Category: Friendship

Social media is used worldwide with 45% of the world’s population using it. However social media isn’t always used in the correct way and can affect people’s mental states for the worst. More than half of teenage girls and approximately a third of teenage boys develop mental health problems due to social media. About a fifth of all teens have reported being bullied on social media and other users are receivers of offensive comments. Social platforms such as Twitter and Instagram can be the main area where it is common for spreading hurtful rumors, words, and abuse that can leave people feeling low and useless.

Researchers say that most people spend at least two hours social networking and messaging every day, anything more than two or three hours is classed as excessive use.

The top two main mental health problems that are easily developed by the overuse of social media are anxiety and depression. Peer pressure can cause any human the slightest bit of anxiety. Have you ever been peer pressured into doing something? Where there is a direct influence on yourself by peers. It is a very common issue that people with social media have to deal with. Nowadays teenagers feel majorly peer pressured over social media to do things such as drugs, sexting (sending inappropriate pictures), and misuse of drinking. Although they feel pressured into it, they make the decision primarily because they become anxious that they would be judged if they said no to doing it. However, the outcome of the event can lead to even worse outcomes such as severe anxiety. Even though they know it was wrong to partake in it, they still did it. This thought can eat people up inside and cause them to overthink about the situation. Leaving them to develop severe anxiety problems. The dark side of social media consists of these types of events on a daily basis. Situations like the examples above can lead people to a dark area in their lives making them feel depressed and developing low self-esteem.

There are a number of reasons why people develop mental health problems from excessive social media use. A survey was completed and showed that popular social media apps cause issues such as anxiety, depression, and body image. Although they are all problems the most common ones are cyberbullying and body typing. Cyberbullying can range from calling someone a name to telling them to kill themselves. Whatever is said in that way always affects people’s mental health. Many teenagers across the UK have suffered eating disorders such as anorexia due to cyberbullying this was caused by being called fat or overweight, which is only one of the many mental health problems that can develop. A big part of social media is the number of likes you can receive on a post. Many people look at their likes and start to change themselves to try and receive more likes, this can also cause eating disorders due to them not eating to look like the photoshopped models they see online. Even though people know that images they are viewing on social media are manipulated and edited, they still manage to make teens insecure about how they look or what’s going on in their lives.

On the other hand, research also shows that routine social media use can also have a big positive effect on mental health. For instance, using social media as part of everyday routine and responding to posts, etc that others share is positively associated with health outcomes. There may also be an emotional connection to social media, an example of this is, checking apps excessively to block out the possible fear of missing out, being disappointed, or feeling disconnected from friends when not logged into social media. This can also be negatively associated with the outcomes. However, in more simple terms, these ideas can suggest that as long as people are mindful, the routine use of social media may not in itself be a problem and in fact could be beneficial for people’s mental health. Through using social media young people like to express themselves in ways they cannot in the real-life world. It is very common for people nowadays to make friends with people through social media platforms. Creating these friendships can benefit people’s mental health very quickly knowing they have someone to speak to or interact with.

However, it is important to focus on the long-lasting negative consequences that the impact social media has on people’s mental health and well-being. Once self-esteem is knocked and affected by negativity it tends to take a period of time to return back to what it was like before events took place. It is highly common for teenagers to compare themselves to others on social media. As it takes a while to regain self-esteem in that period of time where it is coming back people tend to feel worthless and not worth it. This can result in self-harm; self-harm affects 13% of young people between the ages of 12-16 years of age. Self-harm scars are a constant reminder of what they went through and what happened, therefore this shows that once someone feels a certain way eg low about their self-esteem it does not just go away there always will be a reminder somewhere. Whether it is physical scars or a mental reminder knowing that someone said what they said or did what they did. However, some people not only self-harm but end up taking their own lives. Not only does this affect the person whose life has been lost but their family and friends, they have to live day to day thinking that they did not do enough to help the person who was lost.

In conclusion, it is very clear to see that social media is a mental health killer. The dark side of social media is forever going to be there. Although there is good that comes from using social media, the number of bad things does outweigh the good. People’s mental state can and most likely is forever changed due to the circumstances they have faced and how it affected them in the long term. I strongly believe that social media is a secret mental health killer, parents are uneducated about what their children are doing on their phones and other media platforms. This then leads to issues that can snowball into bigger problems leaving people with scars both physically and mentally. Researchers say the more you prioritize social media interaction over in-person, the more you are at risk for developing mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression. Every human being needs face-to-face contact to be mentally healthy.

Bibliography

1. https://childmind.org/article/is-social-media-use-causing-depression/
2. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/social-media-and-mental-health.htm#:~:text=However%2C%20multiple%20studies%20have%20found,about%20your%20life%20or%20appearance.
3. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/social-media-positive-mental-health/
4. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/social-media-mental-health-negative-effects-depression-anxiety-addiction-memory-a8307196.html

In the modern world, individuals could say that with all the technology, information, and news outlets, friendship could be a thing of the past. In today’s world, individuals have so much information and messaging surrounding them that it could impact their view of friendship. When looking around at our public places today, people everywhere have a cell phone looking at facebook, news feeds, and text messages; however, no one is talking to the other person face to face. While friendship does not benefit everyone, friendship is likely to be affected negatively because of the uses of social media, the contemporary role of spirituality, and workplace friendship play in people’s lives.

Firstly, individuals might think social media has negatively impacted friendship. Individuals might say that social media has the most substantial impact is a perspective that “social websites harm children’s brains” (Vernon, 2010, p. 106). However, another individual might spend most of there free time online, the damage caused to the brain is no reversible, resulting in damage to nerves and connections inside the brain (Vernon, 2010, p. 107). A view that if we start children off to early with technology that they may not have the ability to talk face to face because of the damage caused at a young age. Some individuals could say that one could become inept if they do not learn how to interact with face-to-face interaction (Vernon, 2010, p. 121). It paints a picture that if someone spends to much time on social media that it impacts in areas of face-to-face, problem-solving, and physical impacts of social interaction.

Secondly, individuals view how the contemporary role of spirituality of friendship is viewed negatively; however, individuals might say “spirituality of friendship is not something that can simply be ceded” (Vernon, 2010, p. 222). Making a point that some individuals still think that “spirituality can be seen to have an influence on the ethical climate of organizations (Nair, Sivakumar, 2018, p. 9). It provides us with a statement that the individuals in organizations see that spirituality is an influencer that has an impact on friendship; however, “stress prevailing in the workplace is another important catalyst for the introduction of workplace spirituality” (Nair, Sivakumar, 2018, p. 8). It is not only an issue in organizations and workplaces but the mainstream notions of friendship, the individual approach to one’s quality of life or one’s beliefs ( Vernon, 2010, p.222). These views of the spirituality of friendship have impacted the contemporary role and will continue to affect the way individuals think of spirituality of friendship.

