Gene and Finny's training is significant in many ways. It shows the determination of the two of them to reach the goal of the olympics. Finny feels it at first, and when Gene finishes his race course, he breaks through. "Then, for no reason at all, I felt magnificent. It was as though my body until that instant had simply been lazy, as though the aches and exhaustion were all imagined, created from nothing in order to keep me from truly exerting myself. Now my body seemed to say, 'Well, if you must have it, here!' and an accession of strength came flooding through me." (p. 120) It reveals how Finny wants Gene to do good in both athletics, and that all he wants to do is support him. A scene that stood out to me was when Finny told Gene to start doing 30 chin-ups. At first Finny probably expected Gene to end up doing 10, maybe 15 at the most, but even Gene was surprised when he did all 30. It wasn't just Gene responsible for doing the chin-ups, it was Finny too, urging him on to keep going. I think that this reveals how supportive and helpful they are to each other. They know each other so well that they both know what they are capable of. I think that that is key in a friendship, and can show a lot about how close together the friends are. This chapter reminded me a lot of the training scene in the movie Rocky. It had the same kind of power. What do you think gave Gene the strength to finish the race fast, and to do all 30 chin-ups?
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
What is the significance of Gene and Finny’s training? How is related to their conversations about war? What does it reveal about their relationship?
Finny's back! He has returned to Devon and is sharing a room with Gene. On the first day of classes Finny wants to skip class. He promised that he would be good about grades, but he wanted to see Devon. Finny wanted to see how Devon has changed and wants to see the gym. He and Gene take the long quarter mile walk over ice to the gym. Once they get there they went to the locker room. They walked by the trophy case. Finny thought back to how he wanted to be in the Olympics for 1944, but now that he cannot do that, he wants Gene to. Thus, the training begins.
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When they were in the gym Gene didn't know what to say when they got in the fight about the war so he decided to go do the chin-ups. It was a way of apologizing and showing off towards Finny, and in the end he surprised himself with how many chin-ups he did. Along with the fact that he wanted to apologize he also got motivation from Finny. When Finny mentioned that he wanted to make the 1944 Olympics I think that was the turning point for Gene. Gene wants to please Finny in any way possible. I guarantee if Finny hadn't mentioned the Olympics Gene wouldn't be as motivated as he was doing the chin-ups and the run.
ReplyDeleteI think what gave Gene the strength to do the thirty chin-ups was the fact that throughout them Finny was unenthusiastically counting, showing that he was bored and didn't think that Gene would complete it. But when Gene got to twenty three chin ups Finny suddenly became enthusiastic, which shows that he doubted Gene could complete thirty until that moment. I feel Gene completed the push ups to prove Finny wrong, and show him that he could do the push ups. Also, Finny is let down by Gene because he isn't doing sports, so Finny would want to show Gene that he is athletic to impress him and show off. Does Finny actually think Gene is capable of going to the 1944 Olympics, or is he training Gene for other reasons?
ReplyDeleteI do not think that Finny thinks that Gene is capable of going to the 1944 Olympics. I think Finny is training Gene for other reasons. One reason is that Finny does not support that Gene wants to enlist in the army. I think making Gene do something else will get his mind off the idea of war. Another reason I think that he wants Gene to do the Olympics is because Gene is not playing sports and I think Finny needs him to do some sport or something for him. What I think gave Gene the strength to finish the race fast was to prove to Finny that he is capable at playing sports. That he can do both and he was not just into academics. Another reason is that I still think that Gene feels guilt about what he did to Finny. In the future events do you think there will be more situations in which Finny forces Gene to do something that means a lot to Finny? Will Gene ever say no to Finny about things Finny wants Gene to do or will Gene have to much guilt and never say no?
ReplyDeleteFinny definitely cares about Gene and wants the best for him, as shown in chapter eight. Gene finished the race and 30 chin-ups because of how supportive Finny was being. Finny wants Gene to become him, and compete in the '44 olympics. However, this may not be the best thing for Gene. Finny will end up pushing too hard and Finny will loose track of who he is. High school is about finding your identity. How can Gene achieve that when he is trying to be Finny? Katherine, I do believe Gene will soon stick up for himself. He shouldn't have to be dragged behind Finny. If he wants to go to war, he should go, not obey Finny because he feels "sorry for him".
ReplyDeleteI agree with Soren about the chin ups. They were Gene's way of apologizing to Finny about the argument they just had. When Finny wants him to do more Gene probably decided the more he did the better his apology to Finny would be. Gene gets the strength to finnish the run fast because he realizes that he owes it to Finny. When he jounced the branch that made Finny fall it made it so that Finny could never do sports again. By training, it is Finny's way of saying, "If I can't be the best my student will." So in some way Finny is still the best at sports.
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