Women and Honor: Some Notes on Lying (Adrienne Rich) Analysis

Adrienne Rich is a world renowned poet, critic and scholar. She is also a feminist who has made huge leaps and bounds for the women's movement. In her famous essay Women and Honor: Some Notes on Lying, she aims to make it clear that the possibilities of a relationship built on truth are endless but often lies are produced to avoid complexity. She speaks mainly to women, who feel their only source of power in their relationships are developed through lying. To convey her message, Rich makes this essay especially enjoyable by depicting exactly why it is women tell lies in certain situations. She describes a feeling of emptiness and nothingness in one’s life called “the void” (Rich 415). She goes on to explain that women are accustomed to lie in order to avoid facing this void and their own feelings of self-mediocrity. This section was very relatable as everyone has lied, and it usually is to avoid facing the fear that one’s “own truths are not good enough” (Rich 415). However, she makes it clear that by throwing more lies into “the void” women are defeating their ability to evolve both themselves and their relationships. They lie about who they are and what they can do instead of telling the truth and encouraging themselves to grow into that person. Rich also delved into the topic of sexuality for women and produced an argument about why lies are usually so embedded in this. She explains that most lesbians are so afraid of heterosexual institution in society labeling them “a pervert, a criminal, a sick or dangerous woman…” (Rich 415), that they turn to lying about it as it seems like “an easy way to avoid conflict or complication” (Rich 415). Rich then connects the struggle to be honest about “erotic feelings toward women” (Rich 415) to her own life stating she has “lived half a lifetime in the lie of that denial” (Rich 415). She conveyed how lies like these to people who we believe have power over us spill over into our relationships with those who don’t and hinder women from having honest, highly developed relationships. The way that Rich sets up her essay in a format which introduces a certain type of lying (romantic relationship, sexuality, personal relationship, etc…), then explains why it is done and how it is ineffective toward the evolution of healthy relationships, successfully gets her point across. She shows that lying is an easy way to escape dealing with a complex situation as the whole point is to “make everything simpler” (Rich 413). However, it ends up only creating a bigger void. She did a stellar job showing her purpose by both connecting the reader to the liar’s thoughts and emotions through relatable examples and sharing personal struggles and triumphs.

"Lying is the quickest way to ruin a beautiful relationship" -Anonymous

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