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Katie Thompson
English 111
Multiple Source Essay
Oct. 21, 2015
Multiple Source Essay Outline: Qualities of a true friendship
Thesis: In relation to some of the events that happened involving Bryson and Katzs friendship in
A Walk in the Woods, and also some qualities that would make their friendship a lot stronger if
each character put forth more effort in their friendship, friendships should be seen as having
commitment, goodness and acceptance, and utility in one another as a whole.
1.

Friendship is a committed relationship through all kinds of circumstances where each

person puts forth effort and willingness to keep the friendship strong and long lasting.

Friendships must enjoy each others company, they must be useful to one another

and they must share common commitment to the good (qtd. in Michele E. Doyle and Mark K.
Smith)

It is easy for us to understand the components of pleasure and usefulness, but we

have difficulty seeing the point of considering friendship in terms of common moral
commitments (Michele E. Doyle and Mark K. Smith).
2.

Bryson and Katz in A Walk in the Woods may have commitment within themselves and

their well-being, but not as much throughout the friendship they had that would make their
friendship strong.

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Katz never really did get into hiking, though goodness knows he tried (qtd. pg. 123,

Bryson).

What if theres another blizzard? We were very lucky last time. Ive got eighteen cream

sodas in my room (qtd. on pg. 120, Bryson)

3.

Demonstrating goodness within themselves and within the friendship includes acceptance

of another which involves solely around the meaning of friendship.

And it is those who desire the good for their friends, because each loves the other for

what he is and not for incidental quality (qtd. in Michele E. Doyle and Mark K. Smith)

Therefore it is between good men that both love and friendship are chiefly found in the

highest form (qtd. in Michele E. Doyle and Mark K. Smith).

True friends are simply drawn to the goodness in one another, goodness that today we

might define in terms of common passions and sensibilities (qtd. in Akst)

4.

Acceptance and goodness of one another is a strong ethical perspective used in the

correlation of friendship that occurred in A Walk in the Woods.

I suddenly remembered propping it against a tree when I had stopped to tie a lace-and

was filled with despair (qtd on pg. 223, Bryson).

. I was furious, livid-more furious than I had been about anything in years. I couldnt

believe he was drinking again (qtd on pg. 363, Bryson)

5.

Friendships that contain utility occur between a set of people who often times depend on

one another in times of desired help whether it be by a friend giving advice, loaning and item,
etc. utility is a very common thing in a friendship.

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In the friendship of utility, we exercise good-willed sociability as we engage others in

pursuing our own interests (qtd. by Conley)

Such persons do not spend much time together, because sometimes they do not even like

one another, and therefore feel no need of such an association unless they are mutually useful.
For they take pleasure in each others company only in so far as they have hopes of advantage
from it (qtd. in Conley)
6.

Utility is relying on someone for your personal needs or desires which Bryson contains

towards the end of the book in his and Katz friendship.

I missed Katz, missed his puffing and bitching and unflappable fearlessness, hated the

thought that I could sit waiting on a rock till the end of time and we would never come (qtd. pg.
252, Bryson)
7.

In conclusion, there are many qualities in friendships that either make the friendship itself

strong and useful, or the people included in the friendship.

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Katie Thompson
English 111
Multiple Source Essay
Oct. 11th 2015
Qualities of a true friendship: A Walk in the Woods
Many people view what the purpose of friendship is and the qualities all friendships
should contain differently from others. Friendship is about having a unity with someone you feel
you have some of the same relations and characteristics in common. In relation to some of the
events that happened involving Bryson and Katzs friendship in A Walk in the Woods, and also
some qualities that would make their friendship a lot stronger if each character put forth more

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effort in their friendship, friendships should be seen as having commitment, goodness and
acceptance, and utility in one another as a whole.
Friendship is a committed relationship through all kinds of circumstances where each
person puts forth effort and willingness to keep the friendship strong and long lasting. When
commitment is present in a friendship, it upholds the relationship and keeps the bond strong.
Commitment can be perceived as being dedicated to an activity, or in this case, one of the
characteristics people strive to have in their friendships. As Aristotle states in Friendship
Theory, Friendships must enjoy each others company, they must be useful to one another and
they must share common commitment to the good. (qtd. in Michele E. Doyle and Mark K.
Smith) There are many correlations that speak deeply of commitment, such as the bond between
siblings, or husband and wife. Commitment is a quality that portrays the real meaning of what
friendship is all about. As stated in the same article, Friendship Theory, It is easy for us to
understand the components of pleasure and usefulness, but we have difficulty seeing the point of
considering friendship in terms of common moral commitments (Michele E. Doyle and Mark
K. Smith). Although some lack in the area of sharing common commitments, being able to please
one another in a friendship and see the usefulness that each person brings to the friendship, is
what determines the whole meaning of that relationship between two people.
Bryson and Katz in A Walk in the Woods may have commitment within themselves and
their well-being, but not as much throughout the friendship they had that would make their
friendship strong. However, even though Bryson and Katzs friendship did not include a strong
and steady commitment towards one another that would have made their friendship more ideal in
a way, Katz willingly stayed committed to hiking the Appalachian Trail with Bryson. Katz made
it clear to the readers, and Bryson, that he was not ecstatic about hiking the trail, but yet still put

