Medina 1

Alejandra Medina
Professor Ditch
English 133B
2 April 2015
Friendship Providing Strength to Act Courageous Amongst the Unbearable
Courage is a difficult to accomplish. Not many can describe themselves as courageous
because stepping outside ones comfort zone is a complicated task. Some peoples first instincts
make one act upon certain situations with courage. The individual strives for the their objective
despite how complicated an obstacle may be. Although others need a sense of unity to help to
provide support and help the individual move forward. One unity that provides the backbone into
forming a steady foundation is friendship. In the novel The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel
Pie Society, Marry Ann Shaffer and Annie Borrows portray how the power of friendship
provides the book club members strength to perform courageous acts to overcome the hardships
of the war.
Friendship can cause one to perform courageous acts to benefit their friends even if the
act is in great risk. Mrs. Maugery, one of the book club members, stole a pig and raised it and
then roasted it for her friends. Mrs. Maugery did not need to hide the pig to join in the feast
with..her friends however Mrs. Maugery knew sharing a pig would be beneficial for all in
having a delicious meal and enjoying a good time. (Borrows and Shaffer 28) She stole the pig
because she wanted to share an actual meal with al her friends because of the lack of resources. It
is easier to live by the rules and deal with the limited supplies the member of the society had
instead of going against the law and trying to obtain more for bliss. Usually committing a crime
involved being sent to a prison campand keeping a pig was a worse one. ( 29). Despite the

Medina 2
harsh consequences, Mrs. Maugery knew that giving the pig to her friends made a greater
impact than keeping it to her self. In the documentary Happy a man named Matosh states I
feel that I am not poor but I am the richest person. Matosh lives in a very unfortunate
community but then states we stay together and it makes us happy. Matosh felt like he was the
richest man because of the bond he had with his neighbors, just like the bond the book club
members in Guernsey have. The book club member had very limited supplies and really never
had a full meal, just how Matosh and his neighbors also lack resources. However it is the
friendship Mrs. Maugery had with the book club members that gave her joy and lead her to
strength and courage to hide the pig for so long and share with her friends. This event was the
start of a new chapter. The book club members just like Matosh noticed that the unity with in
each other helps them overcome the harsh lifestyle they are facing. Mrs. Maugery performed an
illegal deed but it was worth every risk. Mrs. Maugery assured the book club members that there
are great moments to come if they stay together.
Elizabeth made sure the members of the book club stayed as a whole. Barrows and
Shaffer state the dinner was a rare treat, but the company was better (29). Surely the members
missed curfew with the talking and eating because they were having such a great time. When
the German patrols confronted the members Elizabeth drew in her breath and stepped forward
(29). Elizabeth gained the courage to step up and respond to the patrols even if the pistols were
lined up at her eyes (29). Elizabeth realized that Mrs. Maugery perform a risky deed, but she
reflected on the great time the members spent together. The time spent was so great that they
lost track of time because the presence of them all helped them escape the harsh reality and
distracted them from their worries. This encounter influenced Elizabeth to lie to the officers in
such a sincere way to get away from being transported to a prison camp. In the article How

Medina 3
Friendship Networks Characteristics Influence Subject Well-being, Van der Host and Hilde
Coffe state, Compared to acquaintances, close friends are more likely to be responsive to ones
troubles, to sense the nature, degree, and source of ones distress, and to engage in supportive
behavior that is appropriate to ones needs, even if costly in time or effort (5). Because she was
one of apart of the new friendship, she felt responsible for the trouble every member of the book
club could have faced if they were charged for missing curfew. Elizabeth felt with such peace
with the book club members when they shared the meal that she new she did not want this
occasion to be their last meeting. Elizabeths body image was the smallest from the book club
members yet she was able to prove that anybody could stand up for what they believe in. In the
short film, Caines Arcade, Nirran Mullick shows how people who work together can
accomplish a certain task even if it seems impossible. When great people come together, dreams
can be accomplished. Elizabeths courageous act is an example that shows that even if the
situation seems deadly, if the book club members support each other anything can be done. The
book club members dreamed of happiness. Slowly their dream was accomplished. Even if it
meant standing up to authority figures, the courage provided by their friends lead them to happier
days by forgetting the hardships of war.
Elizabeth is a very strong character, and continues to perform courageous acts through
out the novel because of the friendship she has with the book club members. Elizabeth was sent
to a prison camp forcing herself to leave her daughter. Elizabeth understood that any little action
that may upset an officer and could result in her death. Der Horst and Coffe state people are
more likely to trust other people if they live in the same homogenous neighborhoods, indicting
the importance of homogenous relations. People that share similarity with respect to attitudes,
values, and interests will interact a lot better with each other because they hold the same

