Opinion Essay- The Opposite of Tidy
Why does everyone lie? Is lying even worth it? Carrie Mac's story, The Opposite of Tidy, is mainly about a girl who tells a little lie. Junie, the main character of the novel, is really embarrassed by her mother because she is a hoarder. A boy named Wade Jaffre offers Junie a ride home from school, but on their way, she and Wade sees her mom yelling at her dad, making a big scene throughout the whole neighbourhood. Junie decides to lie to Wade and says that that woman is not her mother. Junie and her best friend Tabitha are the only people who know the real truth about Junie's mother. Tabitha is the most admirable person in the story The Opposite of Tidy because she convinces Junie to tell the truth about
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She also helps Junie keep her lie a secret, even after she lies to wade. As badly as Tabitha wants to tell Junie’s lie, she does not tell wade the truth about her lie. While Junie, Wade, and Tabitha are in the car when Wade wanted to give the girls a ride to school, Wade mentions Junie’s parents yelling at each other, then Tabitha finds out that Junie lied about her parents. Tabitha does not say anything about Junie’s parents to protect her lie, because wade was also in the car (45). Also Junie says to Tabitha that she know how tabitha is contributing to the lie: “ you want him to know the truth, so i could see you ‘screwing up’ just so my lie would be exposed. I know you're trying to play along… but I also know that you don't really want to” (65). Another way Tabitha helps Junie keep her lie is that she lets Junie pretend that her house is Junie’s house. When Wade offers Junie a ride home, Junie tells Wade to drive to Tabitha’s house, making Wade think that it is Junie’s real house, so Junie could protect her lie (14). Tabitha is later aware that Junie is using her house, and she allows Junie to continue using her house. A third way Tabitha helps Junie keep her lie is by telling Junie when Wade is coming to pick them up. Every morning Wade calls Tabitha's house so he can drive Junie to school, but since Wade thinks that Tabitha's house is Junie’s house, Junie does not know that wade calls to pick her up. Tabitha calls Junie every morning when Wade is coming to pick her up, so that way Junie will quickly go Tabitha's house before Wade comes to pick them up for school (127). Therefore, Tabitha would do anything to keep Junie’s lie a