Moral Versus Immoral Behaviours in Selected American and Scottish Novels

Abstract

Morals are standards of right conduct and appropriate attitude. They are neither exactly individual nor social. Every society in general controls which behaviours are moral and which are immoral based on cultural norms within any given society be it a small community or the world that are subject to change over time. Contributing factors may include, but are not limited to, economic situations, religious beliefs, parental upbringing, and political beliefs. Morals are the principles concerned with the acts of right and wrong. These are divided into Absolute Morality, Subjective Morality and Relative Morality. Immoral is the opposite of moral. Immorality is when a particular act someone omit is considered wrong. This is not accepted by the current standards of morality. Moreover, Moral acts are the acts that are always considered good and immoral acts are things that are considered bad by the society. Some acts can be considered immoral among some peoples and the same act can be a good and moral act in a different society. The difference can be attributed to the culture, religion, social values and even the environment of that society. Various writers dealt with morals in different ways depending on their background, origin, and their tendency. The Wasp Factory, written by Iain Banks and The Giver by Lois Lowry present different kinds of morals, each depending on their society and surroundings.