And then Jack chopped down what was the world's last beanstalk, adding murder and ecological terrorism to the theft, enticement, and trespass charges already mentioned, and all the giant's children didn't have a daddy anymore. But he got away with it and lived happily ever after, without so much as a guilty twinge about what he had done...which proves that you can be excused for just about anything if you are a hero, because no one asks inconvenient questions.
Interpretation
The quote critiques the notion of heroism and how people often overlook the wrongdoings of those deemed heroic.
This quote by Terry Pratchett reflects on the moral complexities of heroism, suggesting that society tends to overlook the unethical actions of individuals who are celebrated as heroes. Jack's actions, despite their harmful consequences, go unexamined because he is perceived as a hero, highlighting the dangerous precedent that allows for moral absolution in the face of inequity. It serves as a commentary on how narratives are shaped by the roles individuals play, often ignoring the ethical implications of their deeds.
In practice
During a discussion on morality in literature, this quote can illustrate the concept of flawed heroes and the narratives surrounding them.
They've got something they do it with, I think it's called a mocracy, and it means everyone in the whole country can say who the new Tyrant is. One man ... one vet. ... Everyone has ... the vet. Except for women, of course. And children. And criminals. And slaves. And stupid people. And people of foreign extraction. And people disapproved of for, er, various reasons. And lots of other people. But everyone apart from them. It's a very enlightened civilization.
Geography is just physics slowed down, with a couple of trees stuck in it.
You can't trample infidels when you're a tortoise. I mean, all you could do is give them a meaningful look.
Any fool could be a witch with a runic knife, but it took skill to be one with an apple corer.
People look down on stuff like geography and meteorology, and not only because they're standing on one and being soaked by the other. They don't look quite like real science. But geography is only physics slowed down and with a few trees stuck on it, and meteorology is full of excitingly fashionable chaos and complexity. And summer isn't a time. It's a place as well. Summer is a moving creature and likes to go south for the winter.
I'm not cruel, sir, I won't shoot you in the guts, but I will make you realize how much you took your toes for granted.
When I see the Confederate flag, I see the attempt to raise an empire in slavery. It really, really is that simple. I don't understand how anybody with any sort of education on the Civil War can see anything else.
The heart is just the heart; thoughts and feelings are just thoughts and feelings. Let things be just as they are.
I could not understand why men who knew all about good and evil could hate and kill each other.
Whatever extra there is in me at any given moment isn't fully formed. I am hardly aware of it; it awaits the next book. It will - with luck - come to me during the actual writing, and it will take me by surprise
The world's like a ride in a fairground & when you choose to go on it you think it's real, that's how powerful our minds are
Since the day of my birth, my death began its walk. It is walking toward me, without hurrying.
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