Who is the moral compass in your fiction?

[Eldoria]

Who is the Moral Compass in Your Fiction?​

Moral compasses are characters who embody human values in a fictional world. They are the people whose presence reminds the world (and readers) that humanism still lives in a fictional world, even in a dark world or in an apocalyptic world.

They can usually be played by anyone, whether a kind grandfather, an innocent little girl, a young mother who loves her children, a victim of violence moving on from the past, or even a repentant criminal. Essentially, their characters revive human values in fiction, preventing it from descending into total nihilism.

They are beacons amidst the darkness of the world. Their presence provides the soul for a fictional world to live and have meaning. They are not always good characters, but rather characters who persevere, maintaining morality and humanity when the world is lost and shaken by immorality.

An iconic example of a moral compass is Samwise Gamgee (LOTR). He is neither a knight nor a wizard; he is simply an ordinary man, a gardener living in the Shire. He is a loyal companion who accompanies the main protagonist (Frodo) on his journey from beginning to end. Even when Frodo banished him, Sam remained loyal and selfless.

Sam became Frodo's moral compass, helping him remain human, despite the corruption of the One Ring. Even on Mount Doom, when Frodo nearly succumbed to extreme exhaustion, Sam didn't abandon him. He simply said:

"I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you."

Sam couldn't bear the sins of the world like Frodo, who could hold the One Ring, but he could carry his friend, who was nearly drowning in sin. He wasn't the one who bore the sins, but he saved humanity, who was almost falling into sins. This is the definition of a pure moral compass.

The LOTR case is unique because its moral compass is embodied in a single iconic character who remains unchanged from beginning to end. However, in modern fiction, moral compasses are relatively more dynamic. They can be in the hands of anyone, depending on who is willing to uphold human values and bring them to life through humane actions.

For example, empathy, love, forgiveness, refusing revenge, and even small acts that reject dehumanisation. In essence, a moral compass is the soul of humanity in fiction. My questions are:

1. Does your fiction have a moral compass?
2. Which characters typically play the role of the moral compass in your fiction?
3. Do you have an iconic character who symbolises the moral compass (like Samwise Gamgee) in your fiction?
4. What human values do you often narrate (whether you realise it or not) in your fiction? (e.g., empathy for suffering, compassion, helping those in need, etc.)

 

[PBJ_Time]

Until I republish my novel, I won't tell a soul, sorry. I can assure you, though, that he's a tragic figure hiding under a smile.

 

[Little-Moon]

Well I guess Gale.

He does have a bit of a unusual background but he is the only figure in the story that has clear boundaries he will not break. Mo matter what.

Mainly because Damian his best friend doesn't wish to drag Gale too deep into the underground world and Gale keeps onto his friendship with Damain, despite knowing what is happening, so he won't go and become totally a villain, driven only by his desire of power and money.
Which without his friendship to Gale he would have end being at this point.

And in a sense he does the same for the others of his friend group.

 

[Naravelt]

My MC has no hesitation when it comes to killing opponents, but he struggles with killing children in battle, even if they’re brainwashed to kill.

One of the female main characters almost died and was forced to turn into an undead creature, but she refuses to harm others to survive. She believes that even drinking their blood would treat them like a meal, and there's no way she would treat her friends like that, even if they willingly offer their blood.

 

[AnEmberOfSundown]

Much like the communal brain cell, the ensemble cast passes the Moral Compass around to whomever needs it based on context.

Except Liriel. Never give the compass to Liriel. Hers spins around like an idiot on a barstool.

 

[Amrasil207]

Nyx has her adopted daughter Lina to anchor her, which is both her greatest strength and weakness. Thankfully, Lina is a lot more mature in her worldview.
Cylene has yet to find anyone in her lonely tower as a dictator. All she sees at the moment are either sycophants or potentially dangerous ally.

 

[Eternauta86]

M&M, Masillius and Marta. No special powers, no fighting skills, just a big heart and decades of lived experience. The team would not be able to achieve what they do without them.

 

[Juia_Darkcrest]

In both MFGR and DEN, the MCs are their own compasses.

IN MFGR, Nick's compass is continually challenged due to his skills he gained, and in the most recent chapter, something happened with whom is normally a antagonist, that will make him question how he has changed going forward.

In DEN, John is old and mostly set in his ways, though world hopping is continually eroding his world view. In each world he has someone who could be a compass, but since most worlds have different morals, he gets mixed signals and ends up falling back into his own ways.

 

[LeilaniOtter]

I don't think any of my characters have a "moral limit". Furries are quite different in what they will and wont do, and really, they're extremely open-minded to almost anything - including things that WOULD be immoral, perhaps unheard of, in today's more...shall we say Puritanist society. *^^*

 

[MFontana]

Who is the Moral Compass in Your Fiction?​

Moral compasses are characters who embody human values in a fictional world. They are the people whose presence reminds the world (and readers) that humanism still lives in a fictional world, even in a dark world or in an apocalyptic world.

