Shantaram is made up of the stories of some grand friendships between very different characters. Lin, an Australian fugitive who turns up in Bombay one day, must rely on the strangers he meets to find his way through the city. He is lucky; he finds some of the most loyal, true friends a guy could ask for. Most of these friendship stories end in tragedy, unfortunately, but they insist on the beauty of BFF-hood anyway. Even love doesn't seem to play as strong a role as friendship in this novel.
Questions About Friendship
- Who is Lin's best friend in the novel? How do you know?
- What does friendship represent for Lin in Shantaram? Would he be able to survive without it?
- When does Lin know for sure that he and Prabaker will be close friends? How does he know?
- Why does Lin's visiting Prabaker's village mean so much for their friendship?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
Shantaram shows that friendship, because it is chosen, is more important than any other tie (even the bow tie… okay, sorry).
Lin's survival in the novel depends entirely upon his friendships. Without his BFFs, he'd be dead meat.