Questions 3: Being Morally Gray

Posted on December 10, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

Boromir

Some may argue that Boromir isn’t morally gray since he was being controlled by the ring and didn’t actually steal it.  Others may say he is the perfect example since he felt he was doing the right thing for Gondor and was ashamed when he tried to steal the ring.  This is why I’m posing questions:

  1. What is your definition of being morally gray?
  2. Why do you think there is so much disagreement on this concept?
  3. Who is your favorite morally gray character?
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About Charles Yallowitz

Charles E. Yallowitz was born, raised, and educated in New York. Then he spent a few years in Florida, realized his fear of alligators, and moved back to the Empire State. When he isn't working hard on his epic fantasy stories, Charles can be found cooking or going on whatever adventure his son has planned for the day. 'Legends of Windemere' is his first series, but it certainly won't be his last.
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9 Responses to Questions 3: Being Morally Gray

  1. L. Marie's avatar L. Marie says:
    December 10, 2025 at 10:30 am
    1. I think of someone who is self-serving—following his or her own moral code. You don’t always know what this person might do.
    2. Because of the ambiguity of the character and one’s idea of what’s right or wrong. As you mentioned Boromir thought he was in the right by his attempted theft. But he redeemed himself by trying to protect the hobbits. I think he was mostly controlled by ambition, which is why the ring probably “sought” him. As Tolkien mentioned, the ring “left” Gollum because all he did was hide it.
    3. Probably Jack Sparrow and the man with no name Clint Eastwood played in spaghetti westerns. (Both are on Forbes’s list of morally gray characters.)

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  2. coldhandboyack's avatar coldhandboyack says:
    December 11, 2025 at 7:56 am

    I dunno. Skip ahead and… The Punisher.

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  3. DebyFredericks's avatar DebyFredericks says:
    December 11, 2025 at 10:02 pm
    1. What is your definition of being morally gray? There’s a near overlap to me with Morally Gray vs. Villain. They both know they’re doing wrong and they do it anyway. The Gray character might think they are working for the good and care about the consequences, while the Villain knows they are just for themselv and doesn’t care about the consequences.
    2. Why do you think there is so much disagreement on this concept? People like things to be black and white. They want bad guys to be punished. Morally Gray characters seem like they’re “getting away with it,” I guess.
    3. Who is your favorite morally gray character? I don’t really like them but I can look back to Lessa, in the first Pern novel, using every bit of guile and mental powers to reclaim her heritage. She causes two men to fight a duel to the death, for example. She also grows to accept responsibility for all of Pern and backs off those manipulations.

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  4. DebyFredericks's avatar DebyFredericks says:
    December 13, 2025 at 11:21 am

    Not evil necessarily, but “morally gray” often seems like a way to soften the description of characters who are acting asinine.

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