
people are accustomed to building their own future on greed, hypocrisy and self-interest.
They were engaged in embezzlement for many years. Their desire to appear before the auditor in the role of respectable managers is an opportunity to save their place, but, having given their savings to the impostor, they found themselves captive to their own values. Because of them, they found themselves in a comical situation, which turned out to be a complete failure for them.
A.S.
Pushkin in the novel "The Captain's Daughter"
contrasts morality and ethics with false values. For example, Pyotr Grinev did not tarnish his honor even when he was threatened with execution.
The same cannot be said about Shvabrin, who went over his head for personal wealth - this suggests that false values kill in a person everything that connects him with people. Alexey followed the path of selfishness and reached the collapse of his desires and hopes, because society turned its back on him.

The Problem of Hypocrisy

The same person can contain both virtue and commercialism, but what exactly prevails in him? F tried to answer this question. Dostoevsky in the novel “Crime and Punishment”
, where Pyotr Luzhin simply plays the role of a “decent person,” when in fact he is “low and disgusting.”
His desire to woo Duna is explained not by “love”, but by the desire to have a pliable wife who will revere his every word. However, he strenuously pretends that this is not so. The hypocrisy and meanness in his behavior, fortunately, were noticed before Dunya's fatal mistake, so Peter was expelled in disgrace.
In A. Chekhov's story
“Tears of a Crocodile” we can see both hypocrisy and duplicity. The main character, Polycarp Judas, “suffers” from the injustice of the lives of poor people, while he himself rips them off to the last thread. “Crocodile tears” is a common expression that signifies the grief of an insincere person such as Judah. His behavior cannot be justified in any way.
An outwardly wealthy person from a material point of view may not be the same “wealthy” in his soul. This is what he says L. Tolstoy in the novel “War and Peace”
, where Prince Vasily does everything based on his own benefit. Even coming to Anna Pavlovna did not mean “secular politeness”, but the possibility of settling their children.
He deceives Pierre, almost robs him, miraculously not having time to intercept the will of the old count. But in words the hero is always exquisitely courteous and kind, he has a high position and a good reputation.

Remorse of a deceiver

The problem of remorse for telling a lie is clearly visible in the story by V. Astafiev “The Horse with a Pink Mane”
. The main character, the boy Vitya, must collect a basket of berries to get the coveted gingerbread, but the guys persuade him to collect grass and put berries on top.
The boy is tormented by his conscience for a long time, and he decides to confess to a deliberate lie - this suggests that Vitya is capable of admitting his own mistake, and this is an undoubted step towards the “highest moral ideal.”
A similar example can be seen on the pages V. Bykov's story "Sotnikov".
Throughout the story, the author introduces us to several characters, and one of them recalls the incident with his father’s Mauser, from which he fired.
Having admitted the mistake, he still feels remorse for the lie, which was that his mother pushed him to the “truth”, and not his desire.
Read also: Lesson summary on literary reading on the topic “A. P. Chekhov “Boys”” (4th grade)

Communication with parents

You can lie to the main people on the planet only if the truth hurts them more than hiding it. A person who trembles from the absence of a hat on your head is unlikely to be able to sleep peacefully, knowing about your failures at work, retakes at the university and a series of failed relationships.

For psychological help there are people specially trained for this, for emotional discussions (or condemnations) there are friends. Parents are created to take care of them. However, there is an important exception: until you reach adulthood, your guardians are responsible for you.

This means they need to be aware of all the important events happening to you.

Of course, if you are already an adult with adult problems and you sometimes feel the urge to hug such a warm and beloved person tightly, complain to him about all the bad guys and feel small again, do it.

Rules for successful white lies

How to make white lies believed?

The main principle is not to overdo it with lies.
Give out information in portions so that the lie is truthful. It will be difficult to believe that you have seen flying elephants.
The lie should be thought out in advance
, then it will look more natural than when you stutter and your eyes frantically run around.
Watch the person you want to deceive.
There are different people: some are ready to believe in almost everything, even what defies logic, while others question everything. Study the person and find your own approach to him.
Be mindful of the little things you mention.
A lie can be discovered because of a little thing you missed. If you tell your husband that you went to the movies with your friend on Friday, then a week later don’t forget which movie you went to. It will be very suspicious if after some time you invite your loved one to go to the same film, forgetting that you have already seen it.
Sincerely believe in what you say.
It often happens that you need to tell a lie where you did not intend. Don't stress when you lie. This immediately raises some suspicions. Relax and tell what you were going to say, now is not the time to feel guilty for your lies, because almost everyone does this.

