Do you remember a time when you were in difficult situations and had to make a difficult choice and each option was equally unpleasant? Perhaps you lied, and something terrible happened, or you were faced with the task of divulging the truth and being punished for lying. This mess is called a dilemma: a situation that challenges an agreeable solution. In literature, dilemmas form the central conflict many protagonists encounter. Many people face all kinds of dilemmas in life, and the choice they make can have long-lasting impacts. Sometimes these dilemmas have even caused changes in society and history! Common types of dilemmas include classic, ethical, and moral.
A classic dilemma is a choice between two or more alternatives, in which the outcomes are equally undesirable, or equally favorable. It does not typically involve a moral or ethical crisis, but the person or character’s everyday life may change as a result of their decision. As a young adult, some cases of classic dilemmas include:
They are more than simple choices, because they usually prompt the person to think about the outcomes of the choices. As a result, a character in a story may find themselves on an adventure, in fear for their lives, or instituting change because of the choice they made in their dilemma.
Wondering how to define ethical dilemma? An ethical dilemma arises when human beings are forced to decide between two morally sound options, but they may have conflicting ethical standards with the established boundaries of a business, a governmental agency, or the law. Some real-life ethical dilemmas may involve following the truth versus being loyal to a best friend, following the laws or rules versus having compassion for an individual’s plight, going against company policy, and concerns about an individual person versus the larger impact on a community. An ethical dilemma differs from a moral dilemma because it very much involves following rules rather than one’s morality and moral reasons, although one’s conscience can certainly move an individual to consider breaking the rules.
Ethical dilemmas are especially important in the medical and criminal justice fields, and in careers such as social work and psychology. In addition, most public servants have to undergo applied ethics training to address common dilemmas if such a situation arises while working with the public on such cases. Recent advancements in science have also brought forward interesting and uncharted ethical dilemmas and conflicting obligations. Some moral dilemmas include:
Children may also face some ethical dilemmas. Some ethical decisions include:
A moral dilemma definition is a situation in which a person is torn between right and wrong and looks at the very core of a person's moral principles, values, and personal philosophy. The choice the person makes may leave them feeling burdened, guilty, relieved, or questioning their values. A moral dilemma often forces the individual to decide which option he or she can live with, but any outcomes are extremely unpleasant no matter what, containing a mixture of both right and wrong. Moral dilemmas are often self-imposed and used to help people think through the moral reasoning for their beliefs and actions, and are common in psychology and philosophy classes. Some moral dilemmas examples include:
Moral dilemmas also provide interesting social matter for students to examine in position and research papers. Common topics for such assignments often include:
Aside from the genuine dilemmas listed above, there are other, less commonly known, types. These include obligation dilemmas and prohibition dilemmas.
An obligation dilemma, often referred to as deontological dilemmas, involves conflicts between different duties or obligations and conflicting actions. In ethical terms, deontology is a framework of morality that asserts certain actions are inherently right or wrong, regardless of their consequences. Here are some cases of these kinds of dilemmas:
A prohibition dilemma involves a point of conflict between a prohibition or restriction and a perceived moral or ethical imperative. In these situations, individuals or groups may face a decision where adhering to a prohibition may lead to negative moral consequences or ethical concerns. Here are some examples of prohibition dilemmas:
One of the most famous literary dilemmas appears in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The phrase “To be or not to be…”, is quite famous. However, many are not aware that these words embody the central conflict of Hamlet’s dilemma. Hamlet is comparing the agony of life, with the fear and uncertainty of death. While Hamlet is disappointed with his life, he is also scared of death, especially by suicide. He is frightened by what death has in store; it may be “sleep”, or it could be an experience worse than life. Hamlet’s dilemma is to stay living unhappily, or commit suicide and await uncertainty after life.
In Silas Marner, Godfrey Cass has many dilemmas that he is unfortunately never able to rectify. Throughout the story, he makes one bad choice after another, because of moral and situational dilemmas controlling his life. Godfrey’s main dilemma centers on his secret, resented marriage to Molly Farren, an opium addict. The text suggests that he was led into this marriage by his swaggering younger brother, Dunstan. Dunstan uses this information to blackmail Godfrey, and keep him away from his true love, Nancy. The secret becomes the center of every problem in his life, and many dilemmas emerge from it. Does he escape Dunstan’s power by divulging the marriage to everyone, and lose Nancy’s love? Or, does he continue to court Nancy and lie to everyone, paying off Dunstan and Molly to hide the secret?
In the short story “The Lady, or the Tiger” a young man is faced with death after falling in love with the daughter of a semi-barbaric king. The king was fierce and dealt with lawbreakers by having them stand trial, with fate as their judge. Led into an arena, they would have the choice of two doors. Behind the doors for this young man awaited either a beautiful maiden or a ferocious tiger. Either door was a dilemma because his heart had already been given to the princess. The day of his fateful reckoning he learned the princess had found out which door concealed the tiger and which the lady. The story ends without a resolution, and leaves the reader wondering which door the princess led her lover to choose. Did she allow him to be with another woman, or did that singular thought result in his death?
In Shiloh, Marty knows that Shiloh belongs to Judd Travers, a mean man in town who neglects and abuses his dogs. Because he is hiding Shiloh from his parents and lying to them and Judd when he says he hasn’t seen the dog, Marty feels tremendous guilt and fear. However, he knows that if he returns Shiloh to Judd, the dog will be hurt or even worse. Marty’s dilemma is to hide the dog and continue lying, or return Shiloh to a place where he will be beaten and starved. Although there may seem to be an obvious solution, Marty is struggling with his moral judgments.
Tuck Everlasting is the perfect example of a classic dilemma. When Winnie meets Jesse and his family, she adores them and is intrigued by the fact that they have an everlasting life. When Winnie is given the opportunity to drink from the well and live forever with Jesse, she contemplates what to do. Her life would be forever changed if she drinks the water, but does she really want to go against nature and world imposed limitations in order to live forever?
Annabelle faces a very common dilemma. She and her siblings are being bullied by Betty, who harasses them daily. Annabelle knows that if she tells her parents, Betty will get angry and take it out on them, but she also doesn’t know if she can handle the situation on her own. This is a dilemma that children can easily relate to, as bullying is unfortunately very common and difficult to deal with.
There are so many great ways to visualize and explain dilemmas in literature. Teachers can customize the level of detail and number of cells required for projects based on available class time and resources.
ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.2: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text
ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.2: Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text
ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.3: Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme
ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.3: Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed)
Check out these dilemma activities from our guides on "Shooting an Elephant", "The Pit and the Pendulum", and "The Lady or the Tiger".
Yes, it is a type of conflict. A dilemma arises when one is faced with making a difficult choice between two or more options that each have their own disadvantages or unpleasant outcomes.
The closest synonym for dilemma would be a predicament. They both refer to a difficult situation or problem where solutions are limited and unsatisfactory.
An example of ethical dilemma given in the passage is if a doctor refuses pain medication to a terminal patient in agony. Other examples could include deciding whether to report an unsafe work practice that could harm others but risks one's job, or choosing between telling the truth or protecting a friend from consequences of their actions.
Not necessarily; it is simply a difficult choice between unfavorable options. However, dilemmas can become ethical issues if the choices involve determining the right or wrong course of action from a moral standpoint. So while not all are ethical, some may pose ethical points of self-imposed conflict or bring ethical considerations to the forefront.