Themes of Friendship
In my view, the most dominant theme in this english course is friendship. There are many themes that come to mind, such as respect and human dignity, love, and overcoming obstacles, however all of these themes are important to friendship, and that is why I believe the theme of friendship is so powerful throughout the course. Respect and human dignity are needed for all friendships. Love grows out of friendship. Friendship can help you overcome obstacles, and is the foundation for love. You can see the thread of friendship in all of our readings throughout the course, The Suitcase Lady, Growing up Native, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Kite Runner. Even the old-fashion essay, Going Out for a Walk is about friendship. Allow me to explain in more detail why friendship is the dominant theme.
Going Out for a Walk
In Max Beerbohm’s informal essay that was written in 1918, although life back then was very different from today it says something that is still true about friendship and honouring the different interests and opinions of friends. In fact, differences between friends are what make things interesting.
One important aspect of friendship is reflected in the following passage. In his attempts to avoid going out for walks, Beerbohm says something very important about friendship. “People seem to think there is something inherently noble and virtuous in the desire to go for a walk. Any one thus desirous feels that he has a right to impose his will on whomever he sees comfortably settled in an arm-chair, reading. It is easy to say simply `No’ to an old friend. In the case of a mere acquaintance one wants some excuse.” Beerbohm is pointing out that you can be forthright to “old friends”, friends that you have had for a long time.
In studying Beerbohm’s essay I wrote about my own experience and how it is similar. My friend Gabriella likes to take me on walks to get me out for exercise. I am not always in the mood to go out, however, I appreciate and respect her offer. Gabby is an exciting type of girl with many intentions and her friendship means a lot to me, especially during these hard times during the COVID19 pandemic of 2020. Studying this essay this summer was a bit ironic to me as Beerbohm wrote this at the time of the Spanish Flu pandemic which spread worldwide from 1918 to 1919.
The Suitcase Lady
I believe the themes in The Suitcase Lady are compassion and respect for human dignity for all people, but I would argue that these are characteristics for what it takes to be a good friend and that is why friendship is a more dominant theme, even in this short essay.
The suitcase lady likely doesn’t have many friends due to her circumstances but the author writes that she exhibits an important characteristic of friendship — caring. “She cares passionately about the young, the old and the ones who suffer. So who cares about the suitcase lady?” The suitcase lady responds that “God takes care of me, that’s for sure,” she says, nodding thoughtfully. “But I’m not what you call crazy about religion. I believe always try to do the best to help people — the elderly, and kids, and my country, and my city of Toronto, Ontario.” The waitress in the essay is a friend to the suitcase lady. The waitress sees her regularly and convinces her boss that the suitcase lady is causing no harm and that she should be allowed to be in the doughnut shop. The waitress serves the suitcase lady with respect and compassion, two important attributes of friendship.
I try to treat all people with respect and compassion even those I pass on the street that are homeless. It hurts me to see homeless people struggling in our city, and I wish that more people would be aware of the struggles the homeless face and try to help. I do not like to see people pass homeless people on the street like they don’t exist. I believe that all people are human beings and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect regardless of their circumstances. These qualities are the foundations of friendship and the essay The Suitcase Lady continues the dominant theme of friendship in the course.
Growing Up Native
In Carol Geddes’ Growing Up Native the themes of sticking up for your rights and respect for others are featured, however, it is the friendships underlying her life that are hugely important. Carol Geddes’ friends were the dominant influences on her and inspired her to overcome her major obstacle of ‘growing up native”. It’s her friends that give her the strength and confidence to become a successful author, filmmaker, human rights advocate and spokesperson for her people.
In the essay, she writes, “Seven years later something happened to me that would change my life forever. I had moved to Ottawa with a man and was working as a waitress in a restaurant. One day, a friend invited me to her place for coffee. While I was there, she told me she was going to university in the fall and showed me her reading list. I’ll never forget the minutes that followed. I was feeling vaguely envious of her and, once again, inferior. I remember taking the paper in my hand, seeing the books on it and realizing, Oh, my God, I’ve read these books! It hit me like a thunderclap. I was stunned that books I had read were being read in university. University was for white kids, not native kids. We were too stupid, we didn’t have the kind of mind it took to do those things. My eyes moved down the list, and my heart started beating faster and faster as I suddenly realized I could go to university, too!” It’s these good friends that give her the courage to overcome her innate feelings that she isn’t as good as others because she is native, feelings that she has struggled with all her life.
