What are the motifs in Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood?

Parental Responsibility is a recurring idea in the story. Parents play important roles in helping to define the characters of their offspring in Oryx and Crake. Jimmy's parents create a tense and dysfunctional childhood home for their son, punctuated by frequent arguments over matters both trivial and important. Sharon's shame for her husband's unethical work at HelthWyzer leads her to grow depressed and eventually run away from her home and her role as parent. Jimmy's father is equally irresponsible as a parent, forgetting Jimmy's birthday every year. Jimmy's father pays little attention to his son's pain after Sharon leaves; his focus is instead on his own happiness as his new girlfriend moves into the family home.