Opposites Attract

Ashley Adams

Blog Option 4

The two protagonists in Ray Bradbury’s novel “Something Wicked This Way Comes,” Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade, remind me of the relationship I have with my best friend.

Bradbury describes Will as very cautious and wants to take time to think about things instead of just jumping in. Jim on the other hand is the complete opposite. He is all about adventure and asking for forgiveness instead of permission. He reminds me of my best friend. She is always trying to get me to go out with her or do something random.

Even though they are complete opposites, the boys are still best friends and have each other’s back. In one scene in the book the boys hear the music of the carnival. Jim wants to get out of bed at 3 a.m. and go see what’s happening. Will on the other hand does not.

“Here goes nothing!”

“Jim wait!”

Will thrashed into his clothes.

“Jim don’t go alone!”

And followed after. (Bradbury 47)

Even though he doesn’t want to go, Will doesn’t want anything bad to happen to Jim so he tags along.

            Webster’s Dictionary defines a friend as “a person who you like and enjoy being with.” To me a friend is so much more than that. A friend is someone who is there for you no matter what time of night you need them or what problem you may have. They also don’t have to be the same person as you. I feel that my best friend and I complement each other very well. She helps me to come out of my shell more and I am there to keep her grounded. I wouldn’t change anything about our personality for the world. She’s my friend because of who she is and I would never want to change that just as she would never want to change me. Just like Will and Jim, we aren’t trying to compete with each other. “Nobody won. Nobody wanted to win. It was in their friendship they just wanted to run forever, shadow and shadow…no one losing, both winning, thus saving their friendship for other times of loss” (Bradbury 12). She moved to North Carolina when we were juniors in high school. It was very tough for me at first, because I thought maybe she would find some more friends that were more outgoing than me and we wouldn’t be friends anymore. That was not the case. Even though we’re hundreds of miles apart, we still act like Will and Jim, sharing secrets and protecting each other.