One of Us is Lying Essay Questions

Discuss the role of the app About That in the novel and the text’s commentary on social media.

While in reality teens use a variety of platforms to spread gossip, in the world of Bayview High, there’s one source for gossip, About That, and one person who runs it, Simon. About That is portrayed as a primarily destructive force, exposing information that embarrasses and upsets, even driving some to attempt suicide. Yet everyone follows it, because they’re interested in “the truth” more than in honoring each other’s privacy. However, the truths it tells are partial: it states what people have done, but completely obscures the struggles and realities that may have driven them to do it. In critiquing this app, the novel suggests that social media and gossip never succeed in portraying a sufficiently complex reality. However, one might also note that by compressing the whole ecosystem of social media into a single app, run by one person, the novel simplifies things by blaming one person, Simon, rather than the culture that allows the app to thrive.

Discuss the function of Bronwyn and Nate's romance in the novel. Why is this teen movie cliche present in the mystery novel?

This novel relies on tropes from teen movies like The Breakfast Club, in which students from different social cliques come together in new configurations. In particular, Bronwyn is the class valedictorian while Nate is known for sexual promiscuity and drug dealing. Their classic good girl/bad boy pairing may on its face seem cliche. At the same time, the novel subtly builds on these teen tropes. In particular, it thinks about the way that minority communities can come together, taking an intersectional approach to oppression. Bronwyn is the daughter of a Colombian immigrant, and Nate grew up in poverty with two addicts for parents. The two share some inherited trauma, and both must actively battle stereotypes. Although their backgrounds are different, their love ultimately represents the fact that they have more in common than meets in the eye, and when they forge understanding, they are stronger together.

How does the novel portray police officers and the criminal justice system? How do Officer Lopez and Eli fit into the picture?

This novel is generally cynical about the legal process at all levels, from investigation to sentencing. However, some altruistic actors like Officer Lopez and Eli from Until Proven show a ray of hope. The police officers in the novel detain minors without informing them of their rights, accusing them of conspiracy to commit murder without doing basic detective work like investigating the school parking lot accident or questioning Janae. They are particularly eager to blame Nate, the one student with a criminal record, even though it is not violent. Indeed, Nate is sent to jail, and the plaintiff seeks to send him to an adult prison rather than juvenile detention. Nonetheless, Officer Lopez and Eli are two “good eggs” in a generally corrupt and unthinking system. The novel seems to suggest that, with things as they are, it falls on motivated individuals to combat systemic injustice.

Why do you think Jake revises Simon’s blog post to disguise Cooper’s sexuality? What does this say about their friendship? About the state of masculinity?

While Simon’s master plan is to out Cooper, Jake revises the post draft to state that Cooper takes steroids. A generous reading of Jake’s motives might be that he thought a lie was better than forcibly outing Cooper. However, knowing Jake’s toxic masculinity, it can also be read as Jake trying to protect his friend from the truth. Jake might believe that doping is less damaging and shameful than being gay. Although Jake and Cooper are best friends, Jake is unable to understand his friends’ sexuality, and might not have wanted to deal with it. Of course, as the novel progresses, Cooper becomes comfortable with his sexuality, and so do the baseball teams who are courting him. While Jake might think of homosexuality as a real obstacle to personal and professional success, he is proven to be incorrect.

Discuss Addy’s transformation over the course of the novel.

Addy’s transformation in the novel is perhaps the most dramatic, because at first, she did not even realize she was unhappy. As long as she let Jake rule her life and decisions, she did not think about what she truly wanted or deserved. Instead, she accepted the status quo. Only when Jake turned on her did she realize that his control was much more violent than she ever imagined. He had always commented on her outfits and hair. When they broke up, she realized that there was always a threat behind his requests of conformity: obey me, or suffer. As she breaks free from his grasp, she fully realizes that she never wanted the life he’d created for her. Seeing this, she is able to seek out her true self. All of the other characters’ journeys can be viewed through this lens: as realizations that the status quo was always oppressive.