The Moral Compass

by Jill Amadio

Defined in most dictionaries as a set of values and beliefs that guide decisions, judgments, and behavior and provide us with a sense between right and wrong, our moral compass can be cast aside for our characters.

While the compass points us north, south, east, and west,  the antagonists in our mysteries can be all over the map when it comes to ethical judgment. How joyful it is to imbue one’s killer with a single gold standard that can, perhaps, offer the reader a glimpse of dastardly deeds.

In one of my mystery series, the plot required the killer to unwittingly reveal herself about a third of the way into the book. I was pleased with my characterization of her. But the more I wrote her, the more I came to like her, and eventually I knew I had to switch the plot around – no small task.

However, the exercise provided the opportunity to keep her on as a permanent minor character in future books. I later reflected that she had served her purpose, which had eluded me initially but made the plot more complicated and thus, to my beta and alpha readers, more intriguing.

I also read that a moral compass can provide direction for trainees, business guidelines, and the direction a person, company, or organization wishes to take.

The term moral compass can sound a bit pompous, but if it is laid out clearly, its use can certainly give the reader an immediate understanding of a character’s motives. Or serve to befuddle.

I also read in my research that the first use of the term “moral compass” was in 184. Should I add that tidbit to my story, or simply brush it aside as a non sequitur?  I often hope that mystery fans take such a mention as a jumping-off point to do their own research, although going off on such a tangent can ruin the flow. One wonders who came up with the phrase, but I stopped reading after six words and never found out.

I don’t remember ever seeing it used in a book, but it could easily be woven into a memoir when describing relatives or friends. Come to think of it, after writing six memoirs and autobiographies and ghostwriting a further 14, the phrase would have been a neat addition to incorporate. On the other hand, my clients never brought it up, but I should have. I guess there are several other ways to indicate a person’s moral compass, but now it seems to me it was a question I missed asking.

In fact, the term sounds rather stiff, old-fashioned, and ultra-formal. On the other hand, it sounds erudite.

Would using it satisfy a writer’s need for acceptance as being profoundly intelligent?

Actually, it can be used as a matter of pride when composing a character’s assets. Giving him or her a moral compass, whether acknowledged or not, can be considered a plus or a minus. Lacking moral judgment, such as committing murder and thinking little of it, is a character flaw many authors give the people in their books. However, do we really need a moral compass to distinguish right from wrong?   

Of course we do!