Finally, individuals view of how workplace friendship plays a vital role in people’s lives. A “good friend is that they are always there for you and thus have a kind of unconditional utility” (Vernon, 2010, p.23); however, what this hurts is friendships in the workplace. When looking at workplace relationships, “organizational settings, [and] relationships with peers significantly influence key employee outcomes” (Pillemer, Rothbard, 2018, p. 636). It is a fact that“research has demonstrated the paradox that rewarding personal connections at work can also lead to detrimental outcomes for both friends and those outside the friendship” (Pillemer, Rothbard, 2018, p. 636). These relationships in the workplace can have impacts on “social exchange and clique formation suggests that we should also consider the effects on those outside these bonds, as well as on the organization’s functioning” (Pillemer, Rothbard, 2018, p. 639). It is creating an extensive path of dismay not only for the employee, employer, but the others inside and outside the workplace.

Lastly, the fate of friendship is likely to be affected negatively in contemporary ethics-based off of the effects of social media, spirituality, and the workplace on people’s lives. These factors can be stressors that start from how an individual might spend most of there free time online, the lack of human interaction, how spirituality affects friendships in the workplace, and relationships with peers significantly influence key employee outcomes. All these things have a direct impact on how one might view friendships; however, like everything thing, it is up to the individuals involved to determine what an outcome might be.

References

1. Nair, R. S., & Sivakumar, V. (2018). Investigating the Impact of Workplace Spirituality on Ethical Climate. IUP Journal of Organizational Behavior, 17(3), 7–27. Retrieved from https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=131598360&site=eds-live&scope=site
2. Pillemer, J., & Rothbard, N. P. (2018). Friends Without Benefits: Understanding the Dark Sides of Workplace Friendship. Academy of Management Review, 43(4), 635–660. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2016.0309
3. Vernon, M. (2010). The Meaning of Friendship. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.

Using films and movies as a platform to ventilate social messages is identified as a common measure that directors and producers use extensively. In the case of reviewing ‘Thelma and Louise’ and ‘Amelie’ as clearly feminist films, it is important to understand the background of the movies and the perception that those two movies possess in order to analyze the feminist approach at a popular glance. It is obvious that both films follow different perspectives in the feminist context and try to deliver a unique though relevant social perception of feminism. Therefore, this discussion is going to review both the films and critically analyse them so that the paradigm of feminism portrayed in those movies can be evaluated properly.

As far as Amelie is concerned, this French film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet in 2001 was a milestone in international film history due to its cinematography and the acting of protagonist Audrey Tautou. From an apparent perspective, it can be argued that Amelie is basically a romantic comedy on a sepia-tone screen. The story of the film is quite romantic and based on the life of Amelie played by Audrey Tautou (filminquiry.com., 2018). However, there is definitely some correlation between the story of Amelie and the feminist approach in present times. There are some layers in the life of young Amelie that were portrayed clearly in the film. First of all, the childhood of Amelie was messed up because of the illness of her parents. The story went in a way that due to unstable childhood, Amelie became a restricted and secluded woman in her adulthood. However, she had a pleasant life with happiness and simplicity on her face. In this point, it can be argued that the director tried to create a stereotype of women in society where despite having enormous problems in life, a woman should look pretty and happy (Gordon, 2016). The director splendidly utilized the gender stereotypes that society possesses in order to portray an image of so-called women in society.

Based on the research of Marecek (2016) gender is considered to be a binary system and a biological identification that became a stereotype in society. The typecast notion of women is to have a pretty face and a humble nature. However, in the course of the movie Amelie, there is a rapid transformation in the notion of women in society where the movie tries to project the power and control of a woman as Amelie decides to make others happy around her. In this regard, the post-modernist theory of women in society is reflected clearly in the second phase of the movie where Amelie tries to appease the people around her. In this perspective, there is a sharp distinction between the feminist theory in France and the Anglo-American perspective. The American perspective is more of a women-centric approach but the French notion strictly corroborates with the fact of gender equality (Turner & Maschi, 2015). This equality was clearly reflected in the film Amelie where she acted like a human being rather than identified with her gender specific features. From that point of view, Amelie was a clear example of the Post-modern feminist approach and the director was able to portray the image of Amelie as well-controlled and humane enough.

On the other hand, in the movie Thelma and Louise, an Anglo-American perception of feminism can be found in terms of using a women-centric film from its casting to the scriptwriter. The notion of Sexual Politics propounded by Kate Millett was clearly reflected in the film where the heroic nature and patriarchal chivalry popped up several times (Shanthini, 2016). The vivid scene where Thelma played by Geena Davis was raped by Timothy Carhart in the parking lot. The murder of Timothy Carhart by Susan Sarandon as Louise clearly projected the gruesome picture of male male-dominated society where it is very common for women to get assaulted. Moreover, the rigid feminist approach can also be seen in the case of Thelma and Louise where the authorship of the film was made by a woman (Denney, 2016). Screenwriter Callie Khouri wrote the script of Thelma and Louise and maintained strict guidelines of a strong feminist approach from the start of the film. Smith (2016) also identified another core identification of feminism in film in terms of using female friendship and heteronormative romance. In the case of Thelma and Louise, the friendship between Thelma and Louise was clearly addressed and succeeded in emphasizing the heteronormative romances by giving up their lives at the end.

The last scene of the film was quite interesting where the death of Thelma and Louise projected as an emancipation of women from the bondage of patriarchal social dominance. The film followed the hard line of the feminist approach where the imposition of male-dominated practices made Thelma and Louise agitate and act as a protest against gender biases (exploringyourmind.com, 2018). Therefore, a semi-lesbian interpretation was also related to the discussion where same-sex friendship outplayed the heterosexual relationship. From that point of view, it can be stated that there are some unique and radical feminist approaches that Thelma and Louise portrayed that went against patriarchal chauvinism and tried to establish themselves distinctively.

