Theme # 2
Captain Charles Ryder
A good friend is someone who remains your friend even if you make the wrong
decisions. Friends forgive your mistakes and support your choices even if they disagree
with them. A is someone whose love is unconditional. They accept your
faults as well as your virtues. A true friend gives without expecting anything in return.
A character friend is one that looks upon you as their equal as well as their mentor.
They
are loyal to you even if people try to convince them otherwise. In Brideshead Revisited,
Captain Charles Ryder demonstrates through actions and words that he is a character
friend to Sebastian Flyte.
Aristotle states:
“Now those who wish well to their friends for their sake are most truly friends;
for they do this by reason of their own nature and not incidentally;”
(Nichomachean Ethics, 1156 b 10)
In this passage Aristotle is stating that a true friend is one who looks after and
takes care of their friend unconditionally, without any expectations.
Charles lives up to Aristotle’s statement, by demonstrating through actions,
that he is still a character friend to Sebastian after ten years.
After not seeing him for a
long period of time, Charles seeks him out to inform Sebastian that his mother is dying.
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When Charles finds him, he discovers that his old friend is ill in the hospital. Charles
visits Sebastian daily until he is well enough to leave the hospital. During these visits,
Sebastian’s mother passes away. At this time, Charles could leave, but he helps his ill
friend by straightening his financial problems out for him. Charles states:
“He had lived till then by getting into difficulties and then telegraphing for odd
sums to his lawyers.
I saw the branch manager of the Bank of Indo-China and
arranged for him, to receive Sebastian’s quarterly allowance and pay him a
weekly sum of pocket money with a reserve to be drawn in emergencies.”
(Waugh, 215)
One can clearly see that Charles is a true friend through his actions. Even time could not
change Charle’s ethics.
Aristotle states:
“The friendship of the good too alone is proof against slander; for it is not
easy to trust any one’s talk about a man who has long been tested by
oneself; and it is among good men that trust and the feeling that he would
never wrong me and all the other things that are demanded in true
friendship are found.”
(Nichomachean Ethics, 1157 a 20)
In this passage Aristotle is stating that a true friend is loyal to you even if people
try to convince them otherwise. True friendship is a sturdy foundation that cannot falter
by slander or people’s negative points of view. There is an armor around a character
friendship that cannot be broken by dark words.
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Charles lives up to Aristotle’s statement, by demonstrating through
words, that he is a true friend when Sebastian is slandered by Anthony
Blanche.
Instead of believing right away what Anthony is devilishly preaching about
Sebastian, Charles questions his good friend about it. When he hears his friend’s side of
the story his mind is at ease.
Charles always hears people saying negative things about Sebastian. In another
instance, Julia, Sebastian’s sister, is speaking rudely of her brother.
Charles sticks up for
Sebastian, and states the truth. Julia exclaims:
“I wish he’d behave like everybody else… If he always wants to be tight, why
doesn’t he go to Kenya or somewhere where it doesn’t matter?”
“Why does it matter less being unhappy in Kenya than anywhere else?”
“Don’t pretend to be stupid, Charles. You understand perfectly.”
“You mean there won’t be any embarrassing situations for you?”
(Waugh, 161, 162)
From this last statement Charles displays his loyalty for Sebastian through words.
Multiple counts of times, Sebastian is talked about in a negative light, and time and time
again, Charles verbally sticks up for him. Sometimes he chooses to ignore the ignorant
comments.
But he is a loyal friend no matter what the circumstances may be.
Emerson states:
“The soul surrounds itself with friends, so that it can enter into a grander self-
acquaintance and solitude.” (Class Notes, 2/20/02)
This quote reflects on Charles’ agenda for friendship. For each friend he makes
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in “Brideshead Revisited” he learns more about himself. He learns about his own
character.
I think he also learns that being a character friend is not that easy. Sometimes
being a true friend can be emotional painful. Even though this statement may be true,
friendship is ethical because it enriches and makes us more alive.
In conclusion, I think not only did Evelyn Waugh write “Brideshead Revisited” in
a satirical way to make you think, but to make you think about the three types of
friendship. Aristotle states these friendships are character, pleasure and utility. He says:
“Now those who love each other for utility do not love each other for themselves
but in virtue of some good which they get from each other.
So too with those who
love for the sake of pleasure, it is not for their character that men love ready
witted people, but because they find them pleasant.” (Nichomachean Ethics,
1156 a 10)
Anthony Blanche can be demonstrated as a pleasure friend. Anthony hung out and had
fun with Sebastian but talked negatively about him constantly. Mr. Sam grass, who
basically used Sebastian for money, shows the characteristics of a utility friend. These
friendships are fleeting, but character friendships always last longer than utility or
pleasure friendships. A true friendship that builds character is demonstrated by the
platonic love that Charles had for Sebastian.
Though character friendships may not last
forever, they are like a silver bright star in the night that are forever embedded in our
heart and in our memories.