<P> In her essay "The Structure of the Moral Dilemma in Shiloh" for Children's Literature, Claudia Mills wrote that Shiloh deals with "consequentialism pitted against deontological respect for moral duty". Taught from his youth to be respectful to others and worship God, Marty is confounded by the injustice of Shiloh's being abused . He seeks to justify his unethical actions by thinking that "(a) lie don't seem a lie anymore when it's meant to save a dog ." Consequentionalists base the worthiness of a person's act on its result . Marty's act of saving Shiloh is worse for Shiloh's well - being . After Shiloh is concealed in the woods, a German shepherd attacks the beagle, causing to become permanently lame . Marty laments: "Worst of all, I'd brought Shiloh here to keep him from being hurt, and what that German shepherd done to him was probably worse than anything Judd Travers would have brought himself to do, short of shootin' him, anyways ." </P> <P> Mills noted that consequentialism does not merely expect that the consequences to one entity is determined . It requires a review of the consequences to all . When Marty observes Judd's out - of - season shooting of a deer, he uses the incident to blackmail him to sell Shiloh to him . However, this places deer in the future in danger of Judd's hunting . Marty sadly reflects: "By lettin' him get away with this, I'm putting other deer in danger . He kill this one out of season, he'll figure maybe he can kill some more . To save Shiloh, I'm making it harder for deer". In essence, he selects the "domestic love over the grander principle". </P> <P> Reviewers observed that religion plays an influential role in Marty's moral decisions . After Marty takes a forbidden bite from his sister Dara Lynn's chocolate Easter rabbit and refuses to own up, his mother is disappointed . She tells him: "Dara Lynn don't know who ate the ear off her candy rabbit and I don't know who did it, but Jesus knows . And right this minute Jesus is looking down with the saddest eyes on the person who ate that chocolate ." Marty's very religious mother teaches him that people should not sin or they will be "separated forever from God's love ." </P> <P> Academic Claudia Mills wrote that Marty determines to save Shiloh in a scene that is reminiscent of Huckleberry Finn's well - known resolution to save Jim from slavery: "All right, then, I'll go to hell ." Thinking about the falsehoods he has told to save Shiloh, he believes he is bound for hell . He reflects: </P>

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