Does Ken Feel Responsible and Obligated to Peggy?
There are many simple choices that Peggy made which led her to a car accident in Choices, a short story by Susan Kerslake. This could be her decision to ride in Ken’s seemingly malfunctioning car, or trusting Ken’s driving ability. There still remains debate over the exact cause of the accident. At the end of the story, Peggy starts to feel regret over these decisions when she sees how quiet and unresponsive Ken is. This raises the question, how does Ken feel about the accident? Does he feel responsible? Is there any obligation now that Peggy has serious injuries?
It is possible that Ken does not feel any responsibility or obligation. It is probable that this would be if the cause of the accident were based on the environment around the car. For example, there are hints that Ken could be having a medical condition, particularly a stroke or seizure. In page five, Peggy describes Ken looking like he has a “[S]troke or fit.” Other examples are errors from other drivers or animals. Another driver could have crashed into him or the person could have caused him to crash. Or, animals could have been crossing the road. In fact, it was mentioned that the couple was driving in a forest. If Ken had something else to blame, it would make it much easier for him to feel no liability or regret about the accident.
There is also evidence to support that Ken does feel responsibility. It is likely that he would have blamed something else to feel no obligation. On the other hand, it is the opposite for if he felt responsible. Ken could have been drunk, as he was sweating and visited a liquor store prior to driving. Similarly, the reason could have been simply poor driving. It is clearly described on page five that he is driving in an extremely relaxed position. Moreover, it is pointed out that he put an excess amount of pressure on the pedal. With the pedal being pushed more, he would have been going fast while his preparedness and reaction rate to things on the road is slow. It is probable that if he does feel regret, obligation and responsibility for Peggy, he believes that the accident was based on his own errors. This is because if he sees something else as a participant in the cause of the accident, it would be strange for him to blame himself.
There is evidence to support both Ken feeling responsible and the opposite. However, it is more reasonable that he does feel obligated to Peggy because of several considerations. Even though errors in the environment like animals crossing are possible causes of the accident, Peggy trusted and liked Ken. He was the only person with her during the accident and Peggy was not the driver. No matter how large the possibility of another cause is, Ken is still Peggy’s boyfriend. Their relationship shows that they were in an obvious state of trust for each other. There is almost no chance that Ken is actually emotionless after the accident, unless he lost his memory. It is possible that he lost his memory or got a concussion because he is said to have gotten a head injury. This could also explain why he was silent to Peggy.
Unless the author knows, it is still undeterminable whether or not Ken feels obligated and responsible for Peggy because of the accident. Nevertheless, there are more reasons in the text to feel the responsibility. This is a result of the fact Ken is Peggy’s boyfriend and he seems to have cared for her. In the end, it is wise to look before we leap, as we can see that some of Susan’s choices have caused her pain and suffering.