Based on the above discussion, it can be concluded that Amelie was very different from Thelma and Louise in terms of the portrayal of feminism in a wider aspect and the use of different theories and concepts of feminism within the paradigm of French Feminism. Gender equality is of paramount importance in French feminism as a part of post-modernist notions. In comparison to this, Anglo-American feminism is more radical in the sense it is more women-centric. In Thelma and Louise, the strong message of Anglo-American feminism made it more core of the radical feminist approach. Therefore, it can be argued that Amelie portrays a better picture of feminism whereas Thelma and Louise were limited itself to the stereotypes of feminism from the very first.

Reference

1. Denney, A. (2016). Dissecting the feminist legacy of Thelma & Louise. Retrieved 26 July 2019, from https://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/31284/1/dissecting-the-feminist-legacy-of-thelma-louise
2. exploringyourmind.com. (2018). Thelma and Louise, A Feminist Shout in a Man’s World — Exploring your mind. Retrieved 26 July 2019, from https://exploringyourmind.com/thelma-and-louise-a-feminist-shout-in-a-mans-world/
3. filminquiry.com. (2019). AMÉLIE: Manic Pixie Dream Girl Or Feminist? | Film Inquiry. Retrieved 26 July 2019, from https://www.filminquiry.com/amelie-manic-pixie/
4. Gordon, L. (2016). ‘Intersectionality’, Socialist Feminism and Contemporary Activism: Musings by a Second‐Wave Socialist Feminist. Gender & History, 28(2), 340-357.
5. Marecek, J. (2016). Invited reflection: Intersectionality theory and feminist psychology. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 40(2), 177-181.
6. Shanthini, R. (2016). A critical review of popular technological solutions for climate change as evident in the movie industry. Sri Lanka Journal of Social Sciences, 39(1).
7. Smith, K. (2016). As a feminist film, ‘Thelma & Louise’ fails miserably. Retrieved 26 July 2019, from https://nypost.com/2016/04/07/as-a-feminist-film-thelma-louise-fails-miserably/
8. Turner, S. G., & Maschi, T. M. (2015). Feminist and empowerment theory and social work practice. Journal of Social Work Practice, 29(2), 151-162.

In both the books that have been studied, which are “Moby Dick” by Herman Melville and “On the road” by Jack Kerouac the theme of friendship and trust emerges. In the book “Moby Dick” Captain Ahab and Ishmael and their friends go on a journey in the ocean to find a white sperm whale named “Moby Dick”. This whale had eaten Captain Ahab’s leg before and thus he wanted to get revenge by killing the whale and teaching it a lesson. And in “On the Road” there are three young friends who want to conquer the world together by going on a reckless road trip around The Unites States of America. They proceed with this thought because they want to be away from their everyday surroundings and free from mind-boggling thoughts. By doing this road trip they feel happy and precious. Friendship is vital for the hit well-being of everyone. It is based totally on the easy policies of accepting as true with and honesty. An authentic pal is a person you could usually assume while you face demanding situations and severe troubles.

A good friendship is the one which a person could trust without even thinking about it for even a second. Captain Ahab dedicates his team and ship to destroy Moby Dick, a white sperm whale because he sees this whale as the dwelling embodiment of all this is evil and malignant inside the universe. By ignoring the physical risks that this quest involves placing himself in opposition to different men and presuming yo understand and fight evil and cosmic scale, Ahab arrogantly defies the limitations imposed upon people. “In life, the visible surface of the Sperm Whale is not the least among the many marvels he presents. Almost invariably it is all over obliquely crossed and re-crossed with numberless straight marks in thick array, something like those in the finest Italian line engravings….. By my retentive memory of the hieroglyphics upon one Sperm

Whale in particular, I was much struck with a plate representing the old Indian characters chiselled on the famous hieroglyphic palisades on the banks of the Upper Mississippi. Like those mystic rocks, too, the mystic-marked whale remains undecipherable.” (Melville 110). The author is trying to describe the grief he has because of Moby Dick. The white sperm whale had eaten Ahab’s leg. He wants to get revenge on the whale by killing it and going on a conquest to find where it is dwelling. In the process of this hatred, he meets Ishmael and his friend who are desperate to go on a voyage in the ocean.

The major war splits into two components truthful and metaphorical. The honest battle is the search for an area to settle down and establish a meaningful life. However afflicted dean and sal retain to roam the states and are constantly ‘On the Road’ searching for something new and exciting and exceptional. The author is trying to portray the lives of the people who just want to quit. Because of the everyday struggles in the lives of the characters.”In those days he really didn’t know what he was talking about; that is to say, he was a young jail kid all hung-up on the wonderful possibilities of becoming a real intellectual, and he liked to talk in the tone and using the words, but in a jumbled way, that he had heard from ‘real intellectuals’ – although, mind you, he wasn’t so naive as that in all other things, and it took him just a few months with Carlo Marx to become completely in there with all the terms and jargon. Nonetheless, we understood each other on other levels of madness, and I agreed that he could stay at my house till he found a job and furthermore we agreed to go out West sometime. That was the winter of 1947”(Kerouac 100)

Both novels share the themes of friendship and adventure. In both texts, the author is expressing a voyage. In both novels, the theme of friendship and trust emerges which helps the group of friends to go on a voyage to conquer their dreams. In Moby Dick, the Protagonist is Ishmael who wants to go out on an adventure in the ocean. He finds out a ship called the Pequod who’s Captain is Ahab. Who had lost a leg to a white sperm whale named Moby Dick and wants revenge on it by going on a quest and killing the whale. In the book, the theme of friendship is portrayed throughout the text because it is the main focus the author is trying to communicate “I was a good Christian; born and bred in the bosom of the infallible Presbyterian Church. How then could I unite with this wild idolator in worshipping his piece of wood? But what is worship? thought I. Do you suppose now, Ishmael, that the magnanimous God of heaven and earth – pagans and all included – can possibly be jealous of an insignificant bit of black wood? Impossible! But what is worship? – to do the will of God – that is worship. And what is the will of God? – to do to my fellow man what I would have my fellow man to do to me – that is the will of God. Now, Queequeg is my fellow man. And what do I wish that this Queequeg would do to me? Why unite with me in my particular Presbyterian form of worship. Consequently, I must then unite with him in his; ergo, I must turn idolator. So I kindled the shavings; helped prop up the innocent little idol; offered him burnt biscuit with Queequeg; salaamed before him twice or thrice; kissed his nose; and that done, we undressed and went to bed, at peace with our own consciences and all the world.”(Melville 289)

