Filias Lunae: Moral Argument

Outlining the Moral Argument

Designing Principle

Start by turning the designing principle of your story into a theme line. The theme line is your view about right and wrong action, in this story, stated in one sentence. As you look again at the designing principle, focus on its key actions and their moral effects.

In order to be kind to and accept others for who they are, you must first be kind to and accept yourself.

Theme Line Techniques

Look for any techniques, like symbols, that can condense your moral statement to one line or can encapsulate the unique structure you will give to your story.

The sun bearing down onto the protagonist to represent what is “safe” and known, but also oppression and dogmatism, as well as the moon to represent what is terrifying and unknown, but also resilience and the downtrodden.

Moral Choice

Write down the key choice the hero must make near the end of the story.

He continues to serve the Church of the Sun, and by extension Linus Aelianus, the leader of the Church, in committing genocide against his fellow lycanthropes or finally standing up to Aelianus for the sake of all lycanthropes.

Moral Problem

After reviewing your work on premise, state in one line the central moral problem your hero will confront throughout the story.

He loves and his devoted to his community, but in order to be part of his community, he is required to do terrible things through violent measures.

Characters as Variations on a Theme

Starting with the hero and the main opponent, describe how each major character approaches the central moral problem of the story in a different way.

Adrastus, the hero: he initially chooses to deny who he is and does terrible things on his community’s behalf, but eventually comes around and does the right thing.

Brownfur, the main opponent: he rejects his original community in favor for a new one with others like him and fights to protect them.

Aelianus, the fake-ally opponent: he leads the community in spiritual endeavors, as well as hates and aims to destroy all lycanthropes.

Values in Conflict

List the key values of each of the major characters, and explain how those values will come into conflict as each character tries to reach the goal.

Adrastus: he is devoted to his community, but puts their needs over his own and is wracked with self-hatred for what he is, only made worse by Aelianus.

Brownfur: the community he came despises creatures like him, the community Adrastus also comes from and fights on behalf of.

Aelianus: he believes all werewolves are dangerous, violent creatures that must all be exterminated, which would include Adrastus.

Moral Argument

Hero’s Beliefs and Values

Restate your hero’s essential beliefs and values.

He is a determined, selfless person who loves his family and community. He always wants to do the right thing and be a good person.

Moral Weakness

His love for his community, and by extension the Church, is blind and he’s willing to do terrible things, even to other people, in order to serve his community and be considered a good person in the eyes of the Church.

Moral Need

What must your hero learn by the end of the story about the right way to act and live in the world?

He must realize that the horrible actions he takes are objectively wrong and that he must stand up to the system that he’s served for so long.

First Immoral Action

Describe the first action your hero takes that hurts someone else in the story. Make sure it is an outgrowth of your hero’s great moral weakness.

He is on a night hunt for lycanthropes out in the woods. During the hunt, he violently kills two lycanthropes, a werecat and a wearboar, and celebrates his kills with the rest of his hunting party.

Desire

Restate your hero’s specific goal.

Initially, he wants to continue his service to his community and the Church, but he also wants to keep his identity as a werewolf a secret.

Drive

List the actions your hero will take to win that goal.

He will continue to kill lycanthropes and oversee executions of infidel, public or no, guilty or not.

Immoral Actions 2

In what way, if any, are these actions immoral?

Almost all of them, pretty much.

Criticism : Most of his criticism comes from Brownfur, who tells him that he needs to think more critically about what he does for the Church.
Justification : He says that he’s doing what he does to protect his community and that lycanthropes pose a threat to his community.

Attack by Ally

Explain in detail the main moral attack that the ally makes against the hero. Again, write down how the hero justifies himself.

It actually comes from his wife, Canute, who tells him that he has no way of knowing if the infidels he’s overseeing the execution of are actually guilty of being infidels. He says that he trusts the judgement of the Church and that she should trust their judgement as well.

Obsessive Drive

Describe when and how your hero becomes obsessed with winning. Put another way, is there a moment when your hero decides to do almost anything to win?

People start noticing that he’s acting bizarrely, including Aelianus, who starts questioning Adrastus’ resolve and loyalty. Incensed, he becomes obsessed with proving his loyalty and devotion to the Church even more.

Immoral Actions 3

While obsessed with winning, what immoral steps does your hero take?

He will try and kill Brownfur, as well as the rest of his fellow werewolves.

Criticism : The criticism once again comes from Brownfur, who tells him that he has just as much of a right to exist as he does and that he’s just trying to protect his people.
Justification : Adrastus tells Brownfur that he’s trying to do the same thing, protecting his community from what he perceives as a threat.

Battle

During the final battle, how do you express which values, the hero’s or the opponent’s, are superior in this fight?

They fight with weapons, both sword and shield, as well as claws. They also exchange words while they fight. Brownfur’s values ultimately win out, due to him expressing that he has just as much of a right to exist, as well as pointing out that the Church will never accept him should he be found out as a werewolf.

Final Action Against Opponent

Does your hero take a final action against the opponent, whether moral or immoral, before or during the battle?

He is about to take Brownfur’s life when he hesitates and spares his life instead.

Moral Self-Revelation

What, if anything, does your hero learn morally at the end of the story? Be sure that this insight is about how to act properly toward others.

He learns what he’s doing is wrong, with him about to kill Brownfur being the tipping point for him in realizing that. He begins to question what exactly he’s being asked to do.

Moral Decision

Does the hero make a decision between two courses of action near the end of the story?

He does. He decides to confront Aelianus about what he’s asking Adrastus to do and directly challenges the doctrine that he’s been raised on. He also transforms into a werewolf in front of Aelianus in order to try and kill him, but he’s subdued and paraded through the streets (thankfully, he gets rescued in the end).

Thematic Revelation

Can you think of a story event in which you express your vision of how human beings should act in some other way than through the self-revelation of your hero?

When he finally confronts his superior about what he’s been ordering him to do.