Pug conDoin - Ethical Decisions by James

Pug conDoin - Ethical Decisions by James - April 2014 Scholarship Essay

Character: Pug conDoin
Book: Magician – Riftwar Cycle Series
Author: Raymond Feist

My favorite authors are Tom Robbins, Anne Rice, and Raymond Feist. Of all the characters whom these authors have written, Raymond Feist’s Pug conDoin was my favorite. The last name, conDoin, represents the bloodline of those eligible for the Crown. In Pug’s case, he was originally an orphan (named Pug of Crydee) who was adopted by the cook of Castle Crydee and whose best friend was Tomas, the cook’s son. He achieved the last name, conDoin, as part of a King’s dying wish and for saving two worlds.

The series began with Magician and ended with Magician’s End, 29 books later. No one really knows the exact number of fictional years that spans these books (250 to 300 years), but Pug was alive through all of them. Tomas, Pug’s best friend, is the only other character to live just as long. Because practicing magic enables him to live longer, Pug had to outlive a lot of friends and family members. In a way, Pug was doomed to be alone. He had to watch all of his children grow up and then die of old age. He also had to watch his wives and friends grow old and die. During all of the years, he barely physically aged.

Since he was a great magician, he was always called upon to help various nations. This caused a lot of strife in Pug because many nations acted purely on self-need rather than on what was best for the world. Pug’s character has affected me greatly because I felt nothing but pity for him. Even though he outlived everyone he ever loved, he kept moving forward. Pug had to face major ethical dilemmas. If you had to let a million people die in order to save an entire planet, would you do it? In addition, if you had the ability to save an entire species of intelligent beings and they did not want to be saved, would you save them anyways? These are just one of the many choices Pug had to make. Pug has always tried to make the right ethical decision. During the series, he always talked about choosing the “lesser of two evils”. He has made mistakes in the past, yet he always learned from them. What I have learned from Pug is that we all have special abilities. Pug’s was magic and my special ability is management. We have to use our special abilities in the most ethical way possible. No matter how heavy the world weighed on Pug’s shoulders, he always pressed on and did the right thing. Pug’s life and actions have influenced me to become an ethically better person.