Is stealing a wallet ever ethical?
The wallet situation in "Goose fair" proves to be quite the ethical dilemma. Should Jason have kept the wallet for his own good instead of returning it? Should he have even picked it up at all? Or did Jason do the right thing by picking it up and returning it to Ross Wilcox?
While it may not be the most ethical, stealing the wallet would've the perfect way for Jason to get back at Ross Wilcox without directly confronting him. And better yet, Ross would never know it was him that took it. So why shouldn't Jason? After all, doesn't he deserve it after everything he's been through? Having just read "Maggot", I personally hoped Jason would keep the money to compensate for what he's been through.
Jason definitely considers keeping the wallet, especially after he realizes how much money it contains (for reference, 600 pounds in 1982 is the equivalent of $2,553.13 dollars today), but his perspective changes as he learns about Ross' abusive father. He feels guilty knowing that keeping the money would've resulted in some sort of physical punishment for Ross.
One can argue that Jason stealing the wallet directly caused the chain of events that transpired afterward, but I personally feel that Ross brought that onto himself. Even if Jason hadn't taken the wallet, perhaps it was Ross' fault for losing the wallet in the first place. The events that ensued occurred without Ross knowing Jason had his wallet, so it was in no way Jason's fault. Ross was already in a vulnerable state, and with or without his money, he would've still acted rashly (as we saw with him crashing Tom Yew's motorcycle).
In the end, I think Jason did the right thing. Time and time again Jason has proved that he'd put others before himself, and this time was no different. Jason didn't walk away from this incident completely empty-handed, either. For the first time, Jason had something that Ross desperately wanted. Even if Ross didn't show any gratitude, Jason must've felt powerful during that encounter. While that may not be worth the same as $2,553.13, I imagine Jason would've at least somewhat enjoyed being in that position.
Like you mention in your post, I don't think anyone can blame Jason for what happened to Ross Wilcox. At the end of the day, like you said, Jason did the right thing and thought about Ross' safety and his relationship with his father. It was completely Ross' choice to call Dawn Madden names and take the motorcycle. You also bring up an interesting question - how would Ross have acted if Jason kept the money? I don't think Ross would have come clean to his dad, which makes me wonder what he would've done to get out of his difficult situation. It could have easily been something just as bad as what actually happened, especially considering how rash and unpredictable Ross is.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your interpretation. Ross made the conscious decision to call his girlfriend a cow and steal the motorcycle. Those were all decisions he made, and though having his wallet stolen might have added fuel to the fire that is Ross Wilcox, you can't blame Jason directly. Evenifyou did argue that those events wouldn't have happened if the wallet hadn't been stolen, isn't it Ross Wilcox's fault for keeping all the money in his wallet in the first place? Or maybe you want to blame his father for giving him the money; or the tax collectors for coming to the house in the first place. There's a thousand people you could accuse. To me, the important thing in this chapter is not the accident or who caused it but the fact that Jason returned the wallet in the first place.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that Jason is not at fault at all for what happened to Ross. He couldn't have known Ross was going to find Dawn with another dude and act how he did -- really this was just a result of Ross's own fury and temperament. Honestly, I think I wouldn't have enjoyed that chapter as much if Jason had ended up stealing the wallet. Even while it was happening, it left me with a sense of uneasiness like something was going to backfire and Jason would be suffering--like can you imagine how much worse the bullying would get if people knew he had stolen Ross's wallet? To me, it was nice to see Jason be the bigger person and I think it really shows his maturity and sets him apart from the other middle school/elementary school boys that have been bothering him this whole novel. I also while I would've loved for Jason to have some kind of more direct revenge, seeing Ross kind of destroy himself out of his own fault and temperament was very satisfying too.
ReplyDeleteYou are right that Ross' decisions are completely separate from Jason's moral decision. Ross acted on his own and so did Jason. It was really interesting to see Ross basically fulfill a more extreme revenge that a lot of the class wanted Jason to do. I think the Jason made the right moral choice and in line with the growth of his character but he would be justified to keep the wallet.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. I don't think it was Jason's fault that Ross's leg was amputated during the accident. Even though the wallet set in motion the chain of events leading up to the accident, it was ultimately Ross's rash decisions and stupidity that led to the loss of his leg. I also agree with you that Jason was right in returning the wallet. Even though Jason didn't ultimately get to keep the 600 pounds, he got to experience a sense of power over his bully, and I'm sure that gave him some confidence.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that Jason was able to have a bit of revenge he deserved from Ross Wilcox. I also do think that returning the wallet, whether or not Ross deserved it, benefited Jason. Not only did Jason learn to be the better person, he also learns to do things without caring about others opinions. For example, when Jason returns the wallet, he wasn't expecting a thank you from Ross Wilcox at all. Before, Jason would've either left it near Ross to find (because he would have been scared to face him) or given it back in hopes of Ross liking him more. In this instance, he didn't care about either of those things.
ReplyDeleteThis conundrum of what to do with the wallet really reminds me of the trolley problem - a classic thought experiment in ethics. Jason could have just left the wallet and let the metaphorical trolley go ahead, or pick it up and consider taking the two and a half thousand dollars for himself. Jason's choice to go ahead and return the wallet speaks to his growing conscientiousness and maturity, indicating his coming of age.
ReplyDeleteThe whole incident only improved my opinion of Jason. I didn't judge him at all for picking up the wallet, it was completely understandable and almost logical. Eye for an eye. I don't think Jason owes Ross that much consideration when the latter has set the trend of being horrible and kicking people while they're down. The fact that he returned it (and that he had a moment of pity for Ross) show's that he's a good person.
ReplyDeleteJason's decision to the return the wallet shows how he is really a kind-hearted person on the inside, and that even though it might have been the perfect revenge, for him to give it up shows that he's a stronger person on the inside than Ross. That being said, why would Ross even think it was a good idea to carry ~$2.5k in cash?
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blogpost!! I think that this idea of morality is an interesting one. I don't think Jason would be to blame if Ross gets beat up regardless of the circumstances since the only person who is really guilty is Ross's abusive father. However, Jason should feel bad for him regardless of the consequences. I think that stealing the wallet is immoral even if Jason is probably justified. However with the added layer of abuse he should not steal it.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that Jason made the right decision in the end. I also thought that this scene was a good spot for Jason to showcase his morality since Ross was kind of vulnerable to Jason here, which we haven't really seen before. I think that aspect makes the gravity of Jason's decision so much more important here.
ReplyDeleteYea, I agree that Jason can't be held at fault for what happened to Ross, considering the type of father Ross had and the fact Ross was the one who lost the wallet in the first place. I also agree that Jason made the right decision in the end, as returning Ross's lost wallet is the more ethical one (it's not right to steal).
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