I have relied on my friends to help me through times when I too didn’t feel like I was good enough. A lot of them are very encouraging during times when I am being negative towards either myself or an assignment that needs to be completed. My friend Grace is usually the one to always have something encouraging to say and I find it comforting how she helps me even in the smallest ways. I appreciate her support as well as that from all of my friends. Friendship makes a very real difference to our own lives and those of others. It’s not surprising that all of the essays so far can be connected to the theme of friendship.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
One obvious dominant theme in A Midsummer Night’s Dream is love, however, I believe that love grows out of friendship and without friendship there cannot be true love. Another theme of the play is loyalty. Loyalty is important in a relationship and builds trust between two people which is a foundation of friendship. Friendship is strengthened by love and loyalty and why friendship continues to be the dominant theme.
Friendship, loyalty and love are demonstrated amongst Lysander, Demetrius, Hermia, and Helena throughout the play despite that the lines of good and evil become blurred, causing jealousy, and questioned loyalty. The friendships amongst these characters are established right at the beginning of the play in Act 1, Scene 1. In the following lines, these friends are telling each other their secrets. Helena is telling Hermia and Lysander how much she loves Demetrius, and Hermia and Lysander are confiding in Helena that they are running away together. “And in the woods where often you and I Upon faint primrose beds were wont to lie, Emptying our bosoms of their counsel sweet, There my Lysander and myself shall meet. And thence from Athens turn away our eyes To seek new friends and stranger companies. Farewell sweet playfellow.” Also referenced in these lines is that Hermia and Lysander are going to the same place where Hermia and Helena tell each other secrets. This shows that Hermia and Helena are good friends.
When it comes to me and my friends, I am always there to listen if they need someone to talk to or if they are feeling sad. I do not consider myself the mom of the friend group, as that is primarily Catherine’s job, however, I still care deeply about my friends and their well being. I will offer them comfort and try to put a smile on their faces. Self love is one of the struggles our friend group has. But I always tell Zoe, Grace, and Catherine just how wonderful and beautiful they are. No one can replace them, and at the end of the day they are the star of their own show. This shows our love and loyalty to each other as true friends. This dominant theme of friendship shows itself again in the novel that I chose to read, The Kite Runner.
The Kite Runner
The Kite Runner is a story that follows the narrator, Amir, throughout the course of his life starting in Afghanistan where he was born. Amir is best friends with a boy named Hassan, who is the son of the servant who serves Amir’s family. While other important themes are family and love, the most dominant theme is friendship as we follow the twists and turns of Amir and Hassan’s friendship throughout the novel.
There are many aspects of the novel that shows the deep friendship between Amir and Hassan but one of my favourite passages is early in the novel when Amir is playing a trick on Hassan. Amir pretends to read to Hassan from a book but he is really making up the entire story. Hassan thinks that this is the best story that Hassan has ever told him. The words give a very endearing look at their friendship. What we find out is that this is a very important event in Amir’s life as it gives him his start as a writer. Just like in the essay Growing Up Native, friends can have a very positive impact on our lives.
Just like Amir, I also have a huge passion for writing. It is one of the qualities that I share with the main character of the novel. I started writing back in the sixth grade, and have wanted to pursue a career as an author ever since. I am always willing to share my latest pieces of writing with my friends. They give really heartwarming feedback and I appreciate it very much. It makes my day to hear that my friends enjoy my stories. On days when I have “writer’s block”, they encourage me. I am lucky to have friends that support my dream of being an author just as Hassan encouraged Amir to write his first story.
The examples that I have chosen show that friendship is the dominant theme of this course. The fact that I have found the theme of friendship in every one of the units of the course proves that it is the dominant theme. The essays, play and novel that I read are all so very different yet friendship is woven through all of them: Going Out for a Walk, The Suitcase Lady, Growing up Native, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Kite Runner. There are many other examples of friendship in the course that I didn’t discuss. If I had more time, I would be able to show how these too support the theme of friendship and why in my view it is the most important theme.