The role of friends in Billy Letts’ novel “Where the heart is”
The friendships one makes play a crucial part in defining who one is and helping one through their lives. Many times friends are the lifeline when life throws obstacles that appear overwhelming and they are the ones who know how to share the moments of joy untainted by jealousy or envy. As one grows up and leaves home the friends one makes become a second family, giving strength when needed and offering laughter unconditionally. In the novel “Where the Heart Is” by Billie Letts the theme of friendship is explored in the life of the protagonist, Novalee Nation. The story opens with Novalee being abandoned by her boyfriend at a Wal-Mart parking lot far from Novalee’s home. Pregnant, Novalee is forced to rely on the kindness of strangers who help her unconditionally, teaching her the value of friendship and how friends can become the family one seeks when their real family has abandoned them.
One of the first friendships Novalee makes is with Sister Husband, a humble woman who is in charge of the town’s “Welcome Wagon,” a committee of one dedicated to welcoming new people into the community. Sister Husband seems eccentric but her heart is kind and Novalee realizes that Sister Husband asks nothing of her and expects nothing of her albeit her generosity and open heart. Sister Husband welcomes Novalee into her own home and Novalee initially does not comprehend such unwarranted kindness for a stranger. From Sister Husband Novalee learns that everyone can be a friend and that the barriers we erect against strangers are only as real as one wants them to be and it is just as easy to label someone as their friend. As a mother-figure to the seventeen year old Novalee, Sister Husband radiates compassion and becomes Novalee’s first friend in Sequoyah, Oklahoma, showing her that friendship can take the place of the real family one has left behind.
Novalee also meets Moses Whitecotton during her stay at Wal-Mart. Moses is a photographer who offers Novalee advice on naming her expected child. He tells her that she should name her child a name “that will mean something” and be able to “withstand a lot of bad times.” He also gives Novalee a photoalbum and offers to take a photo of her baby when it is born. Moses Whitecotton plays the role of a father-figure to Novalee. He gives her fatherly advice from his years of experience and gives her the album, a symbol for the holding of memories that a paternal figure holds.
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