Morality by Stephen King gave me no shortage of tough ethical questions to think on. Not super scary, instead it lingered in a more subtle way. While not Kings best story it was worth the read.
Chad, an aspiring writer who is teaching school until he lands a publishing contract, and his wife, Nora, who is working as a home nurse for a retired minister are, like most people these days, struggling financially. Nora is approached by her employer with a proposition that could make their dream of a home in Vermont a reality. But will it be worth the moral consequences?
Morality is a gripping and truly thought-provoking tale from one of the greats, Stephen King. The story explores how a single misstep can ripple through and change the course of ones life forever. The fact that King leaves the central proposal until the last third of the story makes the story for me, he creates an air of suspense that kept me hooked. Unlike some of King’s supernatural stories, Morality focuses on the corrupting allure of money and moral comprise opposed to a supernatural force.
On the surface, Morality may just seem like a simple story, but it is an unsettling tale that pushes us to question our own principles. King makes us ask “what’s your price, how far would you go, and what would you charge to do the unthinkable?” A odd story and one that had me wondering where King was going to take it. However, it was an average tale that was worth reading, but not overly outstanding.
Whether it was the ethical dilemmas or the suspense, Morality by Stephen King offered enough to have me chew on it. It may not have haunted me like other King novels, but it definitely had me thinking about choices, consequences, and what it means to stay true to yourself. Sometimes I just need a short King tale and Morality served its purpose.
While originally published in the July 2009 issue of Esquire, Morality was included as bonus story in Blockade Billy and as part of the short story collection The Bazaar of Bad Dreams both available at bookstores everywhere. The Bazaar of Bad Dreams is also available in audiobook at Libro.fm!
