Friendship Theme Analysis

At its heart, Good Omens is a story about friendship. It portrays close, affectionate bonds between the demon Crowley and the angel Aziraphale, as well as between the Antichrist Adam Young and his gang of mortal human friends, known around their village as the “Them.” Through its exploration of these strong relationships between individuals whom readers might not expect to be close friends, Good Omens suggests that friendship isn’t only available to individuals with similar backgrounds or upbringings. Rather, a shared sense of loyalty or purpose can often bring people together in unlikely pairings. Furthermore, the novel makes the case that these strong friendships are worth fighting for, as the support they provide helps people better understand who they are and what they believe in.

Sometimes, it’s possible for unlikely friendships to arise out of a lack of other options. For instance, as a demon and an angel, respectively, Crowley and Aziraphale aren’t beings whom one might expect be great friends. But they’re seemingly the only divine beings who have spent the last 6,000 years on Earth exclusively (other angels and demons seem to have appeared on Earth for certain events, but don’t stay). As a result, the two eventually discover that they have more in common than not—perhaps most importantly, they both love much of what the mortal world has to offer. For Aziraphale, the Earth offers him access to his beloved collection of misprinted Bibles and delightful sushi restaurants, while Earth offers Crowley good alcohol and the ability to drive his 1926 Bentley. Their interests differ, but they both agree that the modern world contains all manner of delights. Thus, when they learn that Armageddon will take place in 11 years’ time, they decide that for the sake of their friendship and the world they both love, they must work together to prevent it.

With this, the novel shows that friendship is more important than doing one’s job—or indeed, than following one’s destiny. This becomes most apparent in the case of Adam. As the Antichrist, Adam has the power to bring about Armageddon and is prophesied to do so in the days after his 11th birthday. But as he becomes aware of his powers and begins to contemplate ending the world and building it anew, his three friends, Pepper, Wensleydale, and Brian, express skepticism. Like Crowley and Aziraphale, Pepper, Wensleydale, and Brian like the world as it is—and it frightens them when Adam threatens to use his powers to force them to go along with his destruction. Ultimately, Adam is distraught when he realizes how badly he’s frightening his friends, and this causes him to choose to abandon his role as the Antichrist. It’s more important to him, in the long run, to show his friends love and support than it is to follow his destiny to bring about the end of the world.

Friendship not only has the power to encourage Adam to literally change his destiny—it also helps Adam come to a better understanding of who he is, aside from being the Antichrist. When he realizes how important his friends are to him, he discovers a new version of himself, one who prioritizes fairness and considering others’ opinions over his own selfish desires. Similarly, in making the choice to stand up to their bosses in Heaven and Hell, Aziraphale and Crowley discover new things about themselves—namely, that they’re not as wholly good or evil as they’ve spent their lives believing. Indeed, in the moments before they suspect that they’re going to die saving the world, Aziraphale remarks that it’s clear from Crowley’s actions that he’s not so bad—while Crowley quips that he’s learned Aziraphale is “just enough of a bastard to be worth liking.” Friendship, Good Omens shows, has the unique power to give people the strength and support to understand who they are, make difficult decisions, and do what they think is right—and to make those choices worth the trouble or sacrifice.