Thread: My character has come to a moral impasse.

My character has come upon a small dog,a puppy really, in an orchard field. The setting is in a modern post-apocalyptic world. The puppy has a broken leg and my character knows that if he were to leave it behind the puppy would die via infection or another dog, he is also aware that if he were to bring the pup with him it would slow him down and he must reach DC over 10,000 miles away and there is a time limit. I for see if he does decide to keep the pup him becoming a protector and lead him into more trouble but if he decided's to get rid of the pup now..... I ask this forum for help... what would you do in this situation. If it wasn't clear the decision is whether or not to kill the pup. Would you continue to identify and have passion for the main character if he were to kill the dog for the above reason?

If the puppy only had a broken leg, and there was the possibility of it getting better, I would say he'd be kind of a jerk for killing it. Because I would think a puppy would be less trouble to carry than a person or larger animal. Could he maybe fashion some sort of carrying apparatus for it? I don't think it would be that heavy and probably wouldn't slow him down an incredible amount.

There are a few reasons that I could see him killing the puppy as the more humane thing to do: for instance if it had some sort of paralyzing or life-threatening injury like a broken back; or if saving the puppy meant jeopardizing a human life. Or if the "puppy" were something big and not feasible to carry, like a horse or something.

As to whether or not I could identify and have passion for the main character for his killing the puppy, I have to say I would lose some of it for him killing it just for a broken leg. If there is a compelling reason for him to NOT be able to carry it along with him, would it be possible for you to just not have the puppy scene at all? That would avoid the reader possibly becoming put-off by his actions.

well I could but there must be a dog now that I think of it and willl probably die but not by the characters hand..... so he can develop a code to survive in his travels. Thanks for your answer

A dog could be a useful companion in a post apocalyptic world, making an investment in its recovery worthwhile. Or, if there are random settlements or people, the puppy could be carried just far enough to be dropped off at such a settlement. On the other hand, post-apocalyptic life is rough and it is bound to make people more callous, so killing it is understandable to enhance his own chances at survival. Or you could have him kill it because he thought it was the thing to do, and be haunted by it going forward.

All in all, if you can't resolve this, the best answer would be to take your backspacer and delete the puppy from your scene. Of course, then you the writer have just murdered a puppy. You sicko!

If you decide to go the route of having him kill the puppy, I'm sure that in a post-apocalyptic world there's good eating on a puppy.

Is it pocket-sized? Perhaps it could go in his pocket. When it's fully-grown, it'd be useful, as alanmt said, and perhaps it means that he can sleep more soundly at night, content that his dog will wake him if there's danger nearby.

Or, yes, just delete it. You puppy-killer. ^^

Your question is really the heart and joy of writing fiction. You shouldn't see this as a dilemma; rather, as a great opportunity to make your character seem more real by his actions. Readers will appreciate anything that feels honest and genuine.

It's your character. Supposedly you know him best. What do you think he would do?

A broken leg, causes practical problems, like re-setting and so-on.

Have you considered a more visible injury like a badly torn, septic ear, which had to amputated for the dog to survive. It's more readable and the reader has an immediate and visual impression of the level of threat and the process of treatment. Somehow, a bone broken inside the leg and fiddling about trying to re-set it ...does this make sense?

Also, it has more plot possibilities. For instance, if, after treatment, he shoos it away and it keeps on following him, or turns up later in his journey, or runs away when danger threatened etc...with a broken leg it couldn't do these things.

I can't imagine caring what the character did with the puppy--unless he has some long traumatic history with puppies or animals or the symbolic of puppies--which in this case I would hope you and the reader are already aware of--I can't imagine the scene being interesting unless it were funny, ridiculous, grusome or somehow profound, which has nothing to do with what I would do with a puppy in this circumstance or how I would feel about what the character does...
however, when in doubt I would go with fearsatan--what matters is what your character is like (and whether this dilemma can tell us something worth telling about what your character is like)...
cheers

I second fearsatan's comments. Your character won't steer you wrong. Listen to him, and you'll find your answer. Sounds all existential, I know, but it's true.
As to another matter, I notice you say your character is 10,000 miles from DC. Is this Washington, DC? Is your character on a different continent (which would make for some great storytelling, by the way)? Just to offer a scale of distance, which you're probably fully aware of, Sydney, Australia is about 10,000 miles from DC. I don't mean to speak out of turn on that, it's just my former career coming out (I worked in the travel industry).

Originally Posted by Michelle_in_WI

As to another matter, I notice you say your character is 10,000 miles from DC. Is this Washington, DC? Is your character on a different continent (which would make for some great storytelling, by the way)? Just to offer a scale of distance, which you're probably fully aware of, Sydney, Australia is about 10,000 miles from DC. I don't mean to speak out of turn on that, it's just my former career coming out (I worked in the travel industry).

Yeah, I agree; that does seem a tiny bit odd, as Earth's diameter is only about 8,000 miles. Anyway, another option for your character is to simply leave the dog where it is. It really depends on the character's personality, but I wouldn't blame him for leaving the dog, killing it, or even eating it if there was no fruit growing in the orchard.

I'm 100% with Fearsatan. Follow your character. Have him do whatever he must.

I suppose it would depend on how the character responded to killing the dog. If they kill it and move on whistling absentmindedly - I'm going to have an issue. If they cry or show some remorse while they kill the dog , then I'm going to respond differently. Maybe your character does a mercy killing before moving on, instead of just walking away and leaving the dog to certain death? I think that would provide a great oppurtunity to show just how bleak things have gotten in this new apocolyptic world. Either way, if this is a big deal to you and your readers, then it needs to be a big deal to your character. Unless the point is that he/she doesn't care anymore. So really, it depends on the character.
Good luck! I hope it turns out well!