An Analysis of the Topic of the Concept of Responsibility and the Bluest Eye and Hamlet

Throughout this course, the concept of responsibility has been echoing over the novels and plays that we have read. I have come to observe that in The Bluest Eye and Hamlet, the characters rely on their responsibilities or the notion of responsibility to make their decisions. In such a case, the characters develop their own responsibilities, constantly changing their concepts of responsibility in order to make different decisions based on the situation. The Bluest Eye and Hamlet have shown me that all characters have ideologies from which they derive their sense of responsibility. In The Bluest Eye, Cholly is afraid of taking responsibility of his life and child, as he had been abandoned and abused constantly in life. However, he takes various attempts throughout his life that show that he was trying to fix himself. Additionally, in Hamlet, Hamlet believes that he has a responsibility to his father but also one to the kingdom, hindering him from rashly killing Claudius.

Without doubt, many works of literature demonstrate how characters are affected by their ideologies and sense of responsibility. They base their decisions and actions on such notions. However, The Bluest Eye presents a unique situation for one of its main antagonists, Cholly. Cholly's parents neglect their responsibility of Cholly. When he is only a child, Cholly is abandoned by his parents and left with his great aunt, who dies when Cholly becomes a teenager. This event forces Cholly to take more responsibility of his life and make his own decisions. However, when Cholly has sex for the first time, he is victim of racism, as two white men force him to continue while watching him. From this incident, Cholly begins to question his own identity, compelling him to search for his father. However, when Cholly does find his father, his father refuses to acknowledge him and take responsibility for his past. Such a rejection leaves Cholly to feel like a trapped man in a world that has constantly refused and neglected him. When he marries Pauline, he shows some sign of responsibility, however, his neglect of Pecola indicates otherwise. It may be that Cholly is afraid of taking on responsibility for his family, as his own parents have never taken on responsibility for their child. Nevertheless, raping Pecola and giving her the "love" that he felt that she deserved might have been Cholly's attempt at taking on responsibility for his child. Cholly never understood how to truly interact with others, let alone his own child. Therefore, Cholly attempts several times in his life to take on a sense of responsibility that nobody else has shown him. Cholly has been always abandoned, intentionally or accidentally, leaving him to question any sense of responsibility that he should have.

Although some works of literature may present complex situations from which characters develop their sense of responsibility, other works demonstrate conflicting situations. In Hamlet, Hamlet has responsibility to both his father and kingdom. Initially, Hamlet chooses his loyalty and service to the kingdom over any ideas of revenge. Even though Hamlet suspects some "foul" play in his father's murder and has a notion that Claudius has a hand in it, he goes alone with Claudius' rule, as his kingdom should come before his own emotions. Hamlet wants the kingdom to again be stabilized after the death of his father, ensuring that Prince Fortinbras of Norway does not invade Denmark at any signs of weakness. However, as Hamlet begins to suspect Claudius more and more of an involvement in his father's death, he is driven into seemingly madness. Essentially, he is conflicted between his devotion to his father and his loyalty to the kingdom. If Hamlet does avenge his father and kill Claudius, the kingdom would be more vulnerable, enticing an attack from Norway that Denmark possibly could not hold off. Furthermore, if Hamlet does not take any action against Claudius, Claudius would have impunity, but the kingdom would be stable. Eventually, Hamlet chooses the responsibility to his father, going down the path of bloodshed that leaves the entire royal family dead and the kingdom lost to Prince Fortinbras. Hamlet was left to choose between two conflicting responsibilities that completely affected an entire nation.

The Bluest Eye and Hamlet have taught me that characters base their decisions and actions on a sense of responsibility that stems from their ideologies. This sense essentially drives the plot, creating the events of the story. Notably, the sense of obligations defines the characters. In The Bluest Eye, Cholly bases his notion of responsibility from his past experiences, afraid of taking on a more effective role in his daughter's life because he lacks the social connections to do so. His attempts at taking on responsibility are fruitless, further discouraging him from improving and changing. In Hamlet, Hamlet is conflicted between two responsibilities: one to his father and one to his kingdom. His ultimate choice to avenge his father leaves the entire royal family dead and the kingdom lost. These works of literature have shown me that the characters' sense of responsibility is what defines them, creating the events of the plot.

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