Category: Friendships

As I begin to finish the examples of friendships in literature, I also want to cover the subgenres of fantasy and adventure. Although there are certainly differences between these two genres (as I explain below), I’m using an example that fits into both categories. J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is a multi-volume fantasy piece about two friends who knew each other better than they knew themselves. Since The Lord of the Ring was successful in both book and film formats, I considered using this friendship earlier in my series, New Year; New Types of Friends as an example from the movies. However, I chose to include it in this subset of literature since the books are often better than the film version. It also fits my belief that men need more authentic and emotionally-intimate friendships to help them through the adventures of life, despite how close friendships between

American writer, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer, Mark Twain is famously quoted as saying, “No man is a failure who has friends.” From presidents to inventors, the “father of American Literature” was friends with many of history’s giants. But his relationships are just as interesting as the man himself since friendships shaped his lives and his shaped theirs in return. This quality makes Mark Twain a perfect candidate for the next example of friendships in literature for my series, New Year; New Types of Friends. (Check out my earlier posts with examples of friendships in politics, sports, movies, and television). About Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910) is better known by his pen name Mark Twain. His novels include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), the latter of which has often been called the “Great American Novel”.

As I considered books for my series, New Year; New Types of Friends, John Steinbeck’s, Of Mice and Men jumped onto the list. It’s been years since I read this novel but it sure fits the bill for this subset of examples of friendship in literature. Even though the setting is ranch life in the early 1930s, it parallels the struggles of many men today. It’s a story about how some people are driven to find friendship in order to escape from their loneliness. It also shows how a lifestyle of loneliness damages your relationships.  About The Book Published in 1937, Of Mice and Men narrates the experiences of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers, who move from place to place in California in search of new job opportunities during the Great Depression. Steinbeck based the story on his own experiences working alongside migrant farm workers