This section is explosive! Finny is just getting back and now he has to deal with Gene telling him that he is willing to enlist in the war. Finny obviously feels hurt because Gene didn’t even tell him. What makes it worse is that Gene was planning to do this before Finny got back to school. Finny reveals his surprise when he says, “‘Enlist!’ cried Finny at the same time. His large and clear eyes turned with an odd expression on me.”(pg. 107) By Gene getting that look from Finny, it reveals that Finny is completely caught off guard by the decision that Gene and Brinker made to enlist. Finny reveals that he feels that he is in charge of Gene because when he wasn’t told of the choice, it was as though he had just been betrayed by his best friend.
Gene described how Finny reacted to the thought of him leaving. “‘I can manage all right,’ Finny repeated with a set face.”(pg. 108) Finny is trying to get under Gene’s skin by saying, “Oh yeah. I can do perfectly well with or without you!” Finny starts to reel a bit and realize what he is putting his best friend through. First, though it is debatable, he makes Finny fall out of the tree; now he’s leaving an injured Finny to go to a war he didn’t originally support.
Gene tries to go back on what he said and argue with Brinker that he won’t enlist. They go back and forth with Gene saying that he wouldn’t enlist even if Brinker was related to some famous person in the war. They go to the point where Finny thinks up a new nick name for Brinker. Gene is obviously regretting what he has said so he tries to make it up, but he doesn't do a good job of it.
Why does Finny try to prove that he can take care of himself even with a shattered leg? Why does Gene suddenly go back on what he had first planned?
When Finny "I can manage all right" he is showing that he doesn't want to be treated like a cripple. He is angry with Gene for wanting to enlist while his best friend is not able to, and so he feels hostile towards Gene. I think that normally Finny would have let Gene help him, but he is too angry with him. Gene suddenly goes back on what he first planned because he feels guilty about thinking of enlisting and deserting Finny. Finny wants Gene around because they are still good friends, and how canGene "play the sports for Finny" if he's at war. Gene wanted to enlist to escape Devon, the suspicious students, and the guilt of jouncing the limb. Now that Finny is acting nice to him he feels guilty about wanting to desert him
ReplyDeleteI think that the scene where Gene says he might enlist was important for numerous reasons. The foremost reason is that we, as the readers, finally get the sense that Finny needs Gene, and not just the other way around. I think it might have actually done Gene some good in the long term to have enlisted, since he would have become more independent without Finny always there telling him what to do. For the short term, however, I think Gene made the right call when he turned around and treats the enlisting idea as something ridiculous that he would never go through with, since Finny truly believed him. I think it was good that Gene brought up the enlisting option altogether, since now maybe Finny won't take Gene for granted anymore. Do you think that Gene would have enlisted if Finny had interfered? And do you think Finny would have taken Gene more seriously if he had kept the enlisting option more open?
ReplyDeleteI believe that betrayal is a large factor in the beginning of this scene. Finny always seems to have this constant control over Gene, and you can tell that, in a way, Finny knows it. It is also shown that Finny controls Gene when Finny talks him into training for the Olympics, even when Gene knows that this goal isn't at all possible. When Finny heard Gene and Brinker talking about enlisting, Finny of course would feel betrayed due to the fact that he was not informed of this decision. I agree with Matt when he said that Gene can't play sports for Finny if he's at war. If Gene goes off to war, Finny will no longer have the power over him that he would normally have. Why do you think that Finny always wants to control Gene?
ReplyDeleteThis scene in ASP was very powerful because it explained a lot about Gene and FInny's relationship. Personally i believe that FInny tried to prove to everyone that he could take care of himself because of pride. He doesn't want to let Gene think that just because he hurt himself he is less powerful and wont be the leader their friendship. He wants to make a statement that he can fend for himself and he will always be "on top"
ReplyDeleteThe reason why Gene changes his mind about war is because of Finny. He doesn't want to let Finny know that he could ever think of doing something that he didn't approve of. This is a strong feeling that Gene has since he "jounced" the limb and made Finny fall, he believes that he needs to make it up to him as a friend by doing what ever FInny wants.