The Kohlberg ethical dilemma in John Q

Running head: THEMATIC ANALYSIS OF KOHLBERG DILEMMA
THEMATIC ANALYSIS OF KOHLBERG DILEMMA
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Author Note

1THEMATIC ANALYSIS OF KOHLBERG DILEMMA IN JOHN Q
The Kohlberg ethical dilemma is a set of moral issues that question the ethics of an
individual blurring the boundary of good and bad or right and wrong. The essay seeks to
understand the issue of the dilemma in the modern context with the movie John Q. The movie
seeks to analyze and understand the different issues that have been a cause of the moral dilemma
among the population through the ages. The ethical dilemma is a situation where a person is
made to choose between two categorical imperatives, both of which are equally correct and
present a difficulty in choosing a correct option regarding the issue. The ethical choice and the
socially accepted choice may not be the same. The dilemma in judging a course of action
considering the different scenarios, which are both justified and dependent on subjective
opinions, is the object of understanding in this situation (Kahane, et al., 2015). The dilemma and
the major issues caused due to it in having conclusive opinions regarding situations and their
possible responses across different age is the subject of study of Kohlberg’s ethical dilemma.
The different situations that arise in due time leading to the different subjective opinions and
possible solutions towards it.
Kohlberg’s ethical moral dilemma is evident in a number of movies, where the
justification of the negative actions of the protagonist is given in the movie, which makes the
audience empathize with him (Weissbourd, Bouffard & Jones, 2013). The movie in the given
situation, John Q is one such movie where the audience cannot decide the ethics of the actions of
protagonist. John Q, is a movie describes and shows the different aspects of human emotion with
finesse and ease. The emotion of the father John Quincy Archibald, played by Denzel
Washington, is a character who is willing to go to any limits to save the life of his son
(Cassavetes, 2002). The film has a number of ethical issues in question, regarding the actions of
John in the given situation. The movie starts with an accident where a female rash driver is

2THEMATIC ANALYSIS OF KOHLBERG DILEMMA IN JOHN Q
killed. The later scenes show that the son John Archibald suffers from a major cardiac condition
which needs and immediate heart transplant. John is full time factory worker facing economic
issues (Arnold, 2000). When he discovers that the insurance provided by their employer is not
supporting the treatment and the surgery of his son, John starts to collect money to get his son
enrolled in the organ donors list. Despite all their collective efforts they could not raise more
than one third of the necessary amount needed for the surgery. In the situation feeling helpless,
John decides to take a drastic measure of holding hostages in the hospital in lieu of his son’s
treatment. The situation faced by John and his action cannot be justified by an outsider’s point of
view at this point as all he was doing was to try the best to save the life of his son (Dawson,
2002). The demand of John against the life of 11 hostages held by him is simple, to save the life
of his son by putting his name in the organ recipient waiting list. The issues faced by a poor
individual and the dramatic situation in which it is resolved shows the moral dilemma that people
face in such situations.
John is a relatively poor person who overworks to meet the need of the family. when he is
in need and all his efforts prove futile in saving the life of his son he is agitated at his
incapability and decides to take the drastic step of holding the people hostage. It is very tough to
judge his dilemma and the justification of his action unless one is in the shoes of John Quincy
(Narvaez & Lapsley, 2009). He faces a major dilemma of putting the life of a number of people
at risk just to save his son. He very well knows that his reputation would be ruined at the end of
the day because of the step he has decided to take. The changing scenarios in which the decisions
are taken and the humane approach of john in the treatment towards the hostages will help in
understanding the perspectives of John. The situation in which John is a very awkward one
where it is very tough for an individual to judge his actions on the basis of individual