They can usually be played by anyone, whether a kind grandfather, an innocent little girl, a young mother who loves her children, a victim of violence moving on from the past, or even a repentant criminal. Essentially, their characters revive human values in fiction, preventing it from descending into total nihilism.

They are beacons amidst the darkness of the world. Their presence provides the soul for a fictional world to live and have meaning. They are not always good characters, but rather characters who persevere, maintaining morality and humanity when the world is lost and shaken by immorality.

An iconic example of a moral compass is Samwise Gamgee (LOTR). He is neither a knight nor a wizard; he is simply an ordinary man, a gardener living in the Shire. He is a loyal companion who accompanies the main protagonist (Frodo) on his journey from beginning to end. Even when Frodo banished him, Sam remained loyal and selfless.

Sam became Frodo's moral compass, helping him remain human, despite the corruption of the One Ring. Even on Mount Doom, when Frodo nearly succumbed to extreme exhaustion, Sam didn't abandon him. He simply said:


Sam couldn't bear the sins of the world like Frodo, who could hold the One Ring, but he could carry his friend, who was nearly drowning in sin. He wasn't the one who bore the sins, but he saved humanity, who was almost falling into sins. This is the definition of a pure moral compass.

The LOTR case is unique because its moral compass is embodied in a single iconic character who remains unchanged from beginning to end. However, in modern fiction, moral compasses are relatively more dynamic. They can be in the hands of anyone, depending on who is willing to uphold human values and bring them to life through humane actions.

For example, empathy, love, forgiveness, refusing revenge, and even small acts that reject dehumanisation. In essence, a moral compass is the soul of humanity in fiction. My questions are:

1. Does your fiction have a moral compass?
2. Which characters typically play the role of the moral compass in your fiction?
3. Do you have an iconic character who symbolises the moral compass (like Samwise Gamgee) in your fiction?
4. What human values do you often narrate (whether you realise it or not) in your fiction? (e.g., empathy for suffering, compassion, helping those in need, etc.)

For one of my stories, each of the lead characters is the foil to the other, and that includes acting as the other's moral compass as you described it.

I can't go into too much detail (Spoilers), but I can say that Morrigan "is" Hope in that story, and the one who keeps Lucius 'human' during the story in much the same way that he "is" Stability in her story, and keeps her going.

As for Aethara; I haven't quite gotten there yet, but it would probably be Lucretia, with Rubedo as a close second but that could change.

 

[ThisAdamGuy]

I like it when no single character acts as the moral compass. Everyone can be right and wrong about different things, which lets their personalities play off of each other in interesting ways without any of them necessarily being the bad guy.

Like, in Henry Rider, Henry is totally devoted to her friends and family, but she's also extremely emotional and impulsive, so her definition of right and wrong isn't exactly set in stone. Her main goal is to expose a conspiracy that's killed tons of people, but at the same time, she's fighting against a mass murderer despite the fact that he's also trying to expose the conspiracy. But when she finds out the conspirator blackmailed her adopted brother into killing people to distract her from the conspiracy, she attacks the council in the middle of his trial and helps him escape despite knowing she isn't morally or legally justified in doing so.

Ethan is a lot more emotionally detached and logical, so he has a clearer view on what's objectively right and wrong, but that can lead to him sounding cold and callous. If two people were hanging from a cliff and you could only save one, Ethan would be the one to tell you which of them made more sense to let fall. He wouldn't enjoy it, but he'd rather be the unpopular guy who saved one person than the guy who let two people die but at least isn't a jerk.

Jade tends to cling to whoever she's closest to. As a genie, it's a side of effect of being a slave to whoever had her core for so long. So her definition of right and wrong is even more up in the air than Henry's since she'll do her best to adopt the same mindset as her current master. There are some lines she absolutely will never cross, but loyalty to her owner friends will always be more important than having a consistent moral structure.

Aesop is Aesop.

 

[LuoirM]

I still don't get it actually, is a moral compass a good character among the wild and bad/gray ones?

 

[Juia_Darkcrest]

I still don't get it actually, is a moral compass a good character among the wild and bad/gray ones?

More or less. It is someone that keeps your MC level, not letting power or other influences go to their head.

Not all stories need one, and in some stories a moral compass would hinder a story more than aid it.

 

[Eldoria]

I still don't get it actually, is a moral compass a good character among the wild and bad/gray ones?

The point isn't how good or evil they are, but how human they are. We recognize that humans are prone to error, but humans can also repent, learn from their mistakes, and improve themselves.

Even if a murderer has killed 99 people, then consciously dies saving a little girl as a means of "redemption", even though society still hates him. That's enough to make him "human" again; at least he died as a "human" who saved another life, not a "monster" who died trying to kill another.

