This Boys Life - Compare and Contrast

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There are certain obligations that go along with the role of being a son. Not all families will run things in the same ways, but most would agree that the son has the following responsibilities. They should always treat their parents with respect in a way of saying thank you for taking care of their needs. The son should obey their commands for their own benefit. Since it takes two people to make a relationship possible, the son should also make as much of an effort as the parent in keeping that relationship a positive one. However, the two stories of This Boy’s Life and Hamlet have some exceptions when it comes to filling the responsibility of being a son. Respecting your parent or guardian is one of many important roles a son has to fulfill. But it is also just as important for the parent to provide the same amount of respect. This is one of the exceptions that show up in This Boy’s Life. Jack is having a hard time respecting Dwight because of the lack of respect Dwight shows him. Dwight was known to often physically abuse Jack, “I shouted his name, but he kept hitting me in a fast convulsive rhythm and I knew he was beyond all hearing.” (Page 177) A relationship that involves physical abuse is typically not the best relationship to have between a father and a son. Jack’s situation can be compared with the situation that Hamlet is in when it comes to being treated with respect. Like Jack, Hamlet loved his father and then lost him, resulting in a new father figure to replace the old. This new father figure, Claudius, disrespects Hamlet’s father which ends up being disrespectful to Hamlet himself. By marrying Gertrude shortly after the King’s death, Hamlet thinks Claudius is a “Bloody, bawdy villain! Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous kindless villain!” (Lines 540-541) The exception of both Jack and Hamlet’s refusal to respect their parents is because they both

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