Perhaps the most important example regarding "truth" in
the novel is spoken by the protagonist, Steve Harmon.
Truth is truth. It's what you know to be
right.
This example calls
question to Steve. The truth is the truth, but it is not what "you" know to be right.
It is what everyone knows to be right. Here, one could question Steve on his
understanding of the truth. This example shows that Steve could make something true for
himself if he alone knows it to be right.
What's the truth? Anybody in here knows what the
truth is? I don't know what the truth
is!
This example is provided
per the VO (voice over) of Inmate 1. This is perhaps one of the most intriguing quotes
from the text regarding truth. The inmate is stating what many feel. Once involved in
the judicial system, the truth lies in the hands of the court system (the jurors, the
lawyers, and the judge). Think about it this way, many people have been found guilty of
crimes that they did not commit, but the fact that they are convicted makes it a truth
to the community. But is it really?
Basically, as much as
many would like to believe that "truth" exists, truth is subjective. The novel embraces
this and runs with it. Throughout the novel we, as readers, are expected to have
compassion for Steve. We are expected to trust in him, believe him. The idea of what
is truth comes under fire by everyone involved in the novel- including the reader.
Therefore, there is no other better true judge of how the concept of truth impacts a
reader than the reader him/herself.
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