Moral Dilemmas and such...

[Adam]

During my re-reads of Animorphs, a thought crossed my mind.

SPOILER:

In book 6, Jake turns a small yeerk pool into basically a jacuzzi, effectively killing perhaps over 100 yeerks. However, neither he, nor anyone else, shows any real signs of regret. Yet judging by memory of reading the series years ago, I remember that he felt great regret when doing similar actions later on in the series.

Is it just me, or do the Animorphs actually become more sensitive to their actions over time, rather than the other way around? Especially when it comes to prominent moral dilemmas that they're faced with.

[Cloak]

While I haven't read the series in a while (essentially trading them for freedom, but this isn't the thread for that), but think I remember this too.

But I think it's probably the former, because at that point of the series the Yeerks weren't people so much as just the bad guys. Later on, through Aftran mostly, I think, they discover that Yeerks are individual beings not just mere nameless, faceless enemies to defeat.

[TobiasMasonPark]

     Cloaked pretty much got this. That was a terrific answer, sire. I can't think of much else, to be honest. And good topic, Adam. I nearly forgot about the jacuzzi Yeerks. Maybe they figured "what's a few hundred Yeerks?" Also, did they specify how many Yeerks were in the jacuzzi? I assumed it was just Themrash.

[Adam]

I think it was somewhere in the hundred region, can't remember exactly though.

I read that and expected some angsty stuff a few paragraphs later. In fact, Jake, as well as Ax I believe, bragged about it on more than one occasion.

[NateSean]

At that point, Ax was still mostly an overly zealous kid raised on propaganda. The Capture was probably the first time he ever considered sparing the life of a controller because it might be the brother of a friend.

The Animorphs at this point had only been in direct conflict with the Yeerks and had a black and white viewpoint of any non-human (Or Andalite) player in the game until Book 13.

[Adam]

The idea of killing an innocent host whilst attacking controllers is probably the most disturbing aspect of this series.

[TobiasMasonPark]

     Ax withholding info from the group until #8 could play a part. Like when he didn't discuss how destroying the kandrona would affect the hosts. And until the later events in the book, the Animorphs hadn't had any personal experience with a Yeerk. It's a lot simpler to kill the enemy if you don't see how it lives, or if you only know a few facts about them. I think it's a soldier's mentality: it's not murder if you're in a war.

[theyoungphoenix]

Empress (Goose? Which do you prefer?) has a good point.
 

  It's a lot simpler to kill the enemy if you don't see how it lives, or if you only know a few facts about them. I think it's a soldier's mentality: it's not murder if you're in a war.

They had no idea in the sixth book that the Yeerks were living, breathing, beings. At that point in time they were just 'the bad guys invading our home'. They didn't know about the resistance or any important factors in the series at that point in time. Do you see where we're going with this?

[RYTX]

idk. I like the being of book six. Jake is very away that the yeerk in his bro is a living, breathing thing. And he wants to make it stop breathing...

The idea of killing an innocent host whilst attacking controllers is probably the most disturbing aspect of this series.

probably

A couple others that at times disrubed me, but never really got much in way of characters addressing it:
Slavery in general I think gets a good crisis of moral in the series- not enough to justify it, I think-but the justification of a superior race giving an inferior one utility, was fertile if un-tiled ground throughout

Not to far off, motives of voluntary controllers: the chapmans had some moral justifications, taylor and people like her, I would think have a few dilemmas

And for me at least, nothlitism was ethically grey. The solution at the end, but really things like Tobias's use of it (41 especially) where do you get the idea to up and leave your life in that way, like that's a fine way to resolve your problems.
Seems like running away. Bugged me


And as I'm just rambling now, the thread started with do they get more sensitive to their actions: yes to their enemies, no to their friends.

By the end of the series it feels like they are much more willing to risk someone, to jeopardize their personal relationships to get the job done. It's pratical, and for it's purpose good, but still, ask Jake in book 1 if he'd done what he did in 53 to Rachel or the Auxs. Doubt it. Seem the transition wasn't emphasised more

[TobiasMasonPark]

     That last point could just be war-weariness. Especially in the last five or so books alone, when the Animorphs had about three more years worth of problems thrown at them in such a small time frame.

     Nothlitism doesn't seem ethically gray to me. Cowardly, maybe, and probably selfish (especially in Tobias' case; but not a moral grey area. Unless we're talking about what the government does to the Yeerks on Earth--that is definitely a gray area.