Friendship: a relationship of mutual affection between two or more people. True friendship is so loosely defined that even a dictionary definition is not truly correct, as a relationship of mutual affection between two or more people can relate to unfriendly situations that are both mutual, as well. Having true friendship and love are both defined through the eyes of the beholder, yet there are specific parts that make up each situation. In the novels The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Huston, friendship and romance are themes that constantly follow throughout both novels. In The Things They Carried, the narrator shares many different war stories with the reader, each of which features its
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It is common knowledge that for soldiers, war is usually followed by PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). Obviously, such a traumatizing experience would allow even strangers to bond together, and that is exactly what happens. This situation is shown throughout the entirety of The Things They Carried. The narrator explains that the soldiers “shared the weight of memory. They took up what others could no longer bear. Often, they carried each other, the wounded or weak” (p14). This is an example of how soldiers become more than just soldiers to each other; they become friends. They help each other out in every way that they can, and this entire concept of friendship between them is created just because of their shared experience during the war. Additionally, in Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie’s life with her first husband, Logan, indicates how difficult a relationship can be without the persons involved going through the same, or at least similar, experiences. While Janie’s grandmother wants Janie to be a beautiful trophy wife who is “sittin’ on porches lak de white madam” (114), Logan expects Janie to help out with some of the tougher work that (during this time period) is more commonly known for men to do. Logan describes Janie as “spoilt rotten” and discloses that “[his] fust wife never …show more content…
In The Things They Carried and Their Eyes Were Watching God, the authors of each novel use the main characters in the story to illustrate how true connections are formed during the characters’ decisions and journeys through the novel. More specifically, these true relationships are both created and made permanent through three significant ways: sharing common experiences, having mutual trust constantly being around in the relationship, and by allowing both people to always be there for their significant other, no matter what may happen. The difference between just enjoying another person’s presence and truly being friends or in love with that person is evident, as true relationships will never end. Perhaps a better way of defining friendship may include all of the things previously mentioned, as well as the fact that true relationships last for a
It is common knowledge that for soldiers, war is usually followed by PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). Obviously, such a traumatizing experience would allow even strangers to bond together, and that is exactly what happens. This situation is shown throughout the entirety of The Things They Carried. The narrator explains that the soldiers “shared the weight of memory. They took up what others could no longer bear. Often, they carried each other, the wounded or weak” (p14). This is an example of how soldiers become more than just soldiers to each other; they become friends. They help each other out in every way that they can, and this entire concept of friendship between them is created just because of their shared experience during the war. Additionally, in Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie’s life with her first husband, Logan, indicates how difficult a relationship can be without the persons involved going through the same, or at least similar, experiences. While Janie’s grandmother wants Janie to be a beautiful trophy wife who is “sittin’ on porches lak de white madam” (114), Logan expects Janie to help out with some of the tougher work that (during this time period) is more commonly known for men to do. Logan describes Janie as “spoilt rotten” and discloses that “[his] fust wife never …show more content…
In The Things They Carried and Their Eyes Were Watching God, the authors of each novel use the main characters in the story to illustrate how true connections are formed during the characters’ decisions and journeys through the novel. More specifically, these true relationships are both created and made permanent through three significant ways: sharing common experiences, having mutual trust constantly being around in the relationship, and by allowing both people to always be there for their significant other, no matter what may happen. The difference between just enjoying another person’s presence and truly being friends or in love with that person is evident, as true relationships will never end. Perhaps a better way of defining friendship may include all of the things previously mentioned, as well as the fact that true relationships last for a