In a normally functioning family, parents and children care for each other, love each other, and display these feelings. A parent is responsible for taking care of their child and ensuring that they feel loved by spending time together and giving them enough attention. However, many times a parent is unable to meet these requirements, which can ultimately have detrimental effects on the child. A child neglected by his parents “perceives the world as a hostile and indifferent place. In addition to this negative perception of the world, the neglect a child experiences affects his or her later interactions with peers, causing him or her to become anxious and overly withdrawn” (Goldman). This type of neglectful parenting proves to be a pattern in Margaret Atwood's novel Oryx and Crake, as the main characters, Jimmy, Crake, and Oryx, are crucially affected by their parents' choices and are unjustly abandoned by them. In this novel, the neglect of parents, especially mothers, is clearly reflected in the behaviors of the three main characters. Neglecting a child involves not only failing to provide the necessities of life, such as food, water, shelter and clothing, but also insufficient attention and love. This parental neglect is seen in several characters, including Jimmy and his mother, Sharon. Sharon works for a large biotechnology company and is happiest when she works there. However, when Jimmy reaches school age, she drops out for no reason and his mood deteriorates. She becomes distant, depressed and anxious and no longer pays attention to Jimmy. This lack of attention that Jimmy faces hurts him seriously, but it is not comparable to the feelings he experiences when he “finds a note about cooking… in the middle of a paper…… and in a caring environment ? Cited Atwood, Margaret. Oryx and Crake. Toronto: Seal Books, 2003. 71-381 Print. Canavan, Gerry. Hope, but not for us: ecological science fiction and the end of the world in Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake and the Year of the Flood. 23rd ed. Flight. 2. Toronto: Psychology Press, 2012. N. pag. Theory of interpretation of literature. Internet. March 24, 2014. Goldman, J., MK Salus, D. Wolcott, and KY Kennedy. “Child Protection Information Portal”. Chapter Six: What are the consequences of child abuse and neglect? Np, 2003. Web. March 24, 2014.Heinrichs, Rachel. “It’s a crazy, crazy world.” Quill and notebook. Np, August 27, 2013. Web. March 24, 2014. Snyder, Katherine V. "'Time to Go': the post-apocalyptic and the post-traumatic in Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake." Studies in the Novel 43.4 (2011): 470. Academic OneFile. Internet. March 30. 2014.