Flesh, And Lies, With A Side Of Bluffing

Lying is something most people do on a regular basis and Liam from Gail Helgason’s short story “Bluffing”  is no exception. He thinks he can win Gabrielle's trust back after "running away as fast as he could" during an encounter with a grizzly bear. He puts his girlfriends life in danger by not following her calls to "[back] off slowly.... [and] bluff [the bear]". Gabrielle knows what to do in this situation because "she [is] the biology teacher" where as Liam is just an aspiring hiker who wishes that "one day he would have his photo in... magazines for... outdoor gear".  In order to try to regain her trust he says that "he wasn't trying to run away" and "meant [for] the bear to come after [him]". This blatant lie and the fact that he tells another couple he saw "an elk carcass by the lake" shows how cowardly and self centred Liam is. Gabrielle tries to be happy that Liam wakes up in the hospital three weeks later; but she can see through his lies and resorts to "Bluffing". She "can manage [that] way" for now but she knows that his whole life is based on lies.