Chapter 8: What do Gene’s observations about the changes in Finny reveal about Finny? About Gene? (109-114)

In this chapter, Finny is enraged of not being able to what he used able to do and takes out that anger on people such as Finny. Now that Finny is back, I believe he wants everything his way because he believes just because he is cripple you need to do what he says. Gene is trying to take care of him and just make Finny feel the best he can. Finny is more dissatisfied than ever in the book and Gene is friendlier towards Finny.

Gene is now being more arrogant and is whining about everything. For example on page 104, “Oh Christ, it’s not made up. What is all this crap about no maids.” In this quote he is just thinking about himself and not about the people in the war. In this chapter he repeatedly says that there is no war going on as if he did not care about the war. He is also being more commanding to Gene because every day he tells him to get his crutches as if he was a slave and he made Gene miss a class. Finny is criticizing Gene too much; for example, he makes fun of the way he dresses and gets angry at Gene because he quits crew. I think Finny is trying to transform Gene in to him. He was also furious when Gene told him that he was going to enlist into the war. Finny is still the same old Finny, but he gotten a little worse. I truly believe that all the frustration in Finny’s head is getting to him and making him grumpier and hating is life more. I believe Finny is also scared because he knows that sooner or later Gene will go to war and might never see his friend again.

Gene knows that Finny is angry because of all the difficulties he has moving from place to place. He knows that Finny needs support to get through this depressing era for Finny. In this chapter Gene is like Finny’s slave because he does everything that Finny commands. I believe he is doing this because he knows he caused it and feels bad for him, and he knows he has to be there for him. There are many moments in this chapter when Gene comforts Finny when he is getting angry. In this chapter I believe Gene is caring for Finny like a maid and is trying to make the friendship between each other better. Gene is trying to be the best friend he can possibly be for Finny.

Have you ever had a friend that has changed for the worse? How did the friendship turn out? What do you think is the best way to solve a problem like this?

Chapters 3-4. Why did Gene jounce the limb?

Through out the entire novel Gene has been envious of Finny even though Finny was his best friend. The reason that Gene decides to knock Finny off the branch is because he hates Finny for not being envious like Gene is. Every little thing Finny got away with or was able to do on the sports field bothered him. All of those little incidents kept stacking up in Gene's mind.

When Gene asked Finny if he would mind if Gene graduated at the top of the class. Finny told Gene "I'd kill myself out of jealous envy.(p.52)" Finny was joking as he often does but Gene thought the joking act was just a screen. Gene then let his thoughts go, never questioning anything that entered his mind. He thought that Finny only included him in activities like blitzball and the suicide club to make sure Gene wouldn't study. Gene thought Finny was envious of his grades. Gene also thought Finny tried to keep Gene from studying. Gene now thought Finny was no better then him, Finny was envious too.

Gene became obsessed with being better then Finny and everyone else at schoolwork. He worked twice as hard on his assignments so that he could be better then Finny. Gene thought, "While he was a very poor student I was a pretty good athlete, and when everything was thrown into the scales, they would in the end tilt definitely toward me.(p.55)" His whole life at Devon became being better then Finny and he thought it was the same way for Finny.

When Finny tried to get Gene to come to a suicide club meeting the night before one of Gene's exams, Gene thought Finny was trying to stop him from studying and he said so to Finny. Finny was confused and he then said that if Gene had to study then he should study. Finny explained how he didn't know Gene had to study, how he thought school just came to him.

Gene realized Finny wasn't jealous of him, Finny never had been. Gene couldn't stand it. He hated Finny for being such a good friend because Gene knew that he wasn't a good friend to Finny. He hated that he envied Finny because Finny didn’t envy him. He hated Finny for being so perfect, he could never live with it. Gene had to take it from Finny. So when he stood next to Finny high up in the tree where Finny had saved him, Gene bounced and watched as his friend lost his balance and fell.

Will Gene regret his decision to betray his best friend? Will Finny tell people what Gene did or will he stay loyal to Gene? Will Gene continue to try to become top of class? Why or why not?