What is a white lie, is it justified or not - examples from life

I think I won’t be wrong if I say that many of us have ever had to deal with such a concept as a white lie. It just so happens that the life of each of us proceeds in the unity and struggle of opposites. No matter what we talk about, there is always a corresponding opposite to any concept, especially when it comes to truth or lies.

I would like to touch on this difficult topic, since we are so accustomed to this state of affairs that, most often, we do not notice or perceive certain intermediate states. But they are the ones who have an overwhelming influence on our lives.

We have all heard very well about the existence of truth and lies. But how many of us have thought about the intermediate states of these phenomena? What to do, for example, with a false truth or how to treat a true lie? Is white lying actually good or bad? Let's figure it out together.

Is there a white lie? Examples from life

In one of the previous notes, the question of the essence of truth was already discussed a little. Let's try to look at this concept again in order to get closer to the concept of lies through its essence.

Truth should, in my opinion, be understood as the ability to be and live in a state of light. Since the word “truth” itself literally means “to rule or give,” it turns out that one who lives in truth is one who has learned to receive, give and control the light.

If truth is light, then it turns out that lying is the complete absence of light. It is known from physics that light and darkness are two extreme states, between which there is a border zone.

Everything is very clear when the issue of day and night changes is considered. There is day (light) and night (darkness), and between them there is evening and predawn twilight. Moreover, the duration of day and night is maximum in relation to the duration of twilight.

The picture is completely different when it comes to universal human values and concepts. Their extreme manifestations have maximum potential and minimum duration, but the intermediate zone is distinguished by maximum duration and average potential.

It is very easy to understand this using the example of white and black colors: on the one hand there is a radical white color, on the other - completely black, and between them there is a wide strip of gray. Moreover, this strip contains, depending on the amount of white and black, a whole range of shades of gray.

I remembered a story when a little four-year-old girl took part in one of Maxim Galkin’s “Best of All” programs, who has the ability to recognize different shades of all the colors of the rainbow. Their number turned out to be simply unthinkable for me.

I’ll be honest: I’ve not only never heard of such names of tones and shades before, but I’ve never even thought about their existence. So it turns out: live forever, learn forever and die a fool.

Continuing our topic, it should be said that the number of tones and shades of the twilight zone between truth and lies is also very large, and their perception is purely individual and depends on the personal qualities of a particular person.

It is precisely because in the overwhelming majority of cases an ordinary person has to deal with intermediate states of the concepts of truth and lies, and so-called hybrids appear in the form of a lie for good or a lie for salvation.

Can white lies be justified?

Do you think white lies exist, and if so, can they be justified and in what cases? Very often, according to my personal observations, deception is used for good, when, for example, relatives try to hide a fatal medical diagnosis from their loved one, so as not to further traumatize his psyche.

In fact, again in my personal opinion, this attempt is not caused by concern for a loved one, but by the desire to maintain the usual course of one’s life and the fear of losing or changing something in it. Even if it’s not true, as long as everything is the same as before.

I don’t care what happens later, the main thing is that now everything remains the same.

And in this case, no one cares that a seriously ill person has the right to know the true state of affairs and independently manage his life, choosing what he needs, regardless of other people’s opinions or desires in this regard.

What other examples of white lies are there? Let's remember the literary work of Mikhail Sholokhov “The Fate of a Man”, when Andrei Sokolov lied to a street boy that he was his father.

On the one hand, this deception saved and changed the life of a disadvantaged child, and on the other hand, it was a consequence of the manifestation of a deep fear of loneliness in the soul of a long-suffering and disadvantaged person.

I, of course, have no moral right to condemn the main character for this, but a lie, no matter what it is dictated by, can never become the truth. And although the story does not describe the further life of the members of the new family, the consequences of such a lie for the greater good were nevertheless named.

So, finishing the story about his life, Andrei Sokolov complained of severe pain in his heart, which, in his opinion, could lead to death and new trials in the life of the baby he had adopted.

It is quite possible that this painful symptom was the result not only of the trials of life that fell on Andrei Sokolov’s shoulders, but also of a choice, although absolutely conscious, made in favor of untruth.

So it turns out that for one person, hiding the truth is tantamount to the most serious sin in life, which he deliberately commits to save someone else’s life at the cost of his own, and for another, lying is like drinking a glass of water.

It is absolutely obvious to me that any lie, no matter in what form it exists and no matter what is caused by it, always leads to very deplorable, but completely natural results. The story of a young shepherd can serve as proof of this.

