The Importance Of Friendship In The Serpent King

In order to prove how similarity influences friendships, it is critical to ensure that most friends are similar. There is no mathematical formula or accepted list of criteria for friendship formation. Put simply, just because two people are friends doesn’t necessarily mean they are similar. In fact, most people would probably agree that many friends are strikingly different from one another yet get along just as well as those who are similar. However, Dr. James Fowler, the well-known, widely published UCSD Professor of Medical Genetics and Political Science, takes things to the next level. Fowler explains that genetics itself plays a significant role in friendships and that friends often have similar genes(NPR 1). It’s astounding that two friends could be similar to this …show more content…
A study conducted by the UNC-Chapel Hill Carolina Population Center, an organization of experienced learners and professionals, further solidifies Fowler’s argument regarding genetics. The studies prove that genetic similarities exist between adolescent best friends(Guo 118). Clearly, friends likeness to each other is an extremely prominent factor in the strength of a friendship. Moreover, this similarity isn’t just apparent through the words of doctors and through formal studies; millions of similarities between friends can be observed every day. The Serpent King, a novel by Jeff Zentner, does an astonishing job of demonstrating the similarities between the three main characters, friends Dill, Lydia, and Travis. One of the similarities shared by two of these friends are the living conditions they need to endure. The author describes Travis’s house: “It was white and rundown with a weathered tin roof and wood stacked on the front porch”(9). This description is strikingly similar to that of Dill’s house. Zentner explains, “Dill got out and walked up to his