Studying the phenomenon of friendship in literary works is quite popular among authors. The writer Sherman Alexie in his story “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona” comically approaches the description of friendship between old friends. At the same time, Borges Luis, in the short story “Funes the Memorious”, does not show friendly relations, but with more careful analysis, the reader can find them.
Friendship is what helps a person to overcome hard times through the support of a close friend. This concept is held back by Alexie, describing a difficult period in the life of the main character, Victor. Thomas, once his best friend, became a social outcast because of his characteristics. Even though the closest person turned his back on him, Thomas offered help in a difficult time for Victor after his father’s death (Alexie, p. 2). The only condition Thomas put forward was that Victor offered him to go together. With this story, the writer demonstrates the severe problem of absolute loneliness, which is experienced by a person deprived of all social contacts. Friendship in his story is a temporary tool that connects two distant souls, guiding them through an exciting journey. In this regard, it is particularly interesting to note the symbolic appearance of a hare on an empty road, which, probably because of loneliness, throws itself under the wheels of the only passing car.
Luis tells a completely different story: there is no direct mention of friendships or conflicts in “Funes the Memorious”. Nineteen-year-old Funes begins to perceive the world differently as a result of falling from a horse (Luis, p. 151). In particular, all the events, meetings, and activities that take place in the boy’s life are put aside in his memory with absolute precision. Before the fall, Funes was not socially active, but once he met the narrator during a walk. Their next meeting is the culmination of the story, as it reveals the idea of empathy and understanding for the unfamiliar person. For Luis, friendship means the idea of an insensible connection between the characters, which is realized through the narrator’s focused attention on the ridiculous stories of Funes. They are not friends, and could hardly have been, but that night the bonds between them were created, expressed in support and communication. Such fleeting unity is the core of friendship that allows one to find understanding among other people.
Works Cited
Alexie, Sherman. This is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona. 1993.
Luis, Borges Jorge. Funes the Memorious. 1965.