3. Do the ends ever justify the means?

Join us for a discussion of Familia by Lauren E. Rico, a powerful story that begins when Gabby DiMarco’s genealogy test unexpectedly connects her to Isabella Ruiz, an artist who has spent twenty‑five years searching for the baby sister who vanished in Puerto Rico.
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smkelly
Posts: 58
Joined: Thu Apr 24, 2025 7:35 pm

3. Do the ends ever justify the means?

Post by smkelly »

Some of the characters were forced into actions they never would have considered under normal circumstances, and the motto of ‘ends justifying the meansʼ was a rationale for some charactersʼ actions.

How did the ends justify the means for Coquí, Beatríz, and Alberto? What would you have done differently in any of their shoes?

Have you ever felt forced to make a decision you would be uncomfortable with under any other circumstances?
WonderedPages
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Mar 26, 2026 12:08 pm

Re: 3. Do the ends ever justify the means?

Post by WonderedPages »

This was one of the hardest parts of the book for me. I could understand why characters like Coquí or Alberto made the choices they did when fear or survival was involved. At the same time, the consequences were too big to ignore. I kept coming back to the idea that intention matters but impact matters more. I do not know that I would have made better choices. I like to think I would have tried to protect others without causing that level of harm.
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