The Untold Lie is a short story written by Sherwood Anderson that explores the journey from middle-age through to youth. As is the case with the rest of the stories in the larger work Winesburg, Ohio , Anderson heavily employs symbolism in developing and his character as well as the plot. Hal and Ray are the central characters in The Untold Lie. Both wroth as farm hands a local farm, however, Hal is much younger and unmarried while Ray is married with several children. The entirety of the plot is dedicated towards the responsibilities and choices that men often encounter in their journey to adulthood. This particular message is brought out through the lives and experiences of Hal and Ray. While working in the corn fields, Ray is faced with the reality that he is a slave to his responsibilities, much of which he had no choice in picking. "Ray was thinking of that afternoon and how it affected his whole life when a spirit of protest awoke in him” (Anderson, 1999).
It is this particular stream of thought that pushes him to consider having been tricked by life. Hal, on the other hand, is faced with a predicament in which he has impregnated a girl by the name Nell Gunther. Hal asks for advice from Ray, assuming that he has had a similar experience. For Ray, however, the newfound consciousness does not allow him to conform to the trappings of modern society, and as such he decides to remain silent in protest of the freedom he believes he has been robbed. Anderson portrays Ray as an individual who is predominantly burdened by his life, a view that pushes him to remain detached from his existence. Ray is characterized as "an altogether serious man...quiet, rather nervous...with a brown beard and shoulders rounded by too much and too hard labor" (Anderson, 1999).
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Hal Winters on the hand is a young and cocky individual from the family of Windpeter Winters. The author goes to the extra effort of enlightening the readers on the difference between Windpeter Winters and Ned Winters, asserting that the former was largely considered rogue and undisciplined with the latter being considered respectable. While Hal's father offers no significant symbolism within the greater context of the story, inclusion in the story is to create an avenue for digression upon which the readers are made aware of how Windpeter tragically met his death. It seems that Windpeter might have come to a similar conclusion as that of Ray Peterson and his way to freedom came through death. This particular comparison serves to deepen the reader's point of view in regards to the moral status of Windpeter as compared to that of Ray Pearson.
The core of the story begins with the narrator asserts that "And so these two men, Ray and Hal, were at work...” (Anderson, 1999). He goes further to describe their moods, with Ray being depicted as being in a distracted mood following the beauty of nature that was pertinent to Winesburg in the fall. This particular sentiment is best captured in the statement: "If you knew the Winesburg country in the fall and how the low hills are all splashed with yellows and reds, you would understand his feeling" (Anderson, 1999). He is, however, kicked back to reality with the arrival of his wife who sends him on an errand to town. With his consciousness still set upon the desire to be from his responsibilities, he runs away in jubilation and symbolically throws away his torn overcoat on his way to the store. One can consider the torn overcoat as a symbol of shambolic and unhappy existence as an old man in a place he does not which to be and with a family that he would rather not have.
Working as a farm hand was not even an option he had in mind and to think of how he got married, he finds himself burdened by both family life and farm work. He is, however, confronted with a rude awakening when he encounters Hal on the way. Not only is he shy of explaining to the young man, but he is also dumbfounded by Hal's outburst regarding his willingness to get married. It is at this point that ray accepts the uncertainty of life as well as the little control he held over the course of events. While he enjoyed a feeling of temporary freedom upon shading away his responsibilities, Ray realizes that he cannot entirely escape from the realities that come with those responsibilities, such as his children. To an extent, Anderson's life depicts a similar line, with the belief that he could take control of his life turning out to be a mental illness.
Ray suffers the same fate, with his sense of protest and freedom quickly turning into an illusion. Hall firstly shakes him back to reality by reaffirming that the right decision lay in taking responsibility for his action and marrying Nell. It becomes evident that in choosing to remain tied down by opinions and guidance, he has not only lost his freedom but also given up his identity in the process. He picks up his coat on the way back from the store, depicting his submission to his way of life as well as an acceptance of the discomfort and lack of satisfaction that is prevalent in his life. For Ray, the desire and cry for freedom are summed up as an illusion and a lie that cannot be attained. As the story comes to an end, the narrator offers a symbolic depiction of Ray’s journey back home “then his form also disappeared into the darkness of the fields” (Anderson, 1999). Evidently, the author employs symbolic imagery with Ray’s disappearance into the darkness depicting not only his loss of identity but also his reintegration into a life that is devoid of satisfaction and self-fulfillment. The darkness further casts a ray of uncertainty and unhappiness in the life of Ray.
The darkness can also be viewed in juxtaposition to the beauty and light that had characterized Ray's awakening. To better grasp this concept, one can consider the following statement: "Every time Ray raised his eyes and saw the beauty of the country in the failing light, he wanted to do something he had never done before, shout or scream or hit his wife with his fists or something equally unexpected and terrifying” (Anderson, 1999). From this context, therefore, one can argue that Ray's glimmer of hope is snuffed out and swallowed by the darkness thus confining him to the limits of mediocrity. The moral lesson of this particular story can be captured in two crucial sentences, firstly, that sadness, beauty, and responsibility are part of the grown-up life. Secondly and most importantly is the fact that each man can make his own choices and decisions, as such he should be able to live with the failures as well as triumphs of his ideal freedom. In other words, life has no template to be followed, which means it is the responsibility of each to chart a path that they wish to pursue and commit to it to the very end.
References
Anderson, S. (1999). Winesburg, Ohio . Oxford: Oxford University Press.
