Like Shorty said, it depends on personal definitions and interpretations of what friendship is and of their relationship.Originally Posted by Miriel
For me, personally, I have lot's of friends. I like them, they like me, we'll hang out and help each other out if asked, but that about describes the relationship. I don't feel any deep emotional attachment to them, I just enjoy their company from time to time.
But the person who could be classified as my best friend is much more than that. With the exception of my wife there is no one else in the world that I feel comfortable talking about anything and everything with, or for whom I would do absolutely anything. In his case, I find the term friendship inadequate because I care for most of the people I call friends orders of magnitude less. If this guy came to me and told me I needed to kill someone no questions asked, I very well might do it. The closest term I can find to describe our relationship is that of brothers, but I find even that slightly inadequate since a brother is someone you're related to by happenstance of birth and it in no way guarantees emotional closeness. There simply isn't a word I know of that describes it well enough. So I consider our relationship to be something beyond friendship, even though most people would consider us extremely close friends.
So I disagree that saying Sam and Frodo's relationship goes beyond friendship implies a sexual element (the unrequited love suggestions do though if you ask me). Because I love this friend of mine, but it's not sexual. It's understanding, knowing and commitment to that person. Christ, soul mate might even be the most applicable term now that I think about it, even though I find the usual implications of that term in the way many apply it to be absurd.
Reply With Quote