There are outright lies—"the dog ate my homework," for example—and then there are lies of omission. The latter defines David's childhood in Stitches. His mom doesn't love him, but she won't say it. She's gay, but she won't say it. And then his dad performs an experimental medical treatment on him, accidentally gives him cancer (oops), and won't say it. Is it any surprise that he finally gets tired of the dishonesty and moves out at age sixteen? Being lied to outright is bad enough, but being lied to by being ignored is way worse.
Questions About Lies and Deceit
- How does not telling David he has cancer benefit his parents, and how do they think it benefits him?
- Does David's dad intend to tell him about the cancer at the restaurant, or does he go to the restaurant to drink beforehand?
- Are David's parents deceiving themselves? If so, how?
- Are there ways in which David deceives his parents?
Chew on This
David didn't actually crawl across the floor and hug his therapist's legs, but in drawing the scene, he gets to go back and do so. Drawing the story instead of just writing it allows him to live out his fantasies.
David loses his voice long before he loses a vocal cord.