What is personal ethics? Does it have anything to do with family responsibility? We will discuss three different stories in which at least one of the characters shows a good example of personal ethics and demonstrate family responsibility. The characters we will discuss are Calixta, from "The Storm" written by Kate Choplin, Sonny's brother from "Sonny's Blues", written by James Baldwin, and the grandmother from "How far She Went", written by Mary Hood. We will evaluate and analyze each of these three characters and prove that they each allow their own personal ethics, or values, to outweigh their sense of family responsibility.
             We will start our evaluating with Calixta from "The Storm". Calixta is a character that shows the reader a good example of what it means to value your needs over those of your family. She is a wife and mother who are home alone during a really bad storm. Her husband Bobinot, and her young son Bibi had decided to wait out the storm at the store where they had gone to buy food.
             Back at home, Calixta was busy shutting the doors and windows when a man named Alcee Laballien showed up. She had not seen him since she was married years before. Alcee was an old friend who she had almost had sex with, but because she was young and innocent, he had decided against it. Outside was pouring so Calixta invited him in out of the rain. When she became worried about her son, Alcee tried to comfort her by hugging her, but instead he just reignited the passion that they had felt on that long ago day. Calixta gave into lust and betrayed her husband and her son in the worst way.
             In my opinion, Calixta was a very selfish woman. She did not stop to think about what her actions may do to her son, and what problems she may cause in her relationship with her husband. If she had then she would have been able to say no to temptation. You see, family responsibi...