Friendship in literature
Friendship in literature is a recurring yet often underexplored theme that spans from ancient texts to contemporary works. While romantic love frequently dominates literary narratives, the bonds of friendship present compelling dynamics worth examining. Examples of profound friendships include the relationship between Frodo and Sam in J.R.R. Tolkien's *The Lord of the Rings*, the bond between Huckleberry Finn and Jim in Mark Twain's *The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn*, and the connection of George and Lennie in John Steinbeck's *Of Mice and Men*.
Literary friendships can showcase mutual support and loyalty, as seen in the unconditional camaraderie of Winnie the Pooh and Piglet, or they may illustrate the fragility of these bonds, such as in William Golding's *Lord of the Flies*, where friendship deteriorates into conflict and savagery. Philosophically, friendship encompasses feelings of compassion and respect, often categorized as philia—non-romantic love that includes a deep caring for one another. Overall, friendships in literature reflect complex human experiences and relationships, inviting readers to reflect on their own connections and the nature of companionship.
Friendship in literature
Friendship is often present in many works of literature, from ancient times to the modern era. However, despite its presence, friendship often takes a back seat to other themes that are explored in more depth. The most notable of these is romantic love, which far outpaces the theme of friendship in literature. Despite this, many literary works include friendships between two people or a group of people. Among the most well-known literary friendships are the relationship between Frodo and Sam in The Lord of the Rings (1950s); Huckleberry Finn and Jim in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885); and Lennie and George in Of Mice and Men (1937). In some instances, the theme of friendship is examined as it falls apart and friends turn into enemies. A prime example of this is found in the novel Lord of the Flies (1954), as friendships devolve into violence and savagery.
Background
In a philosophical sense, friendship is defined as a feeling of compassion, respect, and non-romantic love for another person. Ancient Greek philosophers explored the dynamics of love by dividing the topic into three aspects: agape, eros, and philia. Agape is an abstract, universal love in which humans show empathy, unselfishness, and a willingness to sacrifice to help others. In religious terms, it is often connected to the love a supreme being has for their creation, or that humans have for their god or gods. Eros is romantic love that is expressly sexual in nature. Philia, on the other hand, is a type of non-romantic love expressed as friendship or as the feelings one has for family members, a community, or a country.
While romantic love (eros) and friendship (philia) have many similarities, the idea of friendship is often broken down into a feeling of mutual caring that people have for each other. This feeling can be described as love that includes sympathy for another and the desire for their well-being. Friendship also entails forms of intimacy, although not in a sexual way. This intimacy can be demonstrated by how many friends think along the same lines or share personal details about their lives with each other. Finally, friendships are defined by a shared interest in the same activities, reinforcing the bonds between friends.
Overview
The theme of friendship is one of the defining aspects of the oldest-known work of literary fiction, The Epic of Gilgamesh. In the story, which was believed to have been first written about 2100 BCE, Gilgamesh is an oppressive Sumerian king who rules his people with an iron fist. The gods decide to create a wild man named Enkidu as the equal of Gilgamesh. After the two fight, Gilgamesh prevails but realizes that he has met his equal. and they become fast friends. Enkidu represents the wild, primal side of humanity, while Gilgamesh represents the civilized side. As a result of their friendship, Gilgamesh changes his ways and becomes a force for good.
Gilgamesh and Enkidu travel together to take on a great beast named Humbaba, encouraging each other during the battle. After they are victorious, they face off against the Bull of Heaven, a monster sent by the goddess Ishtar. They defeat the Bull as well, prompting the jealous gods to curse Enkidu with a fatal illness. Despite Gilgamesh’s effort to keep his friend alive, Enkidu dies. A heartbroken Gilgamesh sets off on a quest to find the secret of immortality to ensure that he does not meet the same fate as his friend. He finds and loses the secret, coming to the realization that he will not live forever, but that his name, and that of Enkidu, will.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
In 1885, American writer Mark Twain published TheAdventures of Huckleberry Finn, a sequel of sorts to his 1876 novel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Huck Finn is a thirteen-year-old boy living in pre-Civil War Missouri, when the state allowed slavery. After escaping from his abusive father, Huck meets an escaped enslaved person named Jim. As slavery was legal at the time, Huck debates whether he should turn in Jim but decides instead to join forces and sail the Mississippi River on a raft, hoping to reach the free states where slavery is outlawed.
