The Power of a Lie

"The Power of a Lie" by Johan Bojer is a story from the early 1900s that looks into tough choices about what is right and wrong. It shows how lies and feeling guilty can change people's lives. The main character is Knut Norby, a farmer who is troubled because he promised to pay for a friend's struggling business. The story also follows Henry Wangen, the friend who everyone thinks faked something. We first see Knut Norby as he thinks about his problems while driving across a risky, icy lake. He is stressed about money and hiding the fact that he signed the promise for Wangen from his wife. This starts a series of events where rumors of faking spread, possibly ruining their lives. As the two men deal with these tough situations, the story talks about being honest, lying, and how difficult it can be to make moral decisions, all set in a rural area with its own rules and expectations. The beginning creates a feeling of stress, hinting at the moral problems to come, and keeps readers interested with its focus on conflict and understanding the characters.