This Is Why We Lied

At several points in the novel and in several contexts, butterflies appear as a motif. First and most notably, they connect to Will’s emotions about Sara. The Prologue notes how she “would smile at him, or laugh at one of his stupid jokes, and it was like his heart turned into a butterfly” (2). Within just a few paragraphs, the text refers to “[t]he butterfly in his chest” (4). While having “butterflies” is a common way to describe a positive sort of nervousness, it also indicates the light and joyful emotions that Sara inspires in Will. This is particularly notable in light of Will’s complex history, including his first marriage to Angie.

Butterflies often symbolize transformation and new beginnings, and the butterflies Will feels are the result of his new beginning with Sara. At the novel’s end, the story returns to their relationship in language that repeats the earlier imagery of how Sara’s smiling at Will or her laughter at a silly joke could turn his heart “into a butterfly” (453). This thought convinces him to go home rather than stay at work, contrasting with the beginning of the novel, when he chooses to continue investigating rather than go on his honeymoon.

The butterfly likewise appears in Landry’s tattoo commemorating his sister, Gabbie: “There was a tattoo over his heart, lots of colorful flowers and a butterfly surrounding a looping cursive that read Gabbie” (56). The butterfly represents Gabbie’s personality and the feelings she evoked in him: “Gabbie flitted around the world like a beautiful butterfly. She was always so happy. She had this lightness inside of her” (385).

However, the novel uses butterfly imagery in a strikingly different context in connection with Dave. In clashing with Dave, Will notices the butterfly knife that Dave is carrying: “It [serves] as both a lethal weapon and a distraction. Two metal handles [fold] like a clamshell around the sharp, narrow blade. Opening it with one hand [requires] a quick figure-eight movement of the wrist” (203). In this case, the butterfly is a symbol of danger because of its power to distract and cause harm.