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The Theme Of Innocence In The Truth About Sharks

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“No man knows the value of innocence and integrity but he who has lost them.” This compelling quote from William Godwin shows the importance of integrity, guilt, and most importantly, innocence. Innocence, is the exact opposite of guilt, wrong, sin, and disgrace. Joan Bauer is the author of the extraordinary short story, “The Truth About Sharks.” This realistic fiction short story has a shocking ending where the main protagonist, Beth changes her point of view about guilt and innocence. One sunny day, a young girl by the name of Beth traveled one day to “Mitchell Gail’s,” which is her “go to” store. Beth needs to purchase clothes for her Uncle Al’s birthday party. As she browses through clothes she meets a friendly employee whose name is Hannah. …show more content…

As soon as she steps out of the changing room, she is caught by Madge P. Groton who is the head security guard of the store. Madge accuses Beth of shoplifting, but in reality Beth hasn’t stolen anything. Beth begins to feel hopeless as she is escorted to the main security office within the store. When a police officer arrives to the store, Beth is put into custody and sits in the back of the officer’s squad car. Beth is able to convince the police officer to take her into the store to prove she is innocent. Once Hannah tells the police officer what “really” happened, Beth is let off the hook and she is proven to be innocent. Beth is able to speak up for herself. She is full of bravery and confidence at end of this nail biting tragedy. Looking at the dynamic character from the short story, “The Truth About Sharks,” Beth proves to us how guilt could be mistaken for innocence. As a result of Beth’s honesty and bravery, it is more simple by virtue of using dynamic character to locate the theme. Innocence is the quality of being free from guilt, sin and moral …show more content…

This is evident when Beth stands her ground and becomes independent towards the conclusion of the story. By virtue of Beth’s change in attitude, she saves herself from going to jail. By showing her independence, bravery, and confidence, Beth is able to present her innocence. As a result of her new personality, she is able overstep her boundaries and reveal her inner self. Although, Beth seems like a timid, quiet, and shy teenager on the outside, we find out that on the inside she is brave, independent, and full of confidence. As Robert Bishop would say, “innocence is like polished armour; it adorns and

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