Abstract
Trees and bushes full of flowers surrounded the unfinished church that sat on a hill in Quito. Cantuña — an Indian skilled in locksmith and carpentry — was hired to construct an atrium and swore to complete the church. Midway through working, Cantuña desperately sought help from the Devil due to the impending deadline. He spontaneously thought of a plan to deceive the Devil once the chance presented itself.
The art of deception is the main idea to be explored. This paper will talk about deception being utilized as a form of power over another. Christopher Cotton and Chang Liu’s article, “100 Horsemen and the empty city: A game theoretic examination of deception in Chinese military legend”, presents a historic event that involves parties utilizing deception as an advantage. “Shylock, the Devil and the Meaning of Deception in the Merchant of Venice”, Jonathan Elukin explores a human’s nature to deceit based on Shakespeare’s retelling of a Christian theological narrative. The Bible, which was distributed by Association Press, has a story in the Book of Genesis about the Devil using deception towards humans. In the interview with Deyci Guambana, Guambana talks about the stories involving the Devil that she was told and her interpretation of them. Jaume Masip explains ways that deception can be detected in her article “Deception Detection: State of the Art and Future Prospects”. Deception is a concept used in daily life and needs to be inspected through every aspect possible. It should be known why people turn to deceiving others for their own benefit.
A town in Quito held a gorgeous unfinished church surrounded by greenery. The birds chirped all morning long. The sound of the wind flowing through the branches filled one’s ear. An atrium was needed for the church to be finalized. Cantuña, an Indian with much skill, was hired by the Franciscans to design and build it.
With the deadline approaching, Cantuña grew wary. In order to keep his word and avoid punishment, Cantuña searched for a solution. He could feel the nerves begin to kick in. His heart started to race as he gazed at the cloudy, gray sky. Cantuña called out to God for assistance, but no answer was given.
The pressure started to mount. Cantuña desperately seeked help from another source. He paced around in the grass, anxiously rubbing his clammy hands together. He felt conflicted on what he will do next. His new plan will go against his morals but it was the only solution he saw. Cantuña called out to the Devil and struck a deal, his soul in exchange for the full completion of the artium.
The Devil — a fallen angel who rebelled against God — is represented as the face of evil. He is known to encourage people to venture into their deepest desires. According to the Bible, the devil deceived humans, Adam and Eve, into disobeying God command of not eating any fruit from the tree (Genesis 3:14). The Devil is the leader of Hell and many do not wish to encounter him.
Deception is a strategy used to give another person an upper hand in any situation. It has been normalized in most of the world because people enjoy getting their way. There are times where the act of deception is needed to survive — as the story of Cantuna illustrates. This paper will discuss ways that the act of deception is used in the modern world.
Nighttime was approaching and little Mateo was not behaving well. This prompted his uncle to tell him the story of “El Cuco”. The story is of a man who wanted to find a cure for his tuberculosis so he visited a Curandera — a healer that uses folk remedies. He was told that the blood of children would heal him; therefore, he kidnaps children. Deyci Guambana — a foreign language teacher at New Visions Charter High School for the Humanities II — says that these stories are told to endorse fear and correct behavior (Guambana).
Scary folklore stories are very commonly told in Hispanic and Latino families. These stories normally involve children and a monster. Guambana says, “I grew up with stories about the Devil and other creatures that represent the Devil being told throughout my family” (Guambana). She remembers being terrified to ever get a visit from a devil-like creature.
These stories are mainly told to decrease a child’s desire to fool around and misbehave. According to Guambana, there are times when a child needs to hear about possible punishments for misbehaving — even if the punishments are not factual — (Guambana). Parents telling their children scary stories about a creature coming after them for not behaving is an example of deception. They want to get their kids to behave so they make them believe in something to promote fear of being disobedient.
Once the deal was sealed, the Devil ordered the demons to take over and finish the construction. Cantuña had stated two conditions; no missing details and it must all be done by the next morning. The demons tirelessly worked through the night to uphold the Devil’s end of the deal. The clinging sound of the bricks echoed throughout the town. The demons were accompanied by the crickets that were heard every night.
Cantuña went home and joined his family for dinner. As they sat and ate, all he can think about was his end of the bargain for the deal with the Devil. After dinner, Cantuña excused himself and went out to get some air. Once he was able to get his mind right, he headed back and contemplated a plan to save himself from becoming the Devil’s servant. Cantuña’s strong love for his family gave him strength to do what most would never think of — he will utilize deception against the Devil.
Deception has been the theme of many literature pieces. Jonathan Elukin — an Associate Professor of History at Trinity College — interprets Shakespeare’s play The Merchant of Venice in his article “Shylock, the Devil and the Meaning of Deception in The Merchant of Venice”. The play imitates the role of the Devil with Shakespeare making Shylock appear “demonic” by feasting on the souls of humans (Elukin).
The article touches on the main theme of the play. According to Elukin, “deception was at the core of the theological struggle between Christ and the Devil” (Elukin). He goes on to say, “it is deception that I believe was the animating idea behind Shakespeare’s recasting of theology into secular drama.” The act of deception gave the play a lively and intriguing sense. Shylock — similar to the Devil — was deceived by the humans and ends in defeat.
Another article that taps into the deceitfulness in people is written by Christopher Cotton — has a PhD in Economics and is an Assistant Professor in Economics at the University of Miami — and Chang Liu, has an MA in Economics. “100 Horsemen and the Empty City: A Game Theoretic Examination of Deception in Chinese Military Legend” present the method of bluffing to deceive others in two Chinese legends (Cotton and Liu).
