Storytelling and Sincerity

Scott evokes the theme of sincerity vs insincerity to connect the various stories, myths, and fables told by the characters of the anthology.

Scott casts stories and characters irredeemably insincere when those characters use stories to oppress and manipulate others. Tyrone uses his fake dissertation to try and fool Deez and Freedman university, and this insincerity is what eventually causes Immanuel’s brutalization. Copernicus uses insincerity to use stories of sexual assault profit off of women’s experience with rape and sexual assault and in order to seduce them, and this insincerity facilitates their continued oppression. It is this kind of insincerity which makes Tyrone believe that the opposite, sincerity, is needed for everyone’s salvation.

However, Scott suggests that fiction and making up stories can be done sincerely, and these fables can motivate characters to take positive action in their own reality. In...