In Flora and Ulysses, Flora is a firm believer in the truth. So when the kidnapping goes down, she doesn't want to just piece together what probably happened; she wants to hear it straight from the horse's mouth… or the squirrel's mouth, as the case may be. William, on the other hand, thinks there is more than one truth, and doesn't buy in to the idea that there is one right answer because he thinks the universe is a random place full of endless possibilities. We can see the truth to both of their perspective, so who's correct? Over to you, Shmoopsters.
Questions About Truth
- Why is the truth so important to Flora? How does her search for truth relate to her interest in disaster preparedness comics?
- How might William's opinion that "the truth is a slippery thing" relate to his family situation? Do you think this connects with his temporary blindness in any way?
- Who do you agree with—Flora or William? In other words, can there only ever be one truth, or is it possible that there are multiple truths at once?
Chew on This
Flora desperately wants the truth because she likes certainty even in uncertain situations. Her desire for truth comes from the same place that inspires her to read up on what to do in disasters.
William thinks there cannot simply be one truth because he enjoys the chaos and uncertainty of life.