In depicting iconoclastic characters responding in nontraditional ways to moral dilemmas, novelists that seek to generate unique moral systems. For example, literary works that seek to define ethical systems or ethical principles include novels such as "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand, which defines the moral philosophy of objectivism or "Thus Spake Zarathustra" by Friedrich Nietzsche which describes Nietzsche's theory of the ubermensch or superman.
Similar to novels that seek to define ethics that establish heroic protagonists that act as exemplars of a unique moral code, some novels simply present protagonists that are themselves exemplars of ethical behavior. Characters such as Samuel Hamilton in John Steinbeck's "East of Eden" and Atticus Finch in Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" act as ethical paragons over the course of each novel. These characters, by living as they do, demonstrate to readers how to ethically approach moral dilemmas.
While pieces of literature that attempt to define ethics generate new ethical systems, and pieces that seek to present ethical exemplars don't rely on a specific ethical system, literary works that apply ethics attempt to deploy some pre-established ethical system throughout the piece. For example, Robert Pirsig's "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" engages Aristotlean ethics, while "Siddhartha" by Herman Hesse fictionalizes the early life of Gautama Buddha and the development of Buddhism.
In addition to establishing or deploying ethical systems, many literary works also criticize ethical systems so as to reveal their inherent flaws. For example, Ursula Le Guin's "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" criticizes the ethical system known as utilitarianism. Similarly, William Blake's book of poems "Songs of Innocence and Experience" criticizes the 18th century Christian ethical system and its effect on British society.