Little Liar

Father-son pairs are a key motif in the novel, illustrating The Impact of Past Trauma on Present Behaviors and the importance of forgiveness. Following his father’s death and the events that come after it, Malachi’s sense of security in the world is blown apart. Though Malachi briefly regains a father figure in Jamieson, his heart soaring when Jamieson calls him a Vize, he soon begins to resent Jamieson, seeing him as an obstacle in his quest for Olivia. Malachi also rebels against what he considers to be Jamieson’s tyrannical control. 

Malachi’s aversion to Jamieson can be linked with the trauma of his past, and the father-son pairing of Malachi and Jamieson is completely dismantled when Malachi nearly kills the older man. However, with glimpses into Jamieson’s kindness toward Malachi, the novel foreshadows that Malachi’s redemptive arc will involve a healing of the father-son bond. The novel comes full circle in its second half as Jamieson and an adult Malachi renegotiate their tenuous relationship. In the end, it is Jamieson’s forgiveness that spurs Malachi’s redemption. Significantly, Malachi’s transformation involves another father-son bond between him and his son, Isaac. By strengthening this bond, Malachi comes to terms with the trauma of his past.

Violence operates as a symbol as well as a motif in the novel. As a motif, it is tied into the themes of the impact of past trauma on present behavior and The Dynamics of Power and Control in Relationships, in the cases of both Malachi and Olivia. Though Malachi is the overtly violent one in the pairing, Olivia also sometimes lashes out when she feels threatened, as she does when she erroneously assumes that Malachi had sex with Anna. When the news triggers her fear of abandonment, Olivia repeatedly hits Malachi, painfully twisting his hands. Malachi’s violence is far more extreme; he beats Parker with a bat until he vomits blood and brutalizes Jamieson. His point-of-view narration shows that he routinely fantasizes about hurting and dismembering people. When he makes love to Olivia, he thinks that he could “fuck her so hard, her head would end up buried in the forest floor” (191). Malachi also likes for Olivia to hurt him during sex, as well as cause her pain. In terms of narrative tropes, violence is a symbol of Malachi’s intensity and his resolve to demolish any obstacle that stands in the way of his love for Olivia.