There are times in life when people are frightened by the idea of not fitting in with the rest of society. People can’t express themselves without being judged, which sorrowfully reflects to the unappealing and gruesome society humankind has built. As the novel, One of Us Is Lying commences, Karen McManus incorporates social struggles and discrimination the protagonists must overcome. Bronwyn, Copper, Addy, and Nate attend Bayview High and are recognized as ordinary teenagers until the four of them became prime suspects of a crime, a crime they didn't commit. Simon Kelleher is announced dead after detention and according to investigators, his death wasn’t any normal casualty. Bronwyn, Cooper, Addy, and Nate were all there and they all had secrets to hide but the question is, how far would they go to protect those secrets? In One of Us is Lying Karen McManus utilizes conflict to highlight the growth of social discrimination which gives rise to the development of the characters.

Stereotypes can challenge and deprive a state of mind which can provoke a self-conscious and weak-minded character. McManus implemented different lifestyles into each main character’s personality by imposing various stereotypes and norms that make each character distinctive and assist with the development of the character. As Simon states “She’s a princess and you’re a jock….and you’re a brain. And you’re a criminal. You’re all walking movie stereotypes” (Simon 11). Which McManus established in the text as she asserted stereotypes that developed the characters.

As the characters develop, the story becomes undeniable on how most of them go through extreme measures in order to blend in and follow the crowd. Peer pressure can cause people to change and surround themselves with people who don’t value them. As stated by Addy “Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Everyone’s staring at me as Jake stalks away. I catch Vanessa smirking from a few lockers over. She’s loving this. How did I ever think she was my friend?” (Addy 127). This text demonstrates how people in today’s civilization keep secrets in order to meet society’s expectations. All four of the characters had secrets, yet they were fearful of their secrets being uncovered by society and having to deal with social discrimination. Society manipulates people into doing things that make them dissatisfied with themselves and prevents them from being unique.

Unrealistic society standards constantly implement insecurities. Standards make people feel worthless and restrict people from being their true selves. Addy’s break up, Cooper’s sexual orientation, Bronwyn’s case, and Nate’s unstable family are all factors that were revealed through Simon’s death. Stated by Addy “Ashton keeps making me go to school. My mother couldn’t care less. As far as she’s concerned I’ve ruined all our lives” (Addy 124). This text demonstrates how effortless it can be to disappoint people who you once cared for. Society is constantly evolving but that shouldn’t mean we should change for society. We should change in society instead of waiting for society to change for us.

Throughout One Of Us is Lying, Karen McManus portrayed social discrimination through conveying conflict and structure of the characters. One of Us Is Lying states social discrimination and how society takes part in our everyday lives. Through conflict of the book, the characters confronted many challenges and at the end resulting in them finally learning to socially accept themselves.