Examples Of Moral Ambiguity
moral ambiguity and to emphasize the struggles that are associated with marriage.
Picoult portrays Sara as morally ambiguous by contrasting the positive and negative aspects of her within the relationships she has with each family member in order to expose the hardships facing mothers and wives. Family is a central aspect of this novel despite the plot focusing on the legal trial. Furthermore, Sara places her family on a high pedestal because she understands that family is the “emotional anchor” in their household (Benokraitis 226). Her prioritization of each member of her family impacts them differently and shapes them into the characters they become. Additionally, Sara’s moral ambiguity is relevant to every mother and wife because there
is no such thing as a perfect family or marriage. There is no way for a person to give everyone his or her full attention; Sara chooses to give a majority of her attention to her dying daughter as do most households with a sick child. By creating Sara in this manner, Picoult portrays a real issue facing families today, cancer, in a distinctive manner that resonates with a variety of readers. Every mother deals with cancer within her family in her own unique way and it is difficult to identify what is necessarily a good or bad choice in the moment. Mothers attempt to do the best they can for all their family; however, it is difficult to reach a status of perfection with obstacles such as a sick child in place. By fashioning Sara’s moral ambiguity throughout the novel with her good and bad aspects within each relationship of her family, Picoult illustrates even with the best intentions mothers and wives can fault.
Picoult portrays Sara as morally ambiguous by contrasting the positive and negative aspects of her within the relationships she has with each family member in order to expose the hardships facing mothers and wives. Family is a central aspect of this novel despite the plot focusing on the legal trial. Furthermore, Sara places her family on a high pedestal because she understands that family is the “emotional anchor” in their household (Benokraitis 226). Her prioritization of each member of her family impacts them differently and shapes them into the characters they become. Additionally, Sara’s moral ambiguity is relevant to every mother and wife because there
is no such thing as a perfect family or marriage. There is no way for a person to give everyone his or her full attention; Sara chooses to give a majority of her attention to her dying daughter as do most households with a sick child. By creating Sara in this manner, Picoult portrays a real issue facing families today, cancer, in a distinctive manner that resonates with a variety of readers. Every mother deals with cancer within her family in her own unique way and it is difficult to identify what is necessarily a good or bad choice in the moment. Mothers attempt to do the best they can for all their family; however, it is difficult to reach a status of perfection with obstacles such as a sick child in place. By fashioning Sara’s moral ambiguity throughout the novel with her good and bad aspects within each relationship of her family, Picoult illustrates even with the best intentions mothers and wives can fault.