Storm Front

This theme acknowledges the many difficulties of navigating a morally complex world in a way that leaves one’s integrity intact. Throughout the novel, Butcher introduces a range of characters who occupy different points on the spectrum that stretches between good and evil, and Harry must often make critical decisions in situations that have no clear-cut answer. Given that he has access to a deep well of magical power that can be used for good or ill, the issue of moral ambiguity becomes an overriding theme throughout the Dresden Files series. 

In Storm Front, several other characters represent a worldview that is cast in shades of gray, illustrating the precarious balance between right and wrong. Johnny Marcone is the most prominent example of this dynamic, for he is a notorious mob boss who profits from drugs, extortion, violence, and murder. As Harry sees in the unwitting soul gaze that he shares with Marcone, the man has killed before and is willing to kill again. Marcone is not a “good” person by any stretch of the definition, but this view is complicated by the fact that his iron-fisted control has a “civilizing influence on crime” in the city and that he rules the criminal elements of Chicago with considerable restraint (24). He is not Harry’s ally, but he does not usually take on the role of the central antagonist in the Dresden Files novels. However, as the series progresses, his power grows considerably, and his interactions with Harry become deeply complex, with further conflicts foreshadowed to occur in the later installments of the series.

Within the context of Storm Front, Bianca demonstrates the many half-seen dangers that lurk in the supernatural world, as she is a vampire, and her clandestine presence in Chicago is representative of the many predatory creatures who reside there, unbeknownst to the general human population. Vampires are a serious concern in the world of The Dresden Files. However, the White Council maintains an uneasy peace treaty with the vampires because this morally ambiguous compromise is a safer option than waging outright war. Thus, in Harry’s version of Chicago, uncompromising ideals of good and evil give way to compromises, and as each new concession is made, Harry and others who purport to be on the side of “good” must decide how much they are willing to tolerate and condone. Thus, the novel acknowledges that the world is a complex system of morality that cannot easily be divided into conveniently clear-cut categories such as good and evil.

Standing in direct contrast to this grudging acceptance of moral ambiguity is Harry’s Warden, Morgan, who stubbornly maintains a more clear-cut ethical stance. Specifically, he upholds a rigid and inflexible moral code of right and wrong and refuses to acknowledge the true complexity of the world. For this reason, he refuses to give Harry the benefit of the doubt. He believes that Harry has already slipped once by using magic to kill his mentor, and Morgan does not care about extenuating circumstances such as self-defense. Importantly, however, his rigid morality also requires that he admit when he is wrong about Harry. He applies his moral code equally to everyone, including himself, and this is why he saves Harry’s life rather than simply letting him die.

The novel thus presents two opposing views of morality in the world, with Harry placed staunchly in the middle. He resents Morgan’s inflexible, black-and-white thinking, but he also defies Marcone’s amoral system of pragmatism and expediency. He believes in right and wrong and holds himself to a high level of integrity while also acknowledging that the line between good and evil is not as clearly defined as Morgan believes it to be.