I cannot help but to keep thinking back to this story and all of the moral dilemmas present. Everyone in class had their own opinion about who was the antagonist in the story. Was Old Woman Magoun the "bad guy" or was it morally right to keep Lily from suffering? This lead me to think about how the Kohlberg theory of moral development could apply. If you aren't aware of the Heinz Dilemma refer to the link at the bottom of the blog. Within each dilemma their is morally a correct response, however, within each choice is an effect in society. For me, I thought Magoun was morally correct in many ways. First, she never actually kills Lily, she just doesn't stop her from making her deadly decision. Second, if Lily lives she faces lifelong torture from her father and new husband. Also, survival of the fittest plays a role in maternal instinct in the wild; Lily would have never made it. Lastly, Lily is still very childlike which makes her innocent and free of sin. In Magoun's mind her innocence leads her to believe she will be sent to heaven with her mother. Although it is implied that Magoun also may have killed her daughter, that brings a whole new set of dilemmas within the theory.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5czp9S4u26M
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