The Lie

The Lie

By: Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Sometimes in life, it's hard to disappoint the people that you love. In this short story, a young boy named Eli Remenzel, the son of a wealthy doctor and a well-known ex-student of Whitehill School for boys is faced with the challenge of hiding the truth from his parents.

Eli's father, Doctor Remenzel, was just one of many generations of the Remenzel family to attend Whitehill. The Remenzel family is the most well-known family at Whitehill for their generous scholarships and great reputations. The rooms in the Whitehill School are mainly named after members the Remenzel family.

Doctor Remenzel, his wife Sylvia Remenzel, and their son Eli were on their way in a Rolls Royce to the Whitehill School one golden, spring day. They had a chauffeur named Ben Barkley who escorted the family to the fine school. Just before they reached their destination, Doctor Remenzel saw one of his old school friends parked on the side of a building. They set a date for later on that evening to eat at the Hillside Restaurant.