In On the Road, the protagonist and his two friends want to go on an adventurous trip in the States. The reason behind this is that they are troubled with their everyday life and want to be away from everything that this is distracting them from living a happy life.“I believed in a good home, insane and sound living, in good food, good times, work, faith and hope. I have always believed in these things. It was with some amazement that I realized I was one of the few people in the world who really believed in these things without going around making a dull middle-class philosophy out of it. I was suddenly left with nothing in my hands but a handful of crazy stars.” (Kerouac 189)

In this book, the protagonist and his two friends want to go on an adventurous trip to the States. The reason behind this is that they are troubled with their everyday life and want to be away from everything that this is distracting them from living a happy life. The characters want to live a good life so that can get rid of drugs and all the bad deeds that they have done in their lives. On the Road is a singular of characters extra than of plot, of moods and places, visions described, and especially, the unceasing motion of the characters. It is all centred at the hero, Dean Moriarty. Here the scene is ready, with descriptions of Sal’s life earlier than Dean, and foreshadowing of their sadder, older lives after this era. In the primary sentence, Sal says that he has just split along with his wife and recovered from a serious contamination. He feels depressed and tired, stagnant. Dean’s arrival and personality spark the whole lot into motion. Sal has always dreamed of the West, where he has by no means been, and Dean, the personification of Sal’s dream of the West, arrives. The topic of thoughts of the East–highbrow, stagnant, old, saddened, and vital–versus ideas of the West–passionate, younger, exuberant and wild–starts here; characters are regularly defined with the attributes of the locations which they’re from–or alternatively, Sal’s idea of that area. Both Dean, ‘Western kinsman of the solar,’ and the West, for Sal, are new horizons, wild, open and loose.

Friendship is vital for the hit well-being of everyone. It is based totally on the easy policies of accepting as true with and honesty. An authentic pal is a person you could usually assume while you face demanding situations and severe troubles. Both novels portray the benefits of having good friends in life. In each of the books that have been studied, that are “Moby Dick” by Herman Melville and “On the road” with the aid of Jack Kerouac the subject of friendship and agree with emerges. In the ebook “Moby Dick” Captain Ahab and Ishmael and their friends pass on a journey in the ocean to discover a white sperm whale named “Moby Dick”. This whale had eaten Captain Ahab’s leg before and consequently, he wanted to get revenge by using killing the whale and teaching it a lesson. And in “On the Road” there are three younger friends who want to conquer the sector collectively by going on a reckless road experience round The Unites States of America. They continue with this notion because they want to be away from their everyday environment and free from mind-boggling thoughts. By doing this street ride they feel satisfied and precious.

Friendship is a significant part of an individual’s life. Friendship brings warmth, comfort, and joy. As friends, people should be responsible and loyal to others. In the book Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck relates friendship to responsibility between people. George and Lennie have true companionship where they take care of each other. George is responsible for taking care of Lennie due to his disabilities and childlike behaviors. Lennie is concerned if George gets injured or killed by others and ensures he gives no trouble to George. My personal experience is similar to George, where I take care of my neighbor who has learning disabilities and aggressive behaviors when angry. The main idea is having the responsibility of a person who we care for. This creates a better personality for people.

The role of friendship is taking care of each other and gives support when needed. Lennie suffers a mentally challenged disability but understands the responsibility of keeping George safe and secure from others. The moment where crook was talking about George getting injured or killed by others, Lennie seems concerned and said: “George won’t do anything like that,”… “George is careful. He won’t get hurt. He ain’t never been hurt,’ cause he’s careful.” Suggests his care, commitment towards George and his emotional feelings after hearing about George’s injury even though it was an assumption. As Lennie realizes he has caused many troubles to George and imagining Aunt Clara facing forward at him, he says “I will go right off in the hills an’ I’ll fin’ a cave an’ I’ll live there so I won’t be no more trouble to George.” Suggest Lennie is depressed and feels guilty about causing problems to George and no longer be a burden.

Friendship is when someone is close to an individual, they care about one’s feeling and trust each other when tough times. George is a remarkable friend towards Lennie because he takes responsibility for caring for him each day of his life and hangs out with Lennie all the time. Instant where George and Lennie were chatting to the owner of the barn, George says “He’s my….. cousin. I told his old lady I’d take care of him.” Demonstrates George’s obligation with a lie of being Lennie’s cousin. Cousins have responsibilities of ensuring each other’s safety and they provide support as well as love. “The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger.” George also takes responsibility when he shoots Lennie at the backbone of the head, as per he had no other choice, otherwise, Curley and his group would kill him.

Amir’s journey to make up for himself makes up the core of The Kite Runner. At an opportune time, Amir endeavors to make up for himself in Baba’s eyes, essentially in light of the fact that his mom passed away while giving birth to him, and he feels responsible. To make up for himself to Baba, Amir figures he should win the kite-competition and present to Baba the losing kite, the two of which are inducing episodes that set the remainder of the novel . The more significant piece of Amir’s quest for recovery, notwithstanding, originates from his blame with respect to Hassan. That blame drives the climactic occasions of the story, including Amir’s adventure to Kabul to discover Sohrab and his encounter with Assef. The ethical standard Amir must meet to gain his reclamation is set from the get-go in the book, when Baba says that a kid who doesn’t go to bat for himself turns into a man who can’t confront anything. As a kid, Amir neglects to go to bat for himself. As a grown-up, he can just make up for himself by demonstrating he has the fortitude to go to bat for what is correct.

The Kite Runner centers almost exclusively around male connections. While the connection between father and child is critical to the novel, male fellowship is focal too. Amir’s association with Hassan is the most evident model. “Hassan and I fed from the same breasts. We took our first steps on the same lawn in the same yard. And, under the same roof, we spoke our first words.” The storyteller Amir thinks back on his adolescence in Afghanistan and reviews the bond he had with another kid, Hassan. Despite the fact that now in the story Amir accepts he and Hassan are not siblings by blood, both grew up under a similar rooftop and they encouraged from similar bosoms, which legitimizes the bond he feels with Hassan. This statement reveals one of the fundamental subjects of the book, the obligations of fellowship. In spite of the fact that the two are steady colleagues, Amir’s unrivaled economic wellbeing causes a power contrast between them, which is later muddled when Amir discovers that Hassan is really his stepbrother. Amir understands that the support Baba demonstrated Hassan was that of a dad to a child, and he thinks about the manner in which he let his envy degenerate his kinship with Hassan. Regardless of this hazardous dynamic, Hassan is plainly a superb companion, as shown by his ability to help Amir in any event, when it is troublesome or perilous to do as such. This steadfastness is confirm most plainly by Hassan’s kite-running, and his refusal to give Assef the kite he keeps running for Amir, coming about in Assef raping Hassan as discipline. Rahim Khan is another significant character for understanding male companionship in the novel. He is a companion to both Baba and Amir, and in those connections, he plays the job of pushing back against the faulty decisions the two men make. Rahim Khan can play this job since he involves a similar social situation as Baba and Amir. It is Rahim Khan who knows his companions’ deepest privileged insights—that Baba laid down with Ali’s significant other and Amir permitted Hassan’s assault—but then he doesn’t master these insider facts over them, rather being a voice of reason and get back to different characters to goodness. Rahim Khan’s profound quality is apparent in his telephone call to grown-up Amir, in which he states ‘there is an approach to be great once more.’ As a companion, Rahim furnishes Amir with ‘an approach to end the cycle’ of treacheries and privileged insights.

