Just Lather That's All By Hernando Tellez

Is morality an ideology that develops over time as people mature or an influential set of beliefs? “Just Lather, That’s All” written by Hernando Téllez demonstrates how making a decision, whether it be ethical or not, is influenced by the different morals that the person believes in.
In the story, it is evident that when a character is challenged, their morals help them to make a decision that pertains to their beliefs. Firstly, the Captain’s mere presence made the Barber nervous, which shows his morals beginning to make an appearance. As the Barber is shaving Captain Torres, he thinks that “On the other hand [he], with this razor in [his] hands, stroking and re-stroking this skin, trying to keep blood from oozing from these pores, can’t

even think clearly” (Tellez 16). The Barber’s inability to comprehend the situation indicates that he is having an internal debate to determine whether or not he should use the razor to slit the Captain’s throat.

Furthermore, the Barber’s razor represents what he could have done with it to the Captain, depending on his morals. While he is consumed in his thoughts as he shaves the Captain, the Barber thinks “Murderer or hero? My destiny depends on the edge of this blade . . . You came to me for a shave. And I perform my work honourably” (Téllez 16). The Barber strongly believes that murdering Captain Torres with his razor goes against his honour and status as a professional barber. He does not want to think of himself as someone who abuses his power and harms someone for the sake of his own reputation. Subsequently, Captain Torres relies on his morals to aid him to make what he believes is the correct decision. While the Captain is getting a shave, he says “We got the main ones. We brought back some dead, and we’ve got some others still alive. But pretty soon they’ll all be dead . . . The town must have learned a lesson from what we did the other day” (Téllez 13). Captain Torres decided to kill all the rebels because he believes that the only way to teach people a lesson is to resort to violent tactics. His belief

that violence and fear equal control blocks his rationality, which is why he kills many people and plans to kill even more. In conclusion, the morals of characters in the story are represented through different modes, thus indicating how their actions are affected by their ethical beliefs.
Determining the solution to a situation, whether it be morally acceptable or not, profoundly depends on the morals of an individual making that decision. Truly being an individual with a righteous morality is not only one who preaches them, but also one who believes in them, for they who believe are successful.