#11. 2) Does Finny's death surprise you? Why or why not? Does it seem like a logical climax for the novel? Is it the climax?

In chapter 11, the story hits its climax at the very end, but in chapter 12, the story is in its falling action. The chapter starts off with how the injury is treated, and how Finny is taken off to the infirmary. Gene starts to feel awful, and wishes none of this has ever happened. He goes to the infirmary and tries to get in through the window. Finny starts thrashing around, until he falls off of his bed. Gene feels like he doesn't know what to do, and exits back through he window. Gene wanders around the campus, from the stairs in which Finny fell, to the gymnasium. Gene feels that something has changed there, but he does not know what. Gene does not find his way back to his dorm, and falls asleep in the gym. When he wakes up he is asked to take some of Finny's things to the infirmary. He has a brief talk with Finny, a sincere and conclusive talk. Little did Gene know was that this was the last time he would see Finny. The rest of the day proceeded in a blur. At 5:00, Gene finds out the bad news that Finny has passed away. Gene did not feel much sadness, only "...an extremely cold chill along my back and neck, that was all." (p.193) This was one of the things that I was confused about.

To me, Finny's death surprised me, although I did have a hunch that something was going to happen. There was an unbelievable amount of tension in this chapter and I knew it was going to lead up to something, I just didn't know what. I thought that something minor was going to happen, because the climax had already happened. I didn't think that something was going to top it. It does seem like a logical climax to me. This is what the whole story leads up to, and is very conclusive. It concludes Finny and