Million Dollar Baby's Morality --- Beware Of Spoilers

"Boxing is an unnatural act. You want to move left, you don't step left. You push on the right toe...Everything in boxing is backwards. Sometimes the best way to deliver a punch is to step back. But step back too far and you ain't fighting at all."

Million Dollar Baby mainly revolves around the morality of Frankie, an under-appreciated boxing trainer. Interspersed in the movie are many other little ethical dilemmas which help to form the film's moral vision, which shows Frankie's journey and transformation into a good, moral person (according to the filmmaker). The film uses the transformation of multiple characters, like Eddie, Maggie, and Frankie, to show different ideologies, all which lead to the final, biggest ethical dilemma in the film involving Frankie. It is also interesting to look at whether or not these ethics help the film as an art piece or not.

Morgan Freeman's character, Eddie, is shown as a mysterious, selfless person from the very beginning of the movie. He is just some big time boxer who lost everything he had, and ended up as a janitor in a gym. When he first helps Maggie without being asked, it immediately shows the audience that Eddie is different from Frankie; he helps Maggie without wanting anything in return at all. We slowly learn about Eddie's past, and we realize that he seems to be doing what he's doing just because he doesn't want Maggie to end up like him. Eddie's main moral issue comes up when he tries to set Maggie up with another manager. It could be considered immoral because he is asking Maggie to betray Frankie, in a way. However, the filmmaker is trying to send the message that what Eddie did was okay, because he was simply looking out for Maggie. Although it could hurt Frankie, it would help Maggie, which shows that Eddie tries to selflessly do what will make others most happy (Maggie would be more benefited than Frankie would be hurt).

Maggie is a very interesting character, as we know almost nothing about her for quite a bit of the beginning of the film, and as we find out more, we can see her struggle to find her moral stance. Maggie starts off very much like Eddie: selfless and always looking out for others. She is a kind girl, not taking advantage of Eddie's kindness (she promises to only borrow the speed bag), and even buying her ungrateful mother a house using her hard-earned money. Maggie doesn't even change her manager, as she cares about Frankie and fights for him, not for herself. However, we see Frankie trying to change this about Maggie, as he teaches her to keep her left hand up during fights. "Protect myself at all times" becomes Maggie's new motto, which is extremely symbolic, as although she struggles to embody it at first, she eventually goes on to finally do something for herself at the end of the movie: she refuses to sign her mother's papers and asks Frankie to do something for her. The filmmaker's intentions are hard to pinpoint here, as although he shows Eddie as selfless and doing good things for others, he also makes Maggie turn in the opposite direction. Once we look into Frankie's completely different transformation, however, it becomes slightly more clear that the film uses Eddie's and Maggie's somewhat opposing moralities to set up a contrast, and then uses Frankie's morality to drive home the point of the film's moral vision.

Frankie, although starting off as a selfish man, slowly transitions into someone who lives his life for others and believes the moral thing to do is that which benefits someone else. It is understandable why he starts off the way he does: fighters like Willy abandon him and betray his trust, using him just to reach title matches. Moreover, Frankie seems to have had a rough history with his daughter, giving him even more reasons to live life for himself---because no one else will live for him. However, this changes when he meets Maggie, and it seems that he slowly starts to see her as his own daughter. He finds the joy in living for her, as he helps her fulfill her dream of being a professional boxer, even doing things that he wouldn't have done before (like taking a chance and snapping her nose back into place). As Frankie is the main protagonist of the film, it is clear that the filmmaker's vision is portrayed through him. The filmmaker's ideology (that the moral thing to do is that which benefits other people) is evident as Frankie even does immoral things, like paying managers on the side, just to help Maggie out.

Eddie's, Maggie's, and Frankie's morals all lead up to the final and biggest moral issue of the film, when Maggie asks Frankie to pull the plug. This request is selfish in itself, as Maggie is only looking out for herself. She does not want to continue living, and she doesn't consider the impact that her death would have on Frankie or Eddie. Interestingly, it creates some ideological tension as it asks Frankie to act in a way that he would never have done before his transformation. The issue brings together the final, post-transition states of Maggie and Frankie, and really puts into question the filmmaker's intent. However, the intentions become more clear as Frankie consults the priest, bringing in another viewpoint (that it should be left to God and that Frankie should just step away). When he ignores this suggestion and goes and unplugs Maggie, it shows that above all, morality IS selflessness. The films intentions are further driven home when the audience finds out that Eddie was relaying this story to Frankie's daughter the entire time, and trying to show her "the kind of man that her father was."

Now that it is clear what the film's moral vision is, the more general claim of whether or not art should be moral can be addressed. I think art is about sending a message, and that can only be done by relating to the audience. Depicting morality is the best way to emotionally connect with humans, and so art should be moral. Without it, there might not be any meaning behind art. However, I also realize that in a way, morality corrupts art as it allows people to infuse their own ideologies into it. Art has the potential to be something pure, something that represents "good" things. Mixing it with morality introduces the potential for it to represent "bad" things as well. In the case of Million Dollar Baby, I think morality definitely helps, though. Without the constant ethical conundrums, the film would be bland and emotionally non-stimulating. Also, for movies in general, ethics and morality help filmmakers add personality to characters, which further allows the audience to connect with and relate to them. After all, art is all about representing our world, and morality is undoubtedly a part of it that cannot be ignored.

"If there's magic in boxing, it's the magic of fighting battles beyond endurance, beyond cracked ribs, ruptured kidneys and detached retinas. It's the magic of risking everything for a dream that nobody sees but you."