Medina 4
believes and goals (Sias, Drzewiecka 2). Elizabeth knewthatherdaughterwasingoodhands
becauseofthetrustshehadwithinthebookclubmemberssincetheylivedinthesame
communityandhadthesamemorals.BorrowsandShafferstateIalsoknowthatshecherished
youasherfamily,andshefeltgratitudeandpeacethatherdaughter,Kit,wasinyourcare
(178).BecauseElizabethKnewthatherdaughterwasatasafehelpedherfightagainstwhatwas
inhumaneinthecamp.ThefriendshipElizabethhadwiththeLiterarySocietyreliedontrustand
gavecouragetoElizabethtostanduptheofficersattheconcentrationcampwhichlaterresulted
inherdeath.Elizabethcouldhavebeenweak,sinceherlifewasalivinghellbutherfriends
providedthatfoundationandgaveherstrengthtokeephermovingforwarddespitethe
circumstances.Thebookclubmembersgoalwastotakecareofoneandgiveeachotherany
helptheypossiblycould.Thefriendshipbetweentheclubmembersinfluencedoneanotherto
performcourageously.ThemembersunderstoodthatKitwasaninfantandneededtheirhelp.
Togethertheydevelopedascheduletohelpprovidefortheinnocentchild.Growingupand
knowingonesmotherisnotpresentismentallychallengingsothebookclubmemberdidtheir
besttofillthatemptyspaceinherheart.Evenafterfoodwaslimited,themembersstillhadthe
couragetofeedanothermouth.Kitprovidedhappinessandtogethertheirbondledthemto
distractthemselvesfromsuchaviolentwar.
Although Juliet was not originally part of the book club society, all the members viewed
Juliet and treated her as one of them. In the article Intercultural Friendship Development,
Communication Reports Sias and Drzewiecka state the construction of a mutually beneficial
interactive environment in which individuals from two different cultures can function in a way
beneficial to all involved(4). Juliets culture in reference to her life style was different than the

Medina 5
book club members. However once they met each other, they shared traits that were beneficial to
one another. Juliets fianc Mark was very wealthy and could assure Juliet that he could provide
her with any resource she would ever need. However it was not materialistic things Juliet
needed. All Juliet wanted was to be happy. Happiness is not weighted by the value of material
thingsonehasbutintheideasthatgivesyouhopetokeepmovingforward.Whenapersonfeels
aliveiswhentheywanttokeepmovingforward,butwhentheyfeelweightontheirshoulders
mostpeoplejustsitunconsciouslywaitingforamiracletohappen.Nothingwillhappenifone
doesnotattempttomakeachange.Julietrestricted(Mark)mulishlytothebitterend.Juliet
noticedthatwhenshewaswiththebookclubmember,itwasnolongerinteractionswith
strangersthebookclubmemberswereherfamilyandslowlyMarkhadbecomeastranger
instead(Kurulo5).Sherealizedshefeltalivelisteningtotheexperiencesthebookclub
membersencounteredandwantedtowriteabouttheirexperiences.Thebookclubmembers
warmingpersonalitiesgaveJulietcomfortandcouragetosupportJulietgoingagainsttraditional
normsintorefusingmarriage.Thebookclubmembershelpedherperformacourageousactin
rejectingproposaltoherhusbandbecausesheknewshewouldfeelmorealiveinthecompanyof
herfriendsratherthanhavingamaleutilizeherlikeanobject.
ThefriendshipbetweenthemembersofthePotatoPeelPieSocietywasmadebecauseof
abookclub.Therewereconversationsofbooksinvolvedandsomemayarguethatitwasthe
booksthathelpedthemescapetherealityofthewarandnotthemembersfriendshipthatgave
themcourage.Thebookswereveryinfluentialinsidetrackingideaswelltheyreadthembooks
duringbutjustparticularlyatthatcurrentmoment.Althoughtheyneededadistractiontoalways
impacttheminordertoovercomethehardshipsofthewar.ShafferandBorrowsstatethere

