Re: RARA-AVIS: sidekick morals

From: M Blumenthal ( blumenidiot@21stcentury.net)
Date: 19 Nov 2001


Mark Sullivan:

  In
> Embrace the Wolf, PI Leo Haggerty confronts the issue of our recent
> discussion about the morality of the PI not stopping someone else from
> doing what he won't do:
>
> "Somewhere back in the darkest corner of my mind I held out the hope
> that if I was with him, maybe something would happen where I couldn't
> protect Randolph [a serial child murderer]. Then Saunders would get his
> wish, but it wouldn't be my fault. That was more craven than I could
> stand, so I buried that thought."

Mark, I think the trouble with using this quote in isolation is is it doesn't quite apply. We have been talking about the situation of the protagonists' sidekick doing the dirty work. In the book Saunders is his client's husband who he was supposed to find and bring home, not a sidekick who may do his dirty work. I think there is a clear difference in responsibility in stopping someone you are supposed to protect from doing a morally wrong deeed as opposed to letting someone who should be your equal do it. Mark

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