Posted: February 28th, 2022

The story revolved around an unlikely relationship

The story revolved around an unlikely relationship between a boy and a 36-year-old wealthy man. Will was wealthy and trendy. He spent most of his days laying around and being self-absorbed.

He was living off his late father’s royalties from his hit single, “Santa’s Super Sleigh.” He refused to do anything with his life. Bored and desperate to meet women who were desperate for sex, he went off to join a single parent’s group called “SPAT.” He pretended to have a son, until he met Suzie.

At a company outing, Will met Fiona, an eccentric hippy vegan who had a 12-year-old sold named Marcus. He was the type of child who was bullied in school because of his weird haircut and his old-fashioned clothes that his mom chose for him.
During that time, Will and Marcus did not like each other very much. It was during that time when, they discovered that Fiona tried to commit suicide. Marcus spied on Will during the day and discovered he was not a single parent since he did not have a kid. He tried to convince Will to befriend his mother, fearing that she would try to kill herself again This was because of his mother’s constant crying.
Over time, Will allowed Marcus to visit him. He even gave him new trainers. The next day, they got stolen. Marcus had to explain to his mother how Will was trying to help him out socially. Marcus joined a talent show at school to sing “Killing me Softly” that was supposed to be his mother’s favorite song.
Will tried to stop Marcus from doing so and races to his school knowing it was social suicide. He arrived but was not successful in persuading Marcus from performing. Seeing that Marcus was not doing well with the crowd, he came on stage with him playing a guitar. While the performance was not as successful, the friendship forged between Will and Marcus was. It served as a pivotal part in the story as the two turned each other’s lives around.
Relationships. The story revolved around the significance of relationships each character had in each other’s lives. The theme of the story was about how relationships can change your life. Mainly, it was Will’s life that was headlined.  He was living an empty life despite his wealth and free time.
It was only when he formed a relationship with Marcus that his life gained meaning and substance. He began to care about someone other than himself as shown in how he brought him new shoes and when he performed the talent show with Marcus. If he did not meet Marcus, could he have changed his life alone? It was unlikely, as he did not realize then that he needed to.
It was then that he apprehended that it was not good to live his life for himself alone. He saw how different it was when he did not knew Marcus. Once he had experienced having a real relationship with a person, he yearned for it and realized he needed people too. He felt the emptiness when Marcus was not around.
At the same time, Marcus was cruising through his life as a pushover. He did not know how to act with confidence because he did lack the chance to have a father figure. He did not have anyone whom he could have such an important relationship with.
The time he had spent at Will’s house built the relationship between them, even if it was unwarranted. He was hanging out with him after school and it worked for them. The story showed that relationships did not need to be conventional for them to change a person’s life.
The friendship that developed between Fiona and Will was also an unusual one. But she needed that relationship with Will in order to keep her sanity and avoid depression. Even if there were times wherein, he threatened her, she was grateful for the role he played in Marcus’ life. She saw that with Will around, she had a chance to make his life better.
This showed how the relationships of the people we love have with other people affects our lives as well. People were also placed in others lives for a purpose. It also showed that relationships were built over time. It was also strengthened by genuine concern and honesty.
It was something that needed to be worked on. People needed a witness to their lives. The story revolved around relationships and the importance of human connection was to create a meaningful existence.
Work Cited
Hornby, Nick. About a Boy. New York: Riverhead Books, 1998.