Themes and message

Appearance versus reality

An important theme in the short story “The Fly-Paper” by Elizabeth Taylor is that someone’s appearance is not a reliable indication of their true nature. Sylvia is deceived by Mabel's “homely”, typically middle-class looks and behavior into thinking that she is harmless and has her best interests in mind. She realizes only too late that Mabel is in fact working with the Herbert and has lured her into a trap. Mabel’s house is similarly ordinary, evoking feelings of comfort in Sylvia, but it proves to be a death trap, as symbolized by the presence of the fly-paper. The Herbert and Mabel also attempt to deceive by their appearance. The Herbert is bald, but he arranges his hair in such a way as to mask it (l. 29). Mabel dyes her hair blonde, but it is very dark at the roots (l. 73). Herbert and Mabel appear to be at odds with each other (which helps Mabel gain Sylvia’s trust), but, in fact, they are working together.

The tragedy of the story is that Sylvia is so easily taken in...