The Moral Question in Shiloh

Comment:

Our class just finished reading your book, Shiloh. I really enjoyed reading it. At times your story made me happy, other times it made me very worried, and there were a few times when I didn’t know what to feel. My emotions from beginning to end were, honestly, all over the place and I wouldn’t have wanted to experience your story any other way.
Your book made me think. It brought up a lot of interesting questions. Questions that have crossed my mind in other moments but questions that I haven’t stopped to ponder like this before. One question you presented to me was, is it morally wrong to lie when you see a problem that won’t be fixed by telling the truth? If you think about it, it’s a very complex and deep contradiction to consider. Morally, lying is wrong, but if you do it for the right reasons, like saving a dog, is it really that bad? This question made me think a great deal and still does. I am still not sure I have the answer and, well, I don’t know if I ever will but I do know that I will look closely and differently at situations in the future that are similar to this because of your story.
Another question your book brought up to me was if someone breaks the law, but in doing so saves a life from bodily harm, is it okay? Breaking the law is wrong, but so is hurting someone. The question has two sides, both with a strong point of view and both depending on the situation. A good example of someone who broke the law for a greater cause is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He stood up for African American’s rights, even though it meant that he would have to break the law to do so. This was very brave of him. And his actions, even the unlawful ones, made him a historically known figure that made real change for real people and that people now look up to, so is it right? Should we all act like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. sometimes? I don’t know.
We tried to understand this hard question that you asked in your book in our class. We had a mock trial. In our mock trial, Marty was suing Judd Travers for abusing his animals. We talked about the questions your book brought up and how they helped us in our lawful cases and, also, helped us to understand both sides of the story, Marty’s and Judd’s. Our trial ended with Judd being innocent but he had to have a social worker come to his house every three days to make sure he didn’t harm his dogs. Marty got to visit Shiloh once a week so he could still be close to Shiloh. I felt this was a fair outcome for both sides. I came to the conclusion that nothing is as clear as it seems and that’s why I loved this book.
I love books that have emotion, are smart, intriguing and leaves you really excited to see what will happen next. I especially love books that I think about long after I finish reading them. Your book is all of those, and that is why it is one of my favorites I’ve ever read.
Thank you for writing Shiloh. I loved it.

Comment:

Well, I loved reading your email, because you found the real meaning behind the story: the gray area between right and wrong.  I don’t have an answer for you, because every person will face decisions similar to this in his life, and has to work it out for himself.  For example, when it is time to vote, both candidates may have serious faults, but if you are a good citizen, you know it’s your responsibility to vote, so you have to choose one (or write in the name of somebody else who probably would not get the vote).  And of course there are times you should  break the law.  What if you see a toddler who has fallen in a fountain that says “Keep Out.”  Of course you should wade in and rescue the child.  Martin Luther King is also an excellent example of a person breaking a bad law.  Sitting in at a lunch counter was not hurting anyone, but it was disobeying a local law for the good of a whole race of people.  Some decisions are easy; some are hard.  But this is part of growing-up–taking responsibility for doing what you feel is right.  And I think your jury made a wise decision in your mock trial of Judd  Travers.