Ethical and Moral Questions from The Shadow of E. Z.’s Fear

1.       Did E. Z. make the right decision not to take the map from the bandit’s body?

2.       Did E. Z. make the right decision to copy the map he found?  Was copying the map the same thing as taking the map?  Did the danger E. Z. was in justify his copying the map?

3.       Did E. Z. make the right decision not to tell his mother all the dangers he knew about to try to protect her? Did E. Z. attempts to protect his mother make her safer or put her in more danger by keeping facts from her?

4.       Was the traveling party right to settle on land they were told belonged to the Chickasaws?  Did it matter that the traveling party paid the Baron for the land?  Did it matter that the Chickasaws had not built houses on the land the settlers claimed? Did it matter that the traveling party was told the land would soon be available for settlers to purchase?

5.       Were the soldiers right to burn the settlers’ houses if it was not legal for the settlers to build the houses on Chickasaw land? Are there ways the soldiers could have carried out their orders without causing as much danger to themselves or the settlers?