Liar, Liar

Gary Paulsen devotes a large chunk of Liar, Liar to Kevin’s excuses for lying. Kevin’s character arc happens in three phases over the course of the narrative. Initially, Kevin feels comfortable using dishonesty to get what he wants. He avoids guilt and shame by convincing himself he isn’t hurting anyone, and framing his lies as helpful to others. In the second phase, Kevin develops insight into the negative consequences of lying and the value of honesty. The third phase shows Kevin acting on his realizations and making amends. Kevin’s true motives in the first phase reflect the same reasons many people lie, and his justifications reflect another human tendency: rationalizing dishonesty to maintain a positive self-image.

Paulsen makes a clear distinction between Kevin’s desires, which are in and of themselves based on an acceptable level of self-interest, and the methods he uses to pursue those desires, which cross moral lines. Kevin wants to get rides from his older siblings, to impress a girl he likes, and to get a break from JonPaul’s frustrating obsessions. The way Kevin goes about getting what he wants—telling lies that range from disrespectful to dangerous—define his motives as selfish within the moral framework of Paulsen’s novel. He doesn’t merely want to impress Tina; he wants to find “the fastest way to get her to feel the same” (47). Paulsen suggests that similar desires to take shortcuts and achieve instant gratification often inspire dishonesty in humans, especially in societies in which individual achievement is valued over collective harmony. Kevin also finds that Katie and Connie are “very handy to have around,” exploiting them to do his schoolwork, in Katie’s case, and to gain insight and proximity to Tina, in Connie’s case (49). Kevin’s ability to convince himself there’s no harm in manipulating them into doing extra work, or counting on his enthusiasm for a committee he doesn’t care about, demonstrates both his skill at deceit and his flawed perspective.

The justifications Kevin offers in the wake of his lies indicate that some part of him knows his behavior is morally dubious, establishing the trajectory of his arc. Kevin’s explanations revolve around how the lies help others or balance an unfair situation. After his lies to his siblings result in their losing driving privileges for a week, Kevin claims that when they get the car keys back in just one week, Sarah and Daniel will better understand his point of view. The connotation suggests he’s helping expand their knowledge and empathy as part of a self-improvement plan on which they’ve chosen to embark. After playing on JonPaul’s intense fears about his health—a dangerous thing to aggravate, especially given the vulnerability of teens’ emotional states—Kevin says he did it for JonPaul’s own good, and the good of JonPaul’s sports teams. He extrapolates that sentiment to further claim he’s making JonPaul a “happier, better-adjusted person” (59), despite JonPaul’s panic and increased anxiety the next day. Kevin knows he’s not allowed to ask one parent for permission when the other already said no, but he rationalizes doing it anyway: “I was tired of getting the short end of the stick in this family just because I was the youngest. The ends justified the means” (72). This attitude echoes a common perspective within families, as children begin to separate their identities from their parents and attempt to test boundaries. Like with his other lies, seeing how this dishonest behavior harms others triggers an epiphany that leads to phase two of Kevin’s arc, and ultimately his transformation.