THE ANTI-FRIEND: Griffith and the instrumentalization of friendship

Abstract

Guts and Griffith represent an antithesis in terms of values, goals, and worldviews. Guts, the protagonist, is a mercenary marked by a lack of direction, while Griffith, a charismatic leader, carries an elevated ideal of greatness. The friendship between them, however, proves to be unilateral, with Griffith recognizing Guts's value, as a friend, late in the work, pointing to a view of friendship overshadowed by its instrumentalization. This article analyzes the unilaterality of this relationship starting from Aristotle's models of friendship (philia) to distinguish virtuous friendship from instrumental friendship, contextualizing the debate with the perspectives of Cicero and Seneca. Starting from the distinction between virtuous (reciprocal) friendship in a moral sense, and instrumental friendship (utility), it is demonstrated how the dynamic between the two exemplifies an imbalance between the conceptions. At a later moment, Griffith will tragically recognize Guts's value, but will not be able to restore the bond, evidencing a traumatic incompatibility for both.