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forth the effort to do what he and Bryson came there to do all along. Bryson stated, Katz never
really did get into hiking, though goodness knows he tried (qtd. pg. 123). There were a couple
of times in the book that Bryson left Katz behind on the trail. Those incidents portrayed that
Bryson was not as committed to their friendship as some readers would have hoped for. Katz was
very open about his laziness, but it was very well known throughout the book that the main
reason Katz was there to hike the trail with Bryson, was to become aquatinted again with his old
friend from Des Moines. Katz stated, What if theres another blizzard? We were very lucky last
time. Ive got eighteen cream sodas in my room (qtd. on pg. 120, Bryson). Both Bryson and
Katz didnt share the same common interests which is something needed to make a strong
friendship. Friendships often times have difficulty developing as well as lasting without the good
commitment from both sides in the friendship.
Demonstrating goodness within themselves and within the friendship includes acceptance
of another which involves solely around the meaning of friendship. Friendships focused on
provoking goodness in one another, demand goodness throughout the entire relationship as a
whole; whether it be doing good deeds for your friends, or desiring good for one another. As
Aristotle says, And it is those who desire the good for their friends, because each loves the other
for what he is and not for incidental quality (qtd. in Doyle and Smith). Goodness and the
acceptance of each other in a friendship makes the relationship as a whole strong and steady even
through tribulations and downfalls. Accepting each others flaws and the misunderstandings
throughout the friendship is a good example of how friends create goodness in one another and
the acceptance that is needed throughout a healthy friendship. Aristotle states, Therefore it is
between good men that both love and friendship are chiefly found in the highest form (qtd. in
Doyle and Smith). Friendships develop on different terms and in many different ways. Those

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with the characteristics involving strong devotion of goodness are more likely to see the good in
one another and proclaim a friendship with each other. Aristotle states, True friends are simply
drawn to the goodness in one another, goodness that today we might define in terms of common
passions and sensibilities. (qtd. in Akst) Without goodness being demonstrated in a friendship,
there simply would be no meaning to the friendship in any way without having the good of
others being involved.
Acceptance and goodness of one another is a strong ethical perspective used in the
correlation of friendship that occurred in A Walk in the Woods. Both of the characters kindness
might have been overlooked in the book, but both characters showed examples of kindness in
their journey together. Katz had kindness within himself that some readers may not have payed
close attention to because they were used to his smart comments and how he had treated Mary
Ellen during their hike. I suddenly remembered propping it against a tree when I had stopped to
tie a lace-and was filled with despair (qtd on pg. 223, Bryson). Katz had offered to go back and
retrieve Brysons walking stick he had left back far behind. It was a random act of kindness that
made Bryson and the audience see part of Katzs true identity. Bryson had been aware that Katz
used to drink quite a bit in his younger days and was furious when he found out that Katz had
started drinking again. I was furious, livid-more furious than I had been about anything in years.
I couldnt believe he was drinking again (qtd on pg. 363, Bryson). Bryson being angry with
Katz beginning to drink again was an example of the goodness that Bryson presented in their
friendship. Bryson contained desirable good for Katz, which is what a friendship needs in order
to be a strong one. Although Bryson and Katz werent close friends throughout the book, they
both accepted each other and wished for the common good for one another.

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Friendships that contain utility occur between a set of people who often times depend on
one another in times of desired help whether it be by a friend giving advice, loaning and item,
etc. Utility is a very common thing in a friendship. Aristole states, In the friendship of utility,
we exercise good-willed sociability as we engage others in pursuing our own interests (qtd. by
Conley). Utility in friendship may cause struggles and problems because of one person being
dependent on the other. Other times, utility may bring joy to the person who is being depended
on while knowing that he/she is helpful to their friend. As Aristole stated, Such persons do not
spend much time together, because sometimes they do not even like one another, and therefore
feel no need of such an association unless they are mutually useful. For they take pleasure in
each others company only in so far as they have hopes of advantage from it (qtd. in Conley). A
friend may be sometimes over dependent on another friend that it takes the actual friendship
away. In some ways, having utility in a friendship is what can bring the friends closer and more
aware of the kind of friend that they have; someone who is worthy of being dependable on.
Utility is relying on someone for your personal needs or desires which Bryson contains
towards the end of the book in his and Katz friendship. Bryson and Katz both symbolized utility
in their friendship when it came to needing each other in certain circumstances in the book. Katz
was very good about asking Bryson for money during their trip. Whether it be buying snacks and
cream sodas, or also loaning Katz the six hundred dollars a long time ago, Bryson was a good
and dependable source when it came to Katz. He had belief that he could always count on
Bryson for those type of resources. Although Katz did indeed introduce himself in the beginning
of the book as very lazy, and also throughout some of the chapters, Bryson found himself
missing Katzs annoying and smart remarks that he had when they had both split up from each
other. In a way, it was almost as if Bryson realized how dearly he cared for Katz whenever they

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werent together. Bryson said, I missed Katz, missed his puffing and bitching and unflappable
fearlessness, hated the thought that I could sit waiting on a rock till the end of time and we would
never come (qtd. pg. 252, Bryson). Some readers might argue that Bryson only missed Katz
when he was alone in the wilderness because he didnt feel as safe, but others might argue that
Bryson missed Katz because he truly did care about him and missed having his friend by his side
to explore the wilderness with. Although Katz and Bryson repeatedly annoyed each other, the
utility in their friendship was important to the reader and set an example of how utility should be
used in friendship.
In conclusion, there are many qualities in friendships that either make the friendship itself
strong and useful, or the people included in the friendship. Without commitment, goodness
within each other as well as acceptance of one another, and utility, friendships would not be
strong and meaningful like they are supposed to be. Bryson and Katz in A Walk in the Woods did
however contain some of these characteristics, even though their friendship was not as strong
and steady how most people would want a friendship to be. Many people have different views on
friendship and its true meaning of what it contains to be a friend, while others see it as simple as
having someone there when you need them.