Candelo Review
" Because it was possible we had all been lying. Not just he and I. But all of us. To each other and to ourselves " (p. 93). Within Candelo, many major events are shrouded by lies and the unwillingness to tell the truth. In fact moral truth is at the heart of this book, which describes Ursula's attempt to set a direction for herself on which right and wrong are clearly distinguished. This is explored through her relationships with her lover, her ex-lover, and with the family that is so much a presence in her life. Ursula is endeavoring to deal with present dilemmas and also with the residue of a past that has never really been resolved. Ultimately it is this unwillingness to tell the truth throughout the novel that affects the inability of many characters to live normal, well-balanced lives. As the novel progresses, Ursula's guilt concerning the events that occurr
So long as what you want is a good thing . She is also forced to ask herself what Mitchell really meant to her, and how he influenced all their lives. And so long as you can be certain of what you are going to find at the end ' (p. The consequences of lies and deception on Vi's life are painstakingly obvious. The fact that she also ignores harsh truths, like her own illness, and the anguish Simon has suffered since the accident, is further evidence of how much Vi retreats from the truth and surrounds herself with lies when it suits her to do so. Vi's commitment to seriousness is also often contradicted by her far-fetched clothes and shoes, and her inability to turn off nonsense on TV, which she says she despises. She has reacted against her mother's call for integrity and honesty at all costs, and her father's chronic lying, by making her life a series of half-truths and deception. But the impossibility of these views is also presented, paradoxically, by the very instructions she issues to guide Ursula in her life, 'Don't be afraid of single-minded pursuit .
Common topics in this essay:
Vi Simon,
,
throughout novel,
unwillingness tell,
unwillingness tell truth,
tell truth,
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