The focal character of the story just as its storyteller, Amir has a privileged childhood. His dad, Baba, is rich by Afghan principles, and subsequently, Amir grows up acclimated with having what he needs. The main thing he feels denied of is a profound enthusiastic association with Baba, which he faults on himself. He thinks Baba wishes Amir were increasingly similar to him, and that Baba considers him answerable for slaughtering his mom, who kicked the bucket during his introduction to the world. Amir, therefore, acts desirously toward anybody accepting Baba’s friendship. “Amir is going to be a great writer,’ Baba said. I did a double take at this. ‘He has finished his first year of college and earned A’s in all of his courses.” Baba needs to dazzle General Taheri with his child’s achievements, so he gloats about Amir’s evaluations. This remark makes Amir stop, since he knows it’s not so much precise. He likewise realizes that Baba covertly objects to his craving to turn into an essayist and offers General Taheri’s conclusion that it’s an exercise in futility. However, Baba still says it. He shows the two his longing to intrigue General Taheri and a hesitant pride in his child.His association with Hassan just worsens this. In spite of the fact that Hassan is Amir’s closest companion, Amir feels that Hassan, a Hazara worker, is underneath him. When Hassan gets Baba’s consideration, Amir attempts to stand up for himself by inactive forcefully assaulting Hassan. He taunts Hassan’s numbness, for example, or pulls pranks on him. Simultaneously, Amir never figures out how to champion himself against any other person on the grounds that Hassan consistently guards him. These variables play into his weakness in giving up Hassan, his opposition for Baba’s affection, so as to get the blue kite, which he thinks will present to him Baba’s endorsement. The adjustment in Amir’s character we find in the novel focuses on his development from a narrow minded youngster to a sacrificial grown-up. In the wake of permitting Hassan to be assaulted, Amir isn’t any more joyful. Despite what might be expected, his blame is tireless, and he perceives his childishness cost him his joy as opposed to expanding it. When Amir has hitched and built up a vocation, just two things anticipate his total satisfaction: his blame and his powerlessness to have a kid with Soraya. Sohrab, who goes about as a substitute for Hassan to Amir, really turns into an answer for the two issues. Amir depicts Sohrab as resembling a symbol of atonement during his showdown with Assef, however it is really himself that Amir valiantly forfeits. In doing this, as Hassan once accomplished for him, Amir makes up for himself, which is the reason he feels help even as Assef beats him. Amir additionally comes to see Sohrab as a substitute for the kid he and Soraya can’t have, and as a generous dad figure to Sohrab, Amir expect the jobs of Baba and Hassan.

There were many themes in The Kite Runner but the two main ones were the search for redemption and male friendships. Since the bone chilling day in the winter of 1975, Amir had kept on recalling the occasions that happened on that day and it kept on consuming him. Hassan had been steadfast and committed to Amir by facing others when he was too fearful to even think about standing up for himself, and Hassan even disclosed to him he genuinely would do anything he requested that he do. At the point when Amir got the opportunity to give back in kind, he was an over the top defeatist and fled from everything, trusting he could overlook what he saw. In America decades later, Amir realized that when Rahim Khan called him, it was an opportunity at recovery. He consented to come back to Kabul to face and endeavor to compensate Hassan for what he had done by searching for his vagrant child, Sohrab. Amir made amends for his activities in his past by remembering those urgent snapshots of his kid hood to proceed with his adventure towards reclamation. Amir was effectively ready to alleviate his blame through coming back to Kabul, crushing and safeguarding Sohrab from Assef, lastly focusing on Sohrab that he would remain faithful to him, which he showed by going kite running for him and saying he would do as such, “ A thousand times over.”

What does friendship mean to you? Does it reflect your bond with others, or could it be a type of unseeable scale showing how much you trust and care for someone? No matter what this word means to you, there is no denying that the bonds associated with the word hold special meaning to people, and friendship is something we all truly need. Maybe that is the reason it holds groups of people together. Can you imagine what your life would be like without the friendships you have created? It seems like there would not be much to live for. In S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders, friendship is the glue that bonds groups of people together and gives them a reason to survive, no matter the difference in wealth or conflicts.

Although Socs and Greasers might not live the same life, both of these “gangs” are held together through friendship. There is nearly nothing that they would not do for other members of their group. We see this to be true whenever Johnny saves Ponyboy’s life by having to murder another person. Johnny is seemingly not a violent kid in his shy description, and you would definitely not expect him to be able to kill someone, no matter the circumstances. This is especially true, since we are aware that Johnny has been easily beaten by the Socs before. It was different for Johnny when he saw that Ponyboy’s life was on the line, when Ponyboy was nearly drowned by a group of Socs. Ponyboy is Johnny’s best friend, and basically his family. We can easily see that this friendship means a lot to Johnny. So, Johnny did what he had to do to keep his friend alive, and that resulted in an act of self-defense that left a young man murdered. After Johnny committed this act of defense, he let Ponyboy know that he did it to save him. Johnny pleads, “I had to. They were drowning you, Pony. And they had a blade…” (Hinton 57). We know that Johnny ended up committing an unthinkable act because of the importance of his friendship with Ponyboy. This act quickly proved to us how important friendship can truly be.

Friends do stuff for their friends that they would probably not do for just some random person who does not mean much to them. For example, Ponyboy was willing to stay in the church with Johnny, even though he knew that he could stay at home without getting in trouble for the murder. The person who would get in trouble would be Johnny, but Ponyboy was not going to let him get in trouble, because after all, he did save Ponyboy’s life. But through all this, Johnny was still willing to go back home to turn himself in and face the consequences of his actions, because he knew that it wasn’t fair for Ponyboy to have to hide his life away as an innocent boy away from his family. Dally starts questioning Johnny about what his next plans are while they are still hiding out, and Johnny tells him something that could result in Johnny being in lots of trouble. But, he’s doing it for the sake of Ponyboy’s freedom. Johnny explains to Dally, “I’m sure. It ain’t fair for Ponyboy to have to stay up in that church with Darry and Soda worryin’ about him all the time” (Hinton 87). Friendship can often lead to you putting the well-being of others over your own well-being, and this example depicts this well.

