Friendship plays a secondary role to love in the novel, but for Lily Briscoe, friendship is the most she has ever truly wanted from a man. The other friendship we see (retrospectively) is between Mr. Ramsay and Mr. Bankes. It failed.
Questions About Friendship
- Why are Lily and William friends only? Could Mrs. Ramsay have persuaded them to become more than that?
- What is William Bankes’s attitude towards friendship?
- What is the role of friendship in this novel?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
Given time, Mrs. Ramsay could have persuaded Lily and William to marry.