Are all lies wrong and harmful to people? Are all the truths beneficial to people’s lives and work? In J.M. Newsome’s novel, Dragon’s Eggs, there are many lies in people’s relationships; people tell lies in order to stop others from worrying and to protect others. We are introduced to Tendai who always says or suffers lies, such as he does not want children to panic about the existence of landmines, and his father did not want him to know his pain. The main thesis of the novel is that not all lies are wrong and harmful for people, and lies in good-faith are helpful to relationships between people.

Lies can become a kind of reminder to others. In the conversation between Tendai and Sibongile who is the heroine in the novel Dragon’s Eggs, Tendai said “I wasn’t sure this was true, but it made us all think carefully about where we walked and the only ones who forget to be careful were the little kids” (Newsome, 34). In order to prevent the children and everyone living in the village from being harmed again, Tendai wants to make up a fake story to ensure the children get away from the landmines buried underground. The dragon’s eggs which was a story made by Tendai represents the landmines and Tendai uses the term to explain the terrible nature of landmines to the children in an easy and direct way. He knows that it is wrong for him to tell false stories, but to save the lives of the children, he conveys the popular story to them. Because of the story, no one more children are harmed by landmines, which shows that Tendai's lie in good-faith shields the children by protecting them from the landmines. The children believe Tendai's lies so easily because they have seen Tendai’s brother injuries; even if they know Tendai is telling a lie, the children still believe what he tells them because they know he cares for them. This story serves as a reminder of the danger in the minds of children so they can be kept safe. A lie in good-faith can be a reminder to people when facing danger; it can also help to reduce children’s fear.

Lies can be used to maintain relationships between people. When Tendai’s brother is hurt by the landmine, Sibongile volunteers to help Tendai relieve the pain in his heart and encourages him to solve all of these problems by asking others for help. In the action taken by Sibongile, “Sibongile fell into step beside me as we walked towards the firelight. Her hand touched mine and held it for a few moments in the darkness. She stopped to look at the remaining light in the sky. A thin new moon had risen. I turned her toward me for a kiss, but she pulled gently away” (Newsome, 38). This happened after Tendai had told the children about dragon's eggs, demonstrating that dragon's eggs are a connection for Tendai and Sibongile; this well-intentioned lie helps them get along with each other. In the beginning they both wanted to do something about landmines, and in order to do something, Tendai started telling the children the story of dragon's eggs, in response to Sibongile saying, "we must do something now" (Newsome, 31). Because their purpose is the same, what Tendai said was a good-faith lie and shows that lies can be used to maintain relationships between people.

Good-faith lies can be used to reduce the suffering of others as Tendai’s father said, “But it doesn’t solve anything. I feel powerless too. But we Zimbabweans survive because we can change as our circumstances change” (Newsome, 21). Tendai's father is uncomfortable, but in order to save the family from discomfort, he deceives them about his own pain and in this way the family can find relief from pain. His father was stern, but it was out of caring for his family; he connected to his family through a lie in good-faith. A lie can be used to express many feelings. For example, it can be used to convert sadness into happiness, or it can be used to reduce pain and injury in others. In the novel, many people feel sad because the landmines have killed so many people. After Amos was injured, Tendai's father covered his sadness by using lies because he knew that sadness was useless and that emotion would affect his family; he chooses to tell others that he was fine, so he could better relieve their pain and achieve what he really wanted to do.

In conclusion, not all lies are harmful to people. Lying is inevitable in our lives, and not all lies are bad. When used appropriately to help or protect others, lies can be beneficial to people's lives. In the novel, the protagonists use good-faith lies to deal with many problems and help others. In the real world, many people ask us to tell the truth in daily life, but this is not realistic, and not all truth is good for people. Proper good-faith lies can help and protect others more effectively and will lead to a more harmonious world.

References

Newsome, J.M. Dragons’ Eggs. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010.