A Few Good Men

The characters in A Few Good Men possess varying views about morality, but are all utterly committed to their codes of honor and their beliefs. Jessup, for example, sees the world in stark terms. His view that the world is divided into good and evil obliterates nuance but makes his life easier. He thinks that he’s good and that he’s working to protect the world from evil, separating everything based on whatever side of the fence it happens to reside. For Jessup, this simple dichotomy is an example of moral clarity and a justification for everything he does. He may not be correct, and the rest of the world may not agree with him, but his moral clarity dictates his actions and allows him to justify his behavior even when it results in tragedies like the death of Santiago. Unfortunately for him, most of the world doesn’t necessarily agree with his worldview. His confession is an expression of his moral clarity, as he thinks that the Code Red and Santiago’s death may have been tragic but probably saved lives. Jessup’s moral clarity might have helped him become a successful military commander, but it also becomes his undoing.