Deception in A Jest of God

As we discussed in class, the narrative of A Jest of God utilizes deception through Rachel’s perspective. But I would argue that Laurence effectively misleads the reader particularly by creating predictable consequences of Rachel’s actions that she believes have in fact occurred; Thus creating the moment of, “I knew it!” for the reader. Laurence then twists the plot again so that these outcomes prove to be false. An example of this takes place when Rachel believes that she is pregnant. There are several instances in which the story focuses around not only Rachel’s questionable means of birth control, but also her feelings on becoming pregnant with Nick’s child. I truly expected Rachel’s pregnancy to serve as the big push she needed in order to mature and take control over her life. Yet the reader discovers that it is tumor. Another significant, yet more abstract example of this revolves around Rachel’s evolution itself. In the beginning of the novel, she exists as a rather petty and self-conscious woman, whose embarrassment not only encircles her own actions and specifically thoughts, but also concerns itself with the conduct of the people who surround her. Slowly, the reader picks up on subtle actions and a decreasing amount of stream of consciousness fixed on Rachel’s own eccentricities which signal that she is becoming more comfortable with herself and those around her. An example of this is when she takes a dominant role in initiating sex with Nick. Furthermore, by the end of the novel, Rachel has molded herself into an unconventional role model. This is proven when Hector suggests that people in town believe she went to the city for an abortion, not for a legitimate procedure. Instead of insisting that this was not the case, Rachel accepts the irony of this rumor, thanks Hector, and leaves town. This shows a true and surprising change in Rachel’s character for the reader.