7. One truth about human nature that is revealed in A Painted House is people’s tendency to lie in order to avoid getting into trouble. We see this through Luke and his actions in the novel. Luke lies constantly in order to keep himself safe. He lies to his parents and Stick Powers about Hank killing the Sisco boy, he lies about going to see the birth of the Latcher baby, he lies about Hank’s death, and the list goes on. Also, Luke keeps many dangerous secrets, which is no different than lying. Rather than be honest, he keeps quiet and holds out on the truth.

Another truth revealed about human nature in the novel is curiosity. People are always curious about something, wanting to know every little thing that happens. Luke’s mother and grandma are curious about the mysterious pregnancy of Libby Latcher and go over there trying to find out if its true. Luke is curious about many things, such as the things his parents talk about at night, the dancing women at the carnival, and Tally’s body. The people in the town, especially the church, are all nosy. They always want to know who has been doing what and are digging for answers. An example is the incidence between Hank and the Siscos. People talked about it for weeks, wanting to know the whole story and what really happened.

In the novel, it is shown that man will work hard for the things they want. Luke wants to be a professional baseball player for the Cardinals, so he practices baseball a lot and listens to their games on the radio at night. Pappy and Luke’s father want to have a successful crop, so they hire workers and work hard for a long time in order to make money. Luke’s mother wants to get out of the farm life and works hard to convince her husband to do so. When people want something bad enough, they do nearly anything it takes to achieve the goal.