“The Osage Orange Tree” by William Stafford is the short story being analyzed. “The Osage Orange Tree” centers on the friendship of a newspaper boy, who is new to the community, and Evangeline, a shy girl who comes from an impoverished family. Evangeline has been an outcast from the rest of the children in the community for as long as she had lived there. Until the newspaper boy comes to town there was no one she considered a friend. Everyday, the boy goes out of his way on his paper route and the girl walks 200 yards from her house just so they can meet each other at an osage orange tree where the boy gives Evangeline a newspaper in exchange for a dime. Although this only time they really talk to each other they both consider each other …show more content…
From the analysis of this symbol it is evident that all humans need someone they can call a friend. From the beginning it is noticeable that their friendship has no real substance. Like the fruit of the osage orange tree their friendship is just their to deceit people, manly themselves. They want to have the title of being friendship even though they're so called friendship doesn’t meet the standards of a true friendship according to its definition. Yet still both of them still do consider their friendship a big part of their life, and go out of their way to see each other everyday, and they do this because they are all each other has, and they both need someone they can call a friend. Evangeline risk getting in extraordinary trouble with her parents, and the boy goes a mile of his route everyday just so they can see each other. And Evangelizing always knew that eventually her lie would catch up to her and she wouldn’t be able to see the boy after her parents found out about her stealing the money, although all of it was worth being able to call someone a friend for the time being. And it wasn’t until the end of the story, when Evangeline was in great trouble and the newspaper boy feels neglected and hurt, until they realize that what they had wasn’t a true friendship. A friendship based on misunderstanding and minimal communication is not a true friendship, but it didn’t matter to them if it was a true friendship or not because all they needed someone they can call a
In the first stanza, “one leaned on the other as if to throw her down” symbolism has been used to show the intensity of the embrace between the two. In stanza two, “and finally almost uprooted him” symbolism has been used to show how much the female dominates in this relationship. “He was thin, dry, insecure one” this symbolized that the male did not have much power nor say in the relationship.
A friend doesn’t have to be a human, a friend can be anyone who cares. This story also taught
Suzak is saying that true friendship is shown through common interests, and friends would do anything for their friend no matter what it is. “The two of them gradually become friends due to the fact that neither of them was terribly interested in fighting. They preferred shooting rolling cigarettes to rolling in the snow and mud. They preferred shooting craps to shooting bullets. A firm friendship was built on gambling, smoking, and music, not to mention a shared desire for survival” (Zusak 175). Hans and Erik’s friendship grew through their share of common interests. All they wanted was to survive and go back home to their families. “It said, “Hubermann, sir.” The voice belonged to Erik Vandenburg. He obviously thought that today wasn’t the appropriate time for his friend to die” (Zusak 177). Erik Vandenburg saved Hans’ life by telling the sergeant that he had the best penmanship and should stay behind. So when Erik went into war that day he never came back meaning Hans survived. Which this shows a true friendship between Hans and Erik. “Now I think we are friends, this girl and me. On her birthday, it was she who gave a gift - to me” (Zusak 235). Max explains that he thinks that him and Liesel are becoming to be friends because instead of him giving her a gift on her birthday she gave him a gift. Liesel brought newspapers home for Max when what she saw one just to show that she cares
Throughout the story, the theme of friendship is expressed in many different ways. A characteristic of being a good friend is looking out for the other person. Mildred and Yvette are best friends and both of them have different religions. Even though they are separated at lunch, they still look out for each other to make sure they're okay. Yvette is very poor and comes from a big family. She appreciates the little things in life and she does not let things get the best of her. “Yvette looked forward to the Hershey’s chocolate bar that Mr.Fox, Mildred’s father would give her.” Mildred’s family looked out for Yvette and helped her whenever she needed. The chocolate bar is a symbol because something so simple put a smile on Yvette’s face and always tried to look at the best of the situation. These two best friends also
Friendship is an unbreakable bond between two people and contains loyalty and love. In the story Chains, Isabel finds herself in grand friendships that play throughout the story. She showed how devoted she was towards Lady Lockton, Curzon, and Ruth by being there for them during tough times. In the end, friendship is the light through the darkness, powerful and important.
We see this with Owen Meany when John tells us that Owen “gave me more than he ever took from me” (A Prayer for Owen Meany 2.509-511). Even with the death of John’s mother at the hands of Owen these too prove to be the best of friends. A friend is someone who is “A positive influence on your life” (What is Friendship? Friendship.about.com), this friendship proves this theory by the boys helping John finding his identity and Owen’s destiny. Along with friendship in the novel we see the importance of family and the role that it plays throughout the novel.
