White Lies Natasha Trethewey Analysis

White Lies” by Natasha Trethewey deals with issues of self-hatred, self- acceptance, and the overall way we view ourselves. It does this by bringing attention to how something we may think is relatively harmless, such as telling a small white lie, can actually be destructive. Recognizing the play on the phrase “white lie” and the way language is used is major to understanding this poem.

The poem’s speaker is a woman telling about the lies she would tell as a child. In the first few lines of the poem she uses words and phrases that refer to light skinned people who are a mix of African American and Caucasian descent, “light-bright, near-white, / high-yellow, red-boned” (Trethewey 3-4). From the phrases she uses, the reader can infer that her skin is so light that she can pass for being completely white. She goes on to say that “in a black place, / were just white lies” (Trethewey 5-6); in this poem “white lies” can have a double meaning. There is

White symbolizes purity and innocence while black has more negative connotations such as evil. It is ironic that a white lie is meant to be harmless and innocent however she was punished for it and she had to be cleansed of it. How do you cleanse something that is already the ultimate example of purity and cleanliness? Her lie should have been black if it needed to be cleansed but this goes to show that although it is believed a white lie is harmless, it can actually be dangerous. Although white is meant to be clean, pure, and innocent it ends up being the opposite for the speaker.

The poet is trying to call attention to the importance of learning to accept yourself and that denying who you are and telling a “white lie” can be much more damaging than we believe. Trethewey’s ironic use of “white” is what helps make the poem clearer and more understandable. Knowing Trethewey’s use of white can only make you wonder what would have happened if the speaker had been telling black