 

[Nekyo]

My story has two main characters, Hollow and Liliane, who are complete opposites. Hollow was once a man-eating demon; Liliane was the angel who protected humanity from him. Both are exiled from the Spiritual World and forced to live as humans.

At the start, Hollow is apathetic toward humans, having seen them as prey and enemies for most of his existence. Liliane, by contrast, still carries the heart of a heroine who vowed to protect everyone. She begins as the clear moral compass, but sometimes risks falling into naivety, believing compassion and the “correct choice” alone can solve every problem. That’s when Hollow’s detached pragmatism—even if not rooted in kindness—becomes necessary, because not every situation has a clean right or wrong answer.

So instead of one fixed “Samwise” figure, morality in my story is constantly tested. Liliane embodies empathy and hope, while Hollow’s blunt honesty and survival instinct act as a counterweight. The values I explore most are compassion, resilience, and the tension between mercy, survival, and efficiency.

Who is the Moral Compass in Your Fiction?​

Moral compasses are characters who embody human values in a fictional world. They are the people whose presence reminds the world (and readers) that humanism still lives in a fictional world, even in a dark world or in an apocalyptic world.

They can usually be played by anyone, whether a kind grandfather, an innocent little girl, a young mother who loves her children, a victim of violence moving on from the past, or even a repentant criminal. Essentially, their characters revive human values in fiction, preventing it from descending into total nihilism.

They are beacons amidst the darkness of the world. Their presence provides the soul for a fictional world to live and have meaning. They are not always good characters, but rather characters who persevere, maintaining morality and humanity when the world is lost and shaken by immorality.

An iconic example of a moral compass is Samwise Gamgee (LOTR). He is neither a knight nor a wizard; he is simply an ordinary man, a gardener living in the Shire. He is a loyal companion who accompanies the main protagonist (Frodo) on his journey from beginning to end. Even when Frodo banished him, Sam remained loyal and selfless.

Sam became Frodo's moral compass, helping him remain human, despite the corruption of the One Ring. Even on Mount Doom, when Frodo nearly succumbed to extreme exhaustion, Sam didn't abandon him. He simply said:


Sam couldn't bear the sins of the world like Frodo, who could hold the One Ring, but he could carry his friend, who was nearly drowning in sin. He wasn't the one who bore the sins, but he saved humanity, who was almost falling into sins. This is the definition of a pure moral compass.

The LOTR case is unique because its moral compass is embodied in a single iconic character who remains unchanged from beginning to end. However, in modern fiction, moral compasses are relatively more dynamic. They can be in the hands of anyone, depending on who is willing to uphold human values and bring them to life through humane actions.

For example, empathy, love, forgiveness, refusing revenge, and even small acts that reject dehumanisation. In essence, a moral compass is the soul of humanity in fiction. My questions are:

1. Does your fiction have a moral compass?
2. Which characters typically play the role of the moral compass in your fiction?
3. Do you have an iconic character who symbolises the moral compass (like Samwise Gamgee) in your fiction?
4. What human values do you often narrate (whether you realise it or not) in your fiction? (e.g., empathy for suffering, compassion, helping those in need, etc.)

 

[V8485]

I just realized that there are no real moral compasses in my novel, but there is no real morality in the novel.

In the novel it even said that V (the protagonist and narrator, kind of) does not believe in morality.

The closest thing would be the kid/Violet, but she hasn't been used much so far due to being a child. Also, I can never figure out how to use her.

 

[LightHikari]

For my story it is the main character. She is a cute and innocent cat girl.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Well...
In the Jack Diamond stories, it keeps shifting around to just about everyone but Jack... he's just too cynical.

In True Blue, part of Nathan's "journey" is to understand what a moral compass is and how he embodies it, despite having no real memories more than four or five years old.

In Strange Awakening Kelly pretty much is their own moral compass, though sometimes others step in to take the role briefly.

In Between Worlds, that was originally meant to be Carol Bishop's role but it kind of got muddied (and David hasn't needed it as much as I'd expected - though his kids probably will need Aunt Carol and Aunt Liz a lot).

In Digital Cowboy, Dane's moral compass is a bit skewed, which is what got him into the whole situation to begin with. He does what he believes is right, often without considering consequences, legality, etc.

In The Kaiju System, the job kind of gets passed around, but mostly falls (when he is around, which is not as often as he'd like) to Nick's father, which would be more apparent if I ever revisit it for the second volume.

 

[VanVeleca]

I'd say Sieglinde is the closest thing to a moral compass, as she is very very emotionally distraught about the murders but also cold enough to wanna find out more rather than hide out or ignore the happenings

 

[Deleted member 167438]

Honestly, as a smut writer my moral compass is usually my little friend.