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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/31274
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

We're all familiar with stories about good and evil, where characters are unambiguous. The benefit of this sort of a story is that we can enjoy the conclusion of the good struggle, without being taxed morally or intellectually. Many of the most popular stories take this form, from the New Testament, to the Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Harry Potter, even the Second World War is usually framed in the context of the Axis powers being uncomplicated in their evil.

Other stories present morally grey characters who are ambiguous; they have good and bad traits, and judging their motivations is difficult. I've noticed that often stories which on first glance appear to be about moral ambiguity usually unfold into more simplistic moral metaphors, either by slowly revealing the good and bad characters, or by simply transitioning characters from one to another.

What I'd like to know, is if there are problems associated specifically with writing morally grey characters, and how to avoid these issues. What issues can occur if a writer attempts to create an ethically complicated story?

Original score: 3