The Legend of the Young Shepherd

In one village, such an order was established that sheep from each yard of the village were gathered daily into one huge flock and grazed all day near the village. The shepherds were the residents of this village themselves, according to the established order. Moreover, not only adults, but also teenagers were allowed to do such work.

One day it was the young shepherd’s turn. Early in the morning he drove the entire large flock to the meadow outside the village. While the sheep were grazing, the guy was resting in the shade of a spreading tree. The summer day was approaching its middle, and the sun began to get especially hot, so the young guard was completely dozed off.

When he woke up, he saw that the sheep were still chewing their grass, and the sun was still high. At this moment, our shepherd became incredibly bored, and to amuse himself, he began to shout:

Help! Wolves! The herd was attacked by wolves! For help!

At his call, abandoning all their affairs, all the inhabitants of the village rushed with huge stakes and clubs. But apart from peaceful sheep and a laughing shepherd, there was no one else in the meadow. The villagers realized that they had simply been deceived, so they went home with a sad look.

Some time passed and this story was almost forgotten. But once again it was the turn of the young shepherd to shepherd the village flock. Just like the first time, for fun he began to call for help.

And again the villagers came to his call. Now they have been deceived by the teenager twice already. Again, instead of wolves, they saw grazing sheep and a laughing shepherd in the meadow.

Although for the most part ordinary people do not remember evil, when for the third time our hero had his turn to herd sheep, and he again began to call for help, none of the residents took a step to come to his call.

This time the young man actually called for help, as the flock was attacked by wolves. But it was completely useless: no one believed him anymore. The young shepherd screamed for a very long time and pitifully, but completely unsuccessfully.

And only late in the evening, when the flock had not returned to the village, did the villagers go to pasture. Between scraps of sheep's wool and stains of dried blood, they found only scraps of clothing and pieces of shoes from a young shepherd.

It turns out that it is enough to lie just a couple of times for people to completely stop believing you. Moreover, this manner of behavior leads not only to moral costs, but also to the loss of what is most dear and significant, and sometimes even life itself.

To summarize, is white lying right or wrong? Although some authors argue that a white lie is only good for its recipient, it should be taken into account that even if such a phenomenon is present, its effect is very short-term. In the long term, there will simply be no winners.

The longer in my life I believe in such “shepherds,” the longer I will feed them with the light of my truth, and one might also say, with my own energy of life. Gradually, these “shepherdesses” turn from ordinary people into insatiable parasites, who, after the death of their victim, if they do not find a new donor, simply die of hunger.

In order to prevent myself from ending up in life like the young shepherd boy did, I simply need to take appropriate protective actions.

Even simple everyday logic dictates that if you tell some kind of lie, you must always and everywhere remember where, when, to whom and what exactly you lied to, so as not to get confused yourself and not to be caught in a lie.

Remember when you yourself used white lies for your own purposes - examples from life, what emotions did they evoke in you? I assume that they are not very positive, because because of deception you are constantly in nervous tension, which inevitably leads to the emergence of new fears and the development of all kinds of psychoses and neuroses, and they, in turn, create fertile ground for physical illnesses and bring us closer to a premature ending.

If in any difficult situation you prefer the truth, even the bitter, to a sweet lie, then you can always count on the understanding and trust of the people around you. At the same time, you have the opportunity to live as you want and fully enjoy all the delights of life.

Therefore, the desire to comply with personal ideas and beliefs about morality and morality, formed on the basis of the ancestral memory of ancestors, regardless of the changing conditions and requirements of a particular society in specific historical periods, can become a well-deserved reward for the right choice between truth and lies.

All the isms that the Russian people experienced are difficult both to remember and to enumerate. But at any historical time, he managed to maintain such a worldview and worldview that helped him overcome any adversity. Maybe this is why “Russia cannot be understood with the mind, Russia cannot be measured with a common yardstick.” But this is a topic for another conversation.

Main conclusions

Be that as it may, for me personally, the concepts of “bitter truth” and “sweet lie” are manifestations of those two opposites, which, despite the continuous struggle with each other, have something in common.

This is somewhat reminiscent of a compass needle, the two halves of which continuously strive to take the required position (in accordance with the cardinal points). Moreover, they simultaneously exist on a single axis around which all events occur.

If I suddenly strayed from the path of truth and began to follow the path of lies, hiding my choice under the guise of a “white lie,” then sooner or later the compass needle will definitely point to my real location (for there is nothing secret that would not become obvious ) and will suggest the correct route.