The truth shall set you free, right? Well, in Aladdin, that works in reverse, too: lies will really cage you in. When Aladdin pretends to be a prince to win over Jasmine, he finds out pretty quickly that his lies are kind of tough to live up to. Not only does he have to keep up this royal act for the rest of his life, but he can't free the Genie like he promised he would. This is a Disney movie, so of course Aladdin finally realizes he can't keep lying to the world: he's gotta be himself.
Questions about Truth
- Why do you think lying comes so naturally to Aladdin?
- Who's better at lying—Aladdin or Jafar?
- Even after Jasmine calls Aladdin out on his lies, he keeps piling new ones on—why? Would admitting the truth be so horrible?
- Shouldn't Jasmine be more suspicious about the fact that Aladdin is alive when Jafar told her he was dead? Like, what happened? What's his explanation for that? So many more questions…
Chew on This
The Genie is an expert in changing reality (i.e., altering the truth), but he keeps advising Aladdin to tell the truth, anyway, because he realizes the importance of honesty.
Real love can't be built on lies. Aladdin has to learn to be honest with Jasmine if he ever hopes to have a chance with her.