As Jim and Huck travel together, they bond and become friends. Huck is able to recognize Jim’s humanity at a time when much of southern society did not recognize the humanity of enslaved people. At one point, Jim is taken and resold into enslavement, but Huck, teaming up with his friend Tom Sawyer, devises a humorously over-complicated plan to free him. The plan turns out to be a failure and unnecessary, as Jim has already been freed. As the book ends, Huck is worried that his father will find him and take him away, but it is Jim who tells Huck that his father is dead, a secret he knew and had been keeping from his friend all along.
Pooh and Piglet
In 1925, British author A. A. Milne published the first of many stories about Winnie the Pooh, a kind-hearted, honey-loving bear who lives with his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood. His best friend is Piglet, a small, shy baby pig who does his best to overcome his fear and put on a brave face. Pooh and Piglet’s friendship is unconditional and based on the simplest of things, such as “what’s for breakfast” and “what adventures are we going to get into today?”
Pooh watches out for Piglet and tries to ease his fears. Their relationship is indicative of a pure friendship, such as that among children. Their friendship has no boundaries and is best summed up by a popular quote from one of Milne’s stories: “We’ll be friends forever, won’t we, Pooh?” asked Piglet. “Even longer,” Pooh answered.
Of Mice and Men
Of Mice and Men is a Depression-era novella written in 1937 by American author John Steinbeck. The story is about two migrant workers, George and Lennie, who are traveling to California looking for work. George is a small, intelligent man who takes care of his friend Lennie, a strong, hulking man with an obvious intellectual disability. Lennie is kindhearted but does not know his own strength, which gets him into trouble.
The pair ends up working on a farm, where they encounter the jealous and mean-tempered boss’s son, Curley, and his flirtatious wife. George, Lennie, and a farmhand named Slim discuss saving their money to buy their own land, but circumstances conspire to keep that dream from becoming reality. As Curley’s wife is talking to Lennie, she lets him touch her hair, but when she panics because of his strength, he accidentally breaks her neck. Knowing that Curley will hunt Lennie down and kill him, George finds Lennie and consoles him. While doing so, he shoots Lennie in the back of the head. Despite the tragic ending, George’s act is one of compassion for his friend, who does not understand the consequences of what he has done.
Lord of the Rings
British author J.R.R. Tolkien published his three-book epic fantasy novel, The Lord of the Rings, in the 1950s. The book recounts the tale of a human-like Hobbit named Frodo, who must destroy a magic ring that contains the evil will of the dark lord, Sauron. To do so, Frodo and his companions must undergo a dangerous journey to the volcano where the ring was forged, in the heart of Sauron’s kingdom. Among Frodo’s companions is the practical-minded Sam, who becomes Frodo’s trusted friend as the journey progresses.
Sam proves to be the epitome of loyalty and friendship, and over the course of the journey, he and Frodo meet numerous pitfalls that almost result in disaster. By the end of the third volume, The Return of the King, Frodo and Sam understand that completing their mission will likely mean their deaths, but both Hobbits continue to support each other to the very end. At one point, seeing Frodo suffering from the effects of the ring’s evil, Sam volunteers to carry his friend along the final steps of their journey.
While Frodo and Sam may be the most obvious example of friendship in The Lord of the Rings, the characters of Legolas, the Elf, and Gimli, the Dwarf, are another prime example of the theme. In the novels, Elves and Dwarves are two races with almost polar opposite characteristics. Elves love the forests, while Dwarves love the depths beneath the earth. Within the world that Tolkien created, Elves and Dwarves are also long-standing enemies. Yet, Legolas and Gimli forge such a deep friendship along their journey that they both come to see the beauty of the other’s traditions and travel together as friends for the rest of their lives.
Lord of the Flies
In some literary examples, characters start out as friends and slowly become enemies, typically as the result of some shared traumatic event. In British author William Golding’s 1954 novel, Lord of the Flies, a group of English school boys are being evacuated during World War II, but their plane is shot down on a deserted island in the Pacific Ocean. The boys begin their adventure as friends, or at least as comrades working together for a common goal: survival. The character Ralph is smart and thoughtful. He tries to set up rules for the others to live by. Meanwhile, Jack becomes obsessed with hunting for food and focuses on that task at the expense of the group’s rules.
Over time, the former schoolmates are divided into two groups, with Ralph’s side focused on maintaining order and rules, and Jack’s side falling more and more into savagery. By the novel’s end, Jack and his band are hunting down Ralph with the intent to kill him. In Golding’s novel, the bonds of friendship represent a piece of civilization that, when absent, can devolve into primal savagery.
Bibliography
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Carver, Judy Golding. “What Lord of the Flies Is Really About.” The Guardian, 20 Apr. 2018, www.theguardian.com/books/2018/apr/20/what-lord-of-the-flies-is-really-about. Accessed 13 June 2024.
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