Only when your neighbors problems affect you personally or instill a degree of emotion in you then do we begin to try to help them out. We see this when the narrator says that he despises Sonny’s friend. That Sonny’s friend only ever asked for money and that for some reason the narrator always gave in to his request and gave him a dollar or two. After the narrator talks to the friend about Sonny’s recent happenings he again asks the narrator for a dollar. The narrator makes a comment that he did not mind giving him what he had in his pocket this time because they both connected in a way because of Sonny’s situation. There was an invisible venn diagram in the narrator's mind that beforehand had nothing in the middle overlapping circle to connect him to the friend. Now, because of their both shared worries, the narrator begins to warm up to the friend. We see this again when the narrator points out that his own troubles made Sonny’s problems real. When Grace - the narrator’s daughter - dies, the narrator talks about the fact that he had written to Sonny in a long time. This simple action or the idea that my problems make me understand your problems also stems from a capitalistic society. In this day and age, how many companies and businesses make decisions that either push their own agendas or benefit their investors without regards for the good of the rest of their society? Sea world
A friendship is a special relationship between peoples , It occurs between friend that care about each other. In talking about friendship , the novella from John Steinbeck “Of Mice and Men”. Two friends George and Lennie ,they are trying to find a job together to complete their dream of having a farm. But Lennie is an adult size with a child's mind, he gets in trouble a lot and as his friend, George helping him solve the problem and taking care of Lennie. Later George and Lennie finds a new job , but George lies to the boss about the problem that Lennie has.
Friendship expectations play a huge role in “establishing, maintaining, and terminating friendships” thus playing a factor of ones’ interpretations and through their affiliations (West & Turner, 2016). A companionship is dependent on
Many people in this world have no true friends and those that do have very few. A true friend could have seen that something was not right with this man. Perhaps the first speaker in the poem thinks that he was closer to the second then he actually was.
Theme: Situations and surroundings can shatter the innocence of friendship, but more the identity of the individuals.
The word ‘friend’ often carries vague connotations and assumptions that have no real purpose to the meaning of the word that is important here. Within the boundaries of a true friendship, the superiority of one individual over another should never be outward nor should one individual benefit at the other’s expense; also, an individual should not claim ownership over the other within a relationship termed a friendship. A relationship where an individual contains more power over another and asserts this power cannot be defined a friendship regardless of how kind each individual is to the other. Through the account of an unnamed female, Aphra Behn outlines such a relationship within the narrative of Oroonoko and his encounters with other characters as a royal slave. One character in particular, Mr. Trefry, a plantation supervisor, takes a keen liking to Oroonoko and holds him up on a pedestal of excellence for all to see; however, his actions towards Oroonoko suggest that he sees him as a prize possession rather than a man of equal value. Trefry’s unwillingness and eventual failure to free Oroonoko from slavery insinuates that the relationship between the characters is not that of mutual respect and, consequently, cannot be defined as friendship. As Aristotle claims, there is no difference between a good friend and a friend for a “friend is one who will always try… to do what he takes to be good for you” (emphasized), which is a belief that, evidently, is important here (Aristotle Rhetoric I.1.5). In Jonathan Swift’s tale, Gulliver’s Travels, Part 2, Gulliver, again, meets a collective group of individuals who are of unequal size to him, but this time who are larger. Swift takes a satirical and more literal approach to the notion of ...
The famed nurses study from Harvard found “Not having a close friend is as detrimental to your health as smoking.” Lennie and George’s friendship is necessary to keep the better for each other. Throughout the story, Lennie and George need each other and look out for one another no matter what. Lennie and George’s friendship and journey throughout the story symbolizes the struggles to achieve the American dream. Steinbeck, in the story Of Mice and Men, combines characterization and symbolism to prove friends do whats best for eachother.
The entire story was a symbol of Needy’s life. The setting in the story was symbolic to the way Needy was feeling. Needy’s life was diminishing right before his eyes, and he did not realize it. The different changes in the story represented how much Needy’s life had gradually changed over time. By reading the story the reader can tell that Needy was in a state of denial.
As friends, we all make sacrifices for each other. Some friends risk their lives for a friend. An example of this true friendship can be found in the movie, American Pie. Todd had a championship football game, but on the same day there was an All-State choir going on. Todd and his girlfriend were both into choir. He couldn’t be in two places at once, so he gave up his football game so that he could be with his girlfriend. Everyone on the football game looked up to him because he made a sacrifice to be with his girlfriend. When his girlfriend asked why. He responded, I did it for you. This shows friendship through a humble heart.