The value of deception within literature has repeatedly taken a negative toll, but within cases of female characters and their wronging, deception prevails as an acceptable act. Psychological research can also be tied into the justification of deception. In "Easy A" directed by Will Gluck, Emma Stone plays the innocent "Olive Penderghast" who takes advantage of a nasty rumor that spreads around her school and uses it to her own benefit, deceiving everyone of the truth. The art of deception is practiced by the female characters in each of these stories and shows that frequently deception prevails in the end as a victorious moral, a vengeful stand for justice instead of just an act of revenge.
Within the obstacles of high school popularity, "Easy A" brings the deception to a point of breaking sexist constructs and owning your own sexuality. Olive Penderghast's character is represented as a rather smart, naive and studious student who blends into the background within her high school image. Furthermore, once vicious rumors are spread about her Olive begins to embrace her reputation instead of diminishing herself breaking sexism constructs. Moreover, "Easy A" takes influence from the "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, as both works take the symbol of "A" and turn it into their own representation. "Within 'The Scarlet Letter' the "A" imprinted on the female protagonists (Hester) garment is a symbol of shame, as it is a consequence for adultery." Therefore, the "A" is placed as a label towards Hester classifying her as an adulteress and being dehumanized the public shaming and humiliation.
In contrast, Olive tries to glorify the "A" and embrace her sexuality, rather than allowing people to shame her for her rumors she allows people to bathe in them knowing that she has no care of their opinions. Olive becomes a motivator towards audiences as she uses the metaphor and symbol of the "A" to be a representation of womanhood and sexuality, as she walks the halls of her high school wearing it proudly without shame. Olive used her deception to completely change the perspective of her peers by wearing the "A" on her clothing, as once it was a symbol for shame and adultery, but now is a symbol for embracement of sexuality and feminism.
"Easy A" shows Olive Penderghast an innocent 17-year-old girl taking full control of vicious rumors of her being provocative and sleeping with multiple men, allowing her reputation to raise and everyone to swoon over her even though she's deceiving everyone by still being a virgin. Olive Penderghast uses deception to embrace a make-belief provocative character which results in her reputation growing, gifts and the knowing fact that she is a virgin yet everyone around her thinks otherwise. In reality, the only person who can judge Olive's actions are herself, as no one else has any right to interfere in how she wants to live her life. Although, the setting of "Easy A" takes place within a high school where scandalous rumors surface and become the center of attention allowing many to interfere with Olive's actions and use it as a source of gossip. Olive is only trying to help herself and other "outcasts and nerds" enhance their social status within their school.
The complex that obstructs Olive from having her deception be completely acceptable through psychological research is the act of lying to pursue a selfish manner, which was popularity. She allowed the degradation of herself to become the "School Prostitute" to embrace her womanhood and sexuality, which started as a course of innocent misconception to people using her as a gateway to their issues. Olive's reputation was so infamous around her high school, that even the school staff become involved in her rumors.
Furthermore, Olive faces the aspect of sacrifice vs greed, as she sacrifices herself by claiming a rumor to be true to help save the marriage of her high school counselor. Although, the greed aspect ties in as her high school counselor has a lack of empathy towards her taking the fall which shows irony in a counselor allowing a student to tarnish her reputation for the worse to benefit herself. This clashes with the criteria of accepted deception in psychological research, as she causes emotional distress towards himself as her image is later perceived as "homewrecker" proceeding with her high school treating her like a sex object rather than seeing her as a human being.
Deception has its acceptableness to an extent, but once absolute harm to the person deceiving or the person being deceived is committed, the truth should always branch out. Deception is a value that could be held as a pedestal for morality, through even the toughest scenarios justice prevails.