The legend of Li Guang and his 100 horsemen is about a general, Guang, having to decide whether or not to send his troops, horsemen, into battle (Cotton and Liu). Guang knew that his horsemen would lose either way because they were the smaller army. The legend of Zhuge Liang and the Empty City is about a general, Liang, had to defend the city of Xicheng from a much larger army. Liang was sure that his army would face defeat.
In both legends, the generals had to face opponents that were stronger than their own army. The article states, “…but instead of ordering [their] men to retreat, [the generals] order them to act in a manner consistent with baiting the enemy into an ambush” (Cotton and Liu). This causes the opponents to flee because they become unsure of the other army’s capability. The bluffing of both Horsemen and army of Xicheng is a form of deception mainly used in wars to avoid strife with a much more powerful enemy — which is known as “the military bluff”.
Trickery and deceit were displayed by the characters, in both articles, to gain an advantage. In “ “Shylock, the Devil and the Meaning of Deception in The Merchant of Venice”, Shylock deceived humans to demonstrate and gain power until his own device was used against him (Elukin). In “100 Horsemen and the Empty City: A Game Theoretic Examination of Deception in Chinese Military Legend”, the generals tricked their enemies into retreating by bluffing about their army’s power.
When the next morning came, Cantuña returned to the church and examined the final product. Sunlight poured through the glass windows and brighten the interior. Although the church was an absolute beauty, Cantuña was able to point out that a stone was missing from one of the walls of the artium. Little did anyone know that while the demons were working, Cantuña had managed to sneak in so he can steal a stone and hide it under his poncho. The Devil was left with dismay by this unexpected defeat. He had been tricked and Cantuña was able to keep his soul.
The Devil was blindsided by Cantuña’s act of deception. Deception is difficult for the victim to see coming. It can come in the form of words or physical actions. Jaume Masip — an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Psychology and Anthropology at the University of Salamanca — discusses how researchers are trying to spot deception in her article “Deception Detection: State of the Art and Future Prospects” (Masip). Although it was believed that deception could be detected through behavior, the connection between deceiving and behavioral, nonverbal, cues is weak.
Researchers designed an interview strategy to identify psychological differences between truth-tellers and liars (Masip). The article states, “[Guilty suspects] will use avoidance strategies such as providing only vague details or giving details the police cannot verify. When faced with evidence, they will deny it”. On the other hand, innocent suspects tend to cooperate and provide information to prove they had no involvement. This study may have provided verbal differences to detect deception — but there are no completely reliable indicators of deception known.
Deception can lead to betrayal and distrust in relationships. People deceive others to prove their power and to get their way. There are cases where one deceits another for survival, as Cantuña did. The detection of deception is a complex process that is not always accurate. The Devil may be the king of deception but he can fall victim to it as well. Even though it is not morally right, deception is a normal part of life and society.
Work Cited
Guambana, Deyci. Personal Interview. November 19,2019
Elukin, Jonathan. “Shylock, the Devil and the Meaning of Deception in The Merchant of Venice.” European Judaism, vol. 51, no. 2, 2018, pp. 44–51.
The Bible. Distributed by Association Press, 1945, The Bible.
Cotton, Christopher, and Chang Liu. “100 Horsemen and the Empty City: A Game Theoretic Examination of Deception in Chinese Military Legend.” Journal of Peace Research, vol. 48, no. 2, 2011; (pp. 217–223) DOI:10.1177/0022343310396265.
Masip Pallejá, Jaume. “Deception Detection: State of the Art and Future Prospects.” Psicothema, vol. 29, no. 2, 2017, pp. 149–159.
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Reflection
This paper was very challenging for me to finish. Even though I had all the parts I needed, putting it all together for the final piece took a lot of work. The biggest problem I have is procrastination. At times, I would forget about assignments because I was given so much time to work on it. I tend to not take advantage of long periods to complete an assignment.
I always knew I wanted my paper to be about deception because it is something used everywhere — politics, stories, movies, etc. My story’s main theme was deception and it involved the devil. I tried to look for sources that included both until I figured out it would be best to separate these two topics. It took a while to find sources to use in this research essay. Even when I finally had my sources, I found myself having to change some and look for new ones because I wanted something more relevant to my ideas.
The logos and ethos sections was where I spent most of my time on. I wanted to have the perfect quote and explain it so it can clearly connect to everything. I ended up rereading my sources to fully inspect it. I was able to eventually pick quotes that connected to my thesis of deception. I did not want to write unnecessary material so I got stuck with knowing what to include.
The interview gave me the space to talk a little about the Devil. All cultures have their beliefs and versions of the Devil. I wanted to interview someone from Ecuador because that is where my story comes from. The questions did not come easy to me but the interview did go well. I received the information I was looking for and made it connect to the paper.
While writing the essay, I added a little section to the story itself. I felt like there should be a small dip into the mind of Cantuña after making the deal with the Devil. This dip allowed a smoother transition from one part of the story to another. It included Cantuña’s emotions and a small look into his priorities. I enjoyed writing that addition to the story.
I tend to lose focus very easily. It is hard for me to concentrate on something that takes a while to complete. I would change myself spacing out at times when writing this paper. Papers always take me so long to finish because I get easily distracted. I pulled through and tried my best to apply everything I needed onto this paper.
I am pleased with the amount I wrote. In the beginning, I thought I was not going to be able to write enough. My papers tend to be short because I like to get straight to the point of things. With this paper, I found many ideas that I wanted to add. This helped me to write more than I expected. The sources were the hardest part because I had to make sure I understood before I can grab a quote and connect it. Writing this paper was not fun — even though I wish it was — but it wasn’t too terrible. Having most sections ready in advance really helped with the structure and content.
