Connecting With My Childhood Pen Par 30 Years Later Analysis

True Friendship

Can people from opposite sides of the globe create a lifelong friendship? Many people question whether two people from different places and cultures can form a long lasting bond. It is definitely a little more difficult than becoming good friends with someone from the same culture or area. There are different obstacles that comes with forming a strong bond with someone from across the globe rather than someone in the same country. The story, Little Bee, and the article, “Reconnecting With My Childhood Pen Pal, 30 Years Later” convey the truth about becoming lifelong friends. Individuals are able to form long lasting bonds with others despite cultural differences with the same approaches as any other friendship.

To begin with,

In Little Bee, when Sarah and Little Bee finally reunite after the day she had to cut her finger off, Sarah spends her time protecting Little Bee to help her survive. While Little Bee tries to tell Sarah that she will not be able to stay in England legally because she will be sent back to Nigeria, Sarah explains that she has connections as a writer and that they “could kick up a stink” (Cleave 137). In this situation, Sarah could have just accepted that Little Bee will not be able to stay in England, however, she is dedicated and will start a fuss to protect her. This is part of the reason that Little Bee and Sarah have formed a long lasting bond. Sarah is determined to help Little Bee as Little Bee is determined to help out Sarah and her family. Sarah tries hard in this relationship to overcome the obstacles and make a true friendship. Also in Little Bee, Sarah’s son, Charlie, always has a batman costume on and refuses to take it off. He wears this costume as a form of safety. Throughout the story, people try to make him take off this costume, but he will not do it. In the end of the story, there are soldiers there that are about to take Little Bee. Little Bee, performs one last act of kindness towards Sarah’s family in attempting to get Charlie out of his shell and to be like all of the other children. Little Bee knew that if she told Charlie her real name, he will take his costume off. Little Bee tells little Charlie her real name and Charlie responds by saying: “I is going to take off mine Batman costume now” (Cleave 266). Little Bee does not have to do this but she is dedicated to her friendship with Sarah and knows it will make her happy. Also, she knows that Charlie will become more happy and playful as he ends up playing with the other children on the bach. In the end, Little Bee just wanted Sarah and her family to be happy like any other true friend would.