When Leper came onto The Devon school he popped the bubble of peace, exposing the horrors of the reality outside the campus gates. Most of all, he revealed the truth that both Finny and Gene were denying: that Gene was responsible for "shattering" Finny's leg and their trust within their friendship. Finny finally accepted the truth and broke down in sadness. He stated the following when Gene came to visit him in the hospital: "'You want to break something else in me! Is that why you're here!' He thrashed wildly in the darkness, the bed groaning under him and the sheets hissing as he fought against them." (p.184-185.) This quote displays the mental pain that Finny is facing while realizing that his best friend has caused his entire world to crumble.
Because of the reasons above, I do not believe that if Finny had survived the surgery, they could have been friends again. When Finny first shattered his leg, their friendship and trust shattered with it. Then it began to slowly heal, although, never fully gaining its previous state. When Phineas fell down the marble stair case, it created the final crack in their friendship, and later proved to be unfixable.
If Finny had survived, what changes do you think Gene's life would have?
What impact did Finny's friendship have on Gene's life?
Lulu, I agree with you saying that Gene and Finny could never have had the same friendship they did before if Finny had survived the operation.
ReplyDeleteAnswering the first question, If Finny had survived i think that Gene would be going through almost as much pain as he is now that Finny is dead. My reasoning for this is that if Finny was alive, there friendship would be different and they might not even be friends anymore. This would tear Gene apart and might even make him more upset than he is now. Since Finny is dead he doesn't know what could have happened, so he cant be worried about not being friends with Finny if he's gone. As we all know Gene over thinks everything and if Finny were still alive, Gene would have a miserable life coping with the friendship they lost.
Lastly, to answer the second question, the friendship between the two boys was very important, especially for Gene. Gene was a reasonably quiet boy and if it wasn't for Finny he might not have had many friends. Finny gave Gene support, help and cared for him throughout their time at Devon together, this friendship changed Gene and Finny's life for the better.
I disagree with both of you about Finny and Gene's friendship. Had Finny survived, he and Gene would have still remained friends, maybe not best friends, but still friends. My reasoning behind this is that on page 191 Finny says, "I believe you. It's okay because I understand and believe you. You already showed me and I believe you." By saying this Finny is telling Gene that even though he made hum fall of the branch, it was nothing personal against Finny. I think the impact Finny's friendship had on Gene was that even the most innocent kind people like Finny will get hurt especially during his time because of the war.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sammy and Lucia that Gene and Finny's relationship would never be the same. I also think that Finny's injuries are like their friendship. If Finny had survived I think that Gene would not feel as guilty as he does now. Ever since Finny fell out of the tree, Gene has felt a sense of guilt, but has been trying to put the incident behind him. Gene will have to be more independent and won't be able to hide behind Finny's shadow. Gene would feel as though he owed something even more to Finny then he already does.
ReplyDeleteI think that Finny's friendship with Gene had its ups and downs in Gene's mind. Gene relied on Finny in the beginning of the novel, but as the book progressed Finny ended up relying on Gene. Finny brought Gene out of his shell and helped him become more confident in himself. Gene would help Finny with his academics, and Finny would help Gene with his athletics. They considered each other "best-friends", even though Gene was suspicious of Finny. I think that Gene viewed their relationship as a competition in the beginning of the book, but towards the middle and end Gene realized that Finny was genuinely nice person and wasn't trying to hurt Gene in any way. Finny was always there for Gene, but was Gene always there for Finny?
I agree with the others that said there friendship would not be what is was before. If your "friend" shattered your leg, he is obviously trying to say how this relationship is dysfunctional. Finny was taking over Gene. His mind whirled with thoughts of Finny. Finny helped Gene in many ways, yet all Gene thought was how he would one-up Finny. Also, Gene really couldn't spit out the truth at all, and instead left it in his mind. A true friend shows his falls and does not keep them contained. The impact on Gene's life from this relationship is that he realized how much of an impact this friendship took on him, and how he has matured in some ways, yet needs to use these events and not repeat history in the future.
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