Medina 6
wasntanyofthemthattrulylovedliteraturetheyonlywantedanexcusetogetoutofan
evening,andreadingiswhattheychose(104).Readingwasthebookclubmembersexcuse
fromthestartofthenovel.Howevertheyneededanexcusebecausecloserelationshipswith
friendshavemadefoundtostimulatepeopletofightdevastatingsituations.(DerHorst,Coffe
4).Thebookclubmembersknewtheycouldcountontheirfriendshipatanytimeofday,and
theresupportiswhathelpedthemperformcourageousacts.Ifthebookswerereallythemain
distractioninhelpingthemescapereality,therewouldbenopointinattendingmeetings.One
couldhavejuststayedhomeandreadthebookthereinsteadoftakingthetimetomeetupwith
themembers.Thebookswerenothesolutiontotheirproblems,itwasthefriendshiptheyhave
created.DerHorstandCoffestatebesidesthepresenceoffriendsthemselvesthefrequency
contactwiththemhasalsobeenshowntoimpactforoneshealth(5).DerHorstandCoffeargue
thatthecontactwiththeindividualsfriendsistheactualpurposeofhavingfriends.Onecannot
titleapersonafriendiftheydonotsupportnorhelpeachotheroutwhenneeded.Themembers
ofthebookclubwerealwaysalive,despitethelackoffoodandsanitaryproblems,butbecause
theyhadeachother,thebookclubmembersbecamebraveandreceivedthecouragetofight
illnessesphysicallyandmentally.
Somepeoplefacedifficultsituationsthroughouttheirlifethataffectthemphysicallyand
mentally.Whetherthesituationisasdrasticasawarintheircountryoraslittleasabadgradeon
atestmakestheindividualvenerableandcanintimidatethepersonintheirfutureperformance.
Othersareabletoovercometheseeventsbecausetheyhaveafriendshipwithapersonthat
encountersasimilarsituationorcomprehendsthesituationoneisgoingthrough.MarryAnn
ShafferandAnnieBarrowsstatehowimportantthepoweroffriendshipistoanindividualin

Medina 7
helpingperformcourageousactstoovercomethewar.Lifeisajourneyanditisimportantfor
onetosurroundthemselveswithgoodpeoplethatwillgiveonecouragetostriveforsuccessand
overcomethehardshipstomakeonesjourneyeasier.
Works Cited
Caines Arcade. Dir.Nirran Mullic. Perf. Caine Monroy, George Monroy, 2012. Film
Happy. Dir. Roko Belic. Perf. Marci Shimoff, Gregory Berns, 2011. Film
Kurylo, Anastacia. Culture and Communication. Reference & Research Book News: In
Oct. 2012. General OneFile. Web. 1 Apr. 2015.
Patricia M. Sias , Jolanta A. Drzewiecka , Mary Meares , Rhiannon Bent , Yoko Konomi, Maria
Ortega & Colene White. Intercultural Friendship Development, Communication
Reports. ed. 21:1 Routledge, 30 Apr. 2008. 1-13. Web. 28 March 2015.
Shaffer, Mary Ann, and Annie Barrows. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
New York: Dial Press Trade Paperbacks, 2008. Print
Van, der Horst, and Hilde Coff. "How Friendship Network Characteristics Influence Subjective
Well-being." Social Indicators Research 107.3 (2012): 509-29. ProQuest. Web. 2
April 2015.