"Choices" Question 3: Does Ken show Peggy that he feels any sense of responsibility to her after the accident? Do you think he has any obligation to her? Discuss.

Choices are the basis to our life stories, they make up who we are and what we have accomplished. However, if you make the wrong one, they can also have disastrous consequences. This is demonstrated in “Choices” by Susan Kerslake. The story follows a young woman named Peggy, who decided to go on a weekend trip with her companion, Ken. While Peggy was not entirely keen on spending the weekend with someone she was mainly only physically attracted to and didn't really have much in common with, she decided to say yes anyways. However, this choice had horrible results as the pair ended up getting in a car accident that ruined Peggy’s legs while barely injuring Ken. While in the ambulance riding to the hospital, Ken showed little responsibility towards Peggy, as he did not make an effort to speak to her about what happened or to comfort her. Was he wrong by doing this? Is it his responsibility to take care of her now that she is severely injured?

While Ken was the driver of the vehicle, it is not for certain whether he was to blame for the accident or not. If the accident occurred at no fault of his own, Ken is not obligated to Peggy, especially in the sense that he has to stay with her. Their relationship to begin with is a sort of “friends with benefits” situation, and neither of them demonstrated the intention to begin an actual relationship with one another. Their lack of commitment to a serious relationship means that Ken does not have to suddenly become her boyfriend because of the accident. It would just result in unhappiness on both of their parts as they did not seem to enjoy each other’s company in a non-physical sense. As for money, if he did not himself cause the crash, Ken should not be under any obligation to pay Peggy or compensate for her injuries. However, he does have a small obligation towards Peggy. Since he was the other person who experienced the crash alongside Peggy, she may seek comfort in him as she goes through recovering from her mental and physical injuries. Having someone supportive there to help her through this could make Peggy’s journey easier. She might want him to be there for her as he went through the car crash with her, so he knows exactly what the whole situation must have been like for her. This is the least that Ken could do for Peggy. Overall though, both of them must learn how to move on from the situation and become accustomed to their new lives if the car crash was not Ken’s fault.

That being said, if the car crash was Ken’s fault, he does have obligations to Peggy that he needs to figure out. He still should not have to settle into a serious relationship with her because of the accident, as previously stated that sort of union would only be brought about from obligation and not actual feelings. However, he should give her some sort of compensation for the pain she will go through because of her injuries. This could be in the form of money to help her get back on her feet after the accident (not in a literal sense, because the story does make it seem like she’s been paralyzed in her legs), because she may need to take time off of work to recover or even find a new job if her current one is not suitable for her new condition. He could also help her by supplying her with food as while recovering she might not be able to cook for herself, and buying take-out from restaurants could be expensive if she takes time off from work. Ken mainly needs to be there to support her while she endures an emotionally difficult time that the accident resulted in. He should comfort her throughout her recovery process as her new situation might be hard for her to get her head around and having someone there to help will make everything easier.

Depending on who was responsible for the accident, Ken either has major or minor obligations to Peggy. If he was not responsible for the accident, Ken is really only obligated to help Peggy through her recovery time, as because he was in the car accident with her he may be one of the only people in Peggy’s life that can understand her feelings about the accident. But if the car accident was Ken’s fault, he does have many more obligations to her. In addition to comforting her, Ken should also give her some money to help her while she is not able to work, as well as giving her some food as she probably will not be able to cook for herself. Most of all, Peggy will need support, and no matter who’s fault the accident was, Ken should be there to offer his.