Would your friend drop what they’re doing to come help you if you needed it? That is something that I am sure you have thought about at one point or another. In The Outsiders, Steve, Sodapop, Darry, Two-Bit, and Ponyboy all ran to Dally’s rescue as soon as he called for help. After Johnny passed away, Dally came to his breaking point, and he robbed a grocery store. This caused the cops to be after Dally, so he called the gang for help, even though we later realized that he did not truly want their help. After Darry talks with Dally on the phone, he says, “It was Dally. He phoned from a booth. He’s just robbed a grocery store and the cops are after him. We gotta hide him. He’ll be at the lot in a minute” (Hinton 153). The gang did not even think about going to help Dally, it was just instinct to go help their friend while they knew that he was in possible danger. The book reads, “We all left the house at a dead run, even Steve, and I wondered vaguely why no one was doing somersaults off the steps this time” (Hinton 153). This really portrays the meaning of friendship, as the boys didn’t even second guess going to help Dally, although it could have landed them in trouble with the police. This is just one more example showing the importance of friendship to this group of boys.

In S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders, friendship is the glue that bonds groups of people together and gives them a reason to survive, no matter the difference in wealth or conflicts. The examples that I showed you have backed up this theme very well. I gave you reasons as to why this group of people is held together through friendship, and why their friendship is basically the most stable thing in all of their crazy lives. If some of these boys didn’t have the friendship with the rest of the gang, they would probably have nobody. Too many of them have a bad home life, so this gang is all that they have, and all that they depend on. At the beginning of this essay I asked you if you could picture your life without all of the important friendships or bonds that you have created. So, after reading this essay, do you see why it would be hard to live a life without friendship? I hope you do, because your friendships are a big part of what makes you the way that you are. That is the reason that I chose friendship as the theme of The Outsiders by S.E.

In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain helps Huck and Jim grow closer, and Huck no longer sees Jim as a slave, but as a human being. The main topic being discussed is racism, and Twain points out that there is hope for the future despite the lack of progress that has been made. In the end, at the time of the novel’s announcement in 1885, Twain copied the state of the nation, showing in the end that while he is humble about the progress made towards racial equality, he remains hopeful about future growth.

Twain makes Jim and Huckleberry’s entire journey a belief and value that a person has in society, as well as moral extremes. Twain’s comment on the ignorance of the southern people and other protestors who criticise the government but don’t really want to change anything is about Pap’s rant where he refuses to take part in their country’s government for letting a person of color vote. Misled political and ideological belief is equally hurtful as illustrated by the Grangerford- Shepherdson feud in which nobody knows “what the row was about in the first place”. With this example, Twain attacks the unconcerned Americans who don’t care about the country, as well as the Mexican and Civil Wars nationalists. He also criticized those who claim that the country can be changed into an almost ideal state based on Christian morality by what the new judge seeks to do with Pap when he ‘said he’d make a man out of Pap’, but Pap responds by “trading his new coat for a jug of forty-rod” and getting “drunk as a fiddler”. These and other incidents in the novel at the time show the nation’s social corruption and how many attempts will fail or even encourage the corruption to continue. Generally, Twain goes against any general strong belief in the country and refers to these views as the starting point for many of the troubles in society.

The main theme that Twain explores is racism which is done by explaining how Huck views the rights and wrongs of Jim’s enslavement. When Huck approaches Cairo, he contemplates the involvement of Jim and his freedom and “feels so low down and miserable he wishes he was dead”. Later, when the Phelps family captures Jim and Huck decides to free him, Huck thinks of Jim as a friend and “couldn’t seem to strike no places to harden himself against Jim”. The progression may not meet Huck’s choice to help Jim escape, as shown by his belief, “He’ll go to hell” for freeing Jim from the Phelps family.Throughout the novel Huck lies, he takes part in schemes, steals, and yet almost all of his problems are about slavery. As Huck wonders what to do with Mary Jane when the King and Duke threaten to steal the inheritance, slavery becomes involved when Mary Jane tells Huck her fears about the slaves sold for the reason that “she didn’t know how she could ever be happy… knowing the mother and children warn’t ever going to see each other no more”. As Huck shows an interest in the issue of slavery as he cares less about any other social situation, it shows the novel’s importance of slavery. Twain doesn’t have Huck consider common issues such as the justice of the national practice of slavery, Instead of trying to save Jim from the Phelps, Huck thinks of Jim as someone standing before him “sometimes in moonlight, sometimes in storms…talking, and singing, and laughing”, Twain shifts the focus from the common slavery issue to racism.

For all the characteristic doubts of Mark Twain, he ends The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn on a note which offers a hope for saving the future through the change in events of Huck Finn. By having Pap die and let Huck keep his six thousand dollars, Twain reveals that the protestors are dying off, leaving society in the hands of a younger generation that is familiar with a free, equal black race. Huck decides at the very end of the novel, “light out for the Territory ahead of the rest”. Having Huck do this, Twain shows that the nation can continue to progress and, in the years to come, offer the nation the chance to move forward and find opportunities to move above its acceptance of slavery. Twain, like many other Americans, saw hope in the future and in society for new beginnings. While not unusually flattering the nation in what has been done, Mark Twain shows confidence by stating that the opportunity for progress remains and the time may come when it is possible to recognize racial equality.

In conclusion, Mark Twain makes Huck realise that Jim is his friend. Twain makes Jim and Huckleberry’s entire journey a belief and value that a person has throughout society, as well as moral extremes. Twain discusses racism, which is emphasized by showing how Huck considers the rights and wrongs of Jim’s enslavement. At the end, he still reveals that he has hope for the future.

“Of Mice and Men” novel by John Steinbak contains two very different but yet similar main characters. George is an intelligent small, dark man while Lennie is the complete opposite. He is a “giant” of a man and isn’t as intelligent as his companion. He often gets himself and his friend in trouble. They are both hard working migrant workers that came to a stop miles away from a Californian farm where they are due to start work at. Candy’s and the dogs relationship is strong. The best way to describe their bond is “A dog is a man’s best friend”. George and Slim form a friendship that bonds over the fact that they are both a bit lonely.

Lennie and George have a very special friendship. Their friendship is best described as that of a big brother watching out for his little brother. In the beginning of this novel, George and Lennie stopped by a pool to camp overnight. As the night and converse progresses between them, it is clear that Lennie is extremely dependant upon George. George soon realizes that Lennie has a slight mental disability. An example would be when Lennie drinks river water and George knelt beside the pool and drank from his hand with quick scoops. ‘Tastes all right,’ he admitted. ‘Don’t really seem to be running, though. You never oughta drink water when it ain’t running, Lennie,’ (Steinback ) he said hopelessly. He threw water into his face and rubbed it around with his hand, under his chin and around the back of his neck. Then he replaced his hat, pushed himself back from the river, drew up his knees and embraced them. Lennie who had been closely observing him proceeds to do the same. He drew up his knees and embraced them. He looks to George quickly to see if he got the position just right. This is a major example of the bond between them. Another example is when George and Lennie had a small disagreement. “An’ whatta I got,” George went on furiously. “I got you! You can’t keep a job and you lose me ever’ job I get” (Steinback ).This is a great quote to show the parallels between the friendship of George and Lennie and that of two brothers. ‘‘We’ll have a cow,’ said George. ‘An’ we’ll have maybe a pig an’ chickens…an’ down the flat we’ll have a…little piece alfalfa—” (Steinback ). This shows how George cares about Lennie like brother would with each other.

Candy’s dog mirrors the character of Candy. The dog is shot because he is old and Candy is viewed the same. Candy has been with the dog the whole time and as he lies down, he recalls a memory. As Candy lies down on his bed he recalls old memories, ‘Well hell. I had him so long. Had him since he was a pup. Herded sheep with him’ (Steinback ). When Candy’s dog is killed, Candy wishes he had done it himself. He feels guilty about not having shot the dog himself. This shows the affection he had for his true companion. “Maybe it’d hurt him,” Candy suggested. “I don’t mind takin’ care of him.”Carlson said, “The way I’d shoot him, he wouldn’t feel nothing. I’d put the gun right there.” He pointed with his toe. “Right back of the head. He wouldn’t even quiver.” (Steinback ) This shows how Candy wants his dog to go out without any pain and he is extremely worried it would hurt. Another quote of this amazing friendship is “Yeah. I had ‘im ever since he was a pup. God, he was a good sheepdog when he was younger.” He reached over and patted the ancient dog, and he apologized, “I been around him so much I never notice how he stinks.” The old man squirmed uncomfortably. “Well—hell! I had him so long. Had him since he was a pup. I herded sheep with him.” He said proudly, “You wouldn’t think it to look at him now, but he was the best damn sheep dog I ever seen.”(Steinback )This quote shows how much Candy appreciates his dog even now when he is old and smells and is of no use to him on the farm.

George is intelligent and he sees that Slim can help both him and his “brother”. He sees Slim as opportunity to confide and to confess in. In this particular quote “Come on George. Me an you’ll goin and get a drink.” (Steinback 107) This shows how they are friends because friends get drinks together. It also shows how Geoge wants to talk to Slim over drinks. Slim want to hear about Georges life because he sees that he’s dealing with a lot and needs to confide in someone. “Sat back quiet and receptive” (Steinback ). This quote shows that Slim wanted to listen then upon hearing this he said “He ain’t mean, I can tell a mean guy from a mile off” (Steinback ). He is a real friend because he also gave him his own opinion when it matters the most.

All these friendships are what make a great novel. Everyone has some sort of relationship that helps them become a better person whether it is a brother like relationship or a relationship with a dog.

Work Cited

1. Steinbeck, J. (1994). Of mice and men. New York, N.Y., U.S.A: Penguin Books.

In Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, King Lear, and Hamlet, there is a theme of loyalty between a central character and another. This loyalty transcends what the other characters belief; they help them no matter the burden it bears on them. It also reveals itself in many different forms, through love, service, and friendship. As seen throughout countless Shakespeare plays, women are typically depicted as disloyal, but characters such as Viola and Cordelia stick out amongst the rest because of the loyalty they display.

Throughout these three plays, the characters Viola, Kent, Cordelia, and Horatio are loyal to their respective person because their actions are not for personal gain, but to aid the character in need. A prime example of loyalty in Shakespeare is Viola’s dedication to helping Orsino. She is in love with him and wants nothing more than to be married, but she is faking her identity. She pretends to be a male and becomes a servant of Orsino. She quickly falls in love with him, but Orsino’s love is for the beautiful Olivia. Viola does not sabotage or avoid helping Orsino’s relationship with Olivia; in fact, she tries her best to make Olivia fall for Orsino. It is already difficult enough to love unreciprocated but to have that person love another, and then help them try to gain the affection of another, demonstrates true loyalty.

When Viola’s said, “I’ll do my best to woo your lady: yet a barful strife! Whoe’er I woo, myself would be his wife” (Shakespeare, Twelfth Night 1.4.44-46), she recognizes how hard this is going to be for her. She will try to make Olivia fall in love with Orsino, but that is such a challenging task because she wishes that she could marry him. She puts aside her feelings and just genuinely wants to see Orsino happy. In talking about Olivia, Viola says, “She loves me, sure!” (Twelfth Night 2.2.22), she reveals that Olivia has fallen for herself, not Orsino. This complication creates a love triangle between Orsino, Viola, and Olivia. Nevertheless, Viola still remains loyal to Orsino and still attempts to redirect Olivia’s affections towards Orsino. Obviously, Viola being a heterosexual woman does not have an interest in pursuing Olivia. However, Olivia’s persistence in trying to make Viola fall for her does not stop Viola having Orsino’s best interests at heart.

Shakespeare thus has created a character that is loyal through love. She puts Orsino’s happiness above her own because of her love. She is depicted as loyal in this play, which is not a trait typically associated with women. Thus, she fakes her identity as a man in order to play into the typical male loyalty role. Moreover, there is an aspect of loyalty through service. Because Viola is a servant of Orsino, she fulfills the duties asked of her by the Duke. Even though it comes at the cost of her own happiness, she is a loyal servant who does as the Duke asks. Another example of loyalty through service is Kent to Lear. Almost immediately, Kent is banished from Lear’s kingdom, but Kent does not stop completely dedicating himself to protecting Lear. After Kent tells Lear to be easier on Cordelia, and Lear angrily shouts at him, he says, “Royal Lear, whom I have ever honored as my king, loved as my father; as my master followed, as my great patron thought on in my prayers” (King Lear 1.1.156-159).

After being at the beck and call of the mad Lear for most of his life, which must have been extremely frustrating considering how crazy Lear is, he gets banished from the kingdom. Kent doesn’t doesn’t reply angrily or with all of the pent of frustration that he definitely has accumulated. Lear’s angry condescending words and tone do not affect Kent, instead he responds respectfully. He praises him even as a father figure and respects his wishes. This loyalty is unparalleled in any of the other Shakespeare plays. Furthermore, he spends the rest of the play disguising himself in order to continue helping and protecting Lear. He is truly the ideal servant, and he dedicates his life to the protection of his king. Even though the king no longer wants or requests his help, Kent is the only character, besides Cordelia, that always remains loyal to him. This is the ultimate loyalty through service because he is helping Lear despite it having absolutely no personal gain for him because his identity is disguised. He genuinely only wants to keep Lear safe and out of harm’s way. He demonstrates this loyalty and dedication when he says to Lear, “My life I never held but as a pawn to wage against thine enemies, nor fear to lose it, thy safety being motive” (King Lear 1.1.175-178). He reinforces that he is merely a pawn of Lear’s who is only concerned about his safety and wellbeing. Kent feels that he is responsible for protecting against Lear’s ignorance towards Goneril and Regan.

He speaks out against Lear, saying, “Be Kent unmannerly when Lear is mad” (King Lear 1.1.162-163). He realizes that Lear is going crazy and that he cannot see that Goneril and Regan are tricking him. Thus, he says, “Thy youngest daughter does not love thee least” (King Lear 1.1.171), trying to enlighten Lear that his other daughters are using him. When this doesn’t work, and he is banished, he still remains loyal to Lear. Cordelia embodies the ultimate aspect of loyalty through service and love towards her father, Lear. After Goneril and Regan spit lies about their love for Lear, manipulating him for personal gain, Cordelia comes in and does the opposite. She is loyal, honest, and faithful to her father and won’t lie to him to further her own personal interests. When Lear asks how much Cordelia loves him, she responds honestly, “I cannot heave my heart into my mouth. I love your Majesty according to my bond, no more nor less” (King Lear 1.1.100-102).

Lear, being narcissistic and only wanting to hear how much people adore him, responds angrily towards Cordelia and banishes her. Her honesty and truth caused her to gain no part of Lear’s kingdom, but Cordelia wasn’t going to lie to Lear for personal gain. Thus, her loyalty to being honest with Lear transcended her personal interests. When she returns from being banished, leading an invasion into England, she tells her father, “O dear father, it is thy business that I go about…No blown ambition doth our arms incite, but love, dear love, and our aged father’s right. Soon may I hear and see him” (King Lear 4.4.26-32). She makes it clear to her father that she is not invading England out of revenge because Lear banished her, but out of love for Lear’s right to his kingdom. She is still extremely loyal to Lear, even as he progresses further into insanity. She realizes that the Lear that she speaks to now is no longer her father, but she states that she hopes he comes back soon. This relates to his mental state; he is not himself currently. Even though Lear is not entirely present mentally, Cordelia still remains loyal to her father through her love for him and her service as a daughter. Also, Cordelia’s loyalty through service relates to Kent’s as well. They are both concerned about the safety and health of Lear, and despite Cordelia’s familial bond with Lear, their loyalty through service is similar. They both feel a need to help Lear because of their honor and desire for the king’s safety. The final type of loyalty that is exhibited in Shakespeare is Horatio’s loyalty of friendship towards Hamlet.

Through Hamlet’s progression into insanity, Horatio stayed by his side the entire time. This friendship is a strange aspect in Hamlet because most of the other characters are continually attempting to betray each other, and their actions are all for personal gain. However, Horatio is different. He truly cares about Hamlet and his well being. For example, when Hamlet returns to Denmark, Horatio could have ratted him out to Claudius for personal gain, but his loyalty shines bright. Horatio would never betray his friend for personal gain. After Horatio reads Hamlet’s letter, he orders, “Come, I will give you way for these your letters and do ‘t the speedier that you may direct me to him from whom you brought them” (Hamlet 4.7.246-248). The speed in which he wants to aid Hamlet demonstrates how loyal he is to him. He doesn’t waste a second, he wants to find and save him quickly. Moreover, when Laertes challenges Hamlet to a duel, Horatio steps in and tries to protect Hamlet because of how much he cares for him. Horatio argues with Hamlet, saying, “You will lose, my lord” (Hamlet 5.2.223), desperately trying to convince Hamlet to stay safe. He is worried about Hamlet losing his life as any caring friend should. Horatio’s loyalty further shines when Hamlet explains his plan to reveal if Claudius committed regicide. After explaining his plan, he tells Horatio that he must watch Claudius closely in order to see his reaction.

Horatio agrees without argument, saying, “If he steal aught the whilst this play is playing and ‘scape detecting, I will pay the theft” (Hamlet 3.2.94-95). Horatio knows how much this means to Hamlet and how it is eating him up inside, thinking that Claudius killed his father. Horatio, being the loyal friend he is, graciously helps him in order to make Hamlet happy. Once again, he could have told Claudius about his plans, and probably would have been rewarded, but Horatio is not concerned with personal gain. Furthermore, Hamlet commends Horatio in regards to his loyalty of friendship when he says, “For thou hast been as one in suffering all that suffers nothing, a man that Fortune’s buffets and rewards Hast ta’en with equal thanks” (Hamlet 3.2.69-72). Horatio is a man that is grateful for both the good and bad and has an overall good character. Horatio is someone whom Hamlet trusts and willingly chooses to be friends with because he knows he can count on him; he is loyal.

The Shakespeare plays Hamlet, King Lear, and Twelfth Night cumulatively demonstrate loyalty through love, service, and friendship. Whether it be love through romance or family, service through profession or relatives, or friendship through trust, these three plays demonstrate loyalty in all these respects. In Shakespeare, there is a present stereotype regarding women and how they are represented as less loyal than men. These works play with this idea in that Cordelia is the only woman who is truly loyal, and she is barely included in King Lear because loyalty in women was not something typical in Shakespeare’s time. Viola is also loyal, but Shakespeare changes her gender to male in order to reinforce this stereotype. She fakes being a man almost the entire play in order to demonstrate loyalty, because if she were a woman, then she could not be loyal. Overall, these three plays demonstrate a theme of loyalty between characters, and further delineate the differences of loyalty between men and women.