Nature vs. Nurture in The Cursed Heir by Heather Atkinson

The question of nature versus nurture with regards to the predisposition to commit evil acts has long tormented humanity and will probably continue to do so, despite the best efforts of the philosophers. The Alardyce series, which is set in Victorian Edinburgh, is a saga about the Alardyce family and a ‘curse’ that is passed from father to son in the form of the desperate desire to attack women. It asks the question – would Robert Alardyce do bad things if he’d had a different father or would it not have made a difference? Most importantly of all, will he be able to beat the curse or will it consume him entirely?

Personally, I believe it must be a combination of both, the perfect storm of a genetic predisposition and a childhood trauma. Plenty of people have awful childhoods but grow up to lead decent, law-abiding lives. Conversely, there are people who have idyllic childhoods but turn into monsters. Robert’s biological father enjoyed committing violent acts on women and Robert himself does endure some trauma at his father’s hands, but his mother is kind and loving and will do anything for him, providing a strong counterbalance. Robert, just like us all, is both light and dark. We have the ability to commit the worst atrocities imaginable or the highest kindnesses and each of us is ruled more strongly by one of those impulses. Every single one of us has committed what could be termed a ‘dark deed’ whether it be telling a lie, calling someone an unkind name, or perhaps something a little more serious such as having a fight or getting involved with petty crime, all rather minor in the face of the terrible things all humans are capable of.  What is important is that we follow the dictates of our conscience. The question is – will our conscience tell us to be the best person we can be, or will it whisper in our like the devil on our shoulder and push us headfirst into the abyss?

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