With reference to the actions and behavior of the writer's friends discuss what the writer says about how you treat your friends. Does the writer mean what he say? (three men in a boat chapter 15)
Answers
In chapter 15, the writer makes humorous and satirical comments about friends. Through the punting scene the writer tries to narrate humorously that friends usually enjoy seeing their mates in trouble.
Once when the narrator along with his three friends went to do punting for the first time, he realized friends could be so selfish and mean. The friends offered they would teach him how to do punting; since they were a little busy, they suggested the writer to practice a little punting by himself.
The writer could not get the punt. So he sat on the bank waiting for his friends to return. As he was sitting at the bank, he noticed a boy dressed exactly like the writer doing the punting. He was just a novice. It was sure the boy would fall in the river.
Everyone on the bank started looking at the boy. Soon the writer’s friends returned too. They also became interested in the boy punting in the river. Since the boy’s back was towards the friends, they thought it was the writer punting. They began making fun of him and passing indecent remarks on him.
When the boy turned his face towards them to ask why they were being rude to him; they felt sorry saying they thought he was their friend (the writer). He was ashamed to realize that his friends were chaffing the stranger punter mistaking him to be Jim himself.
Through this incident the writer intends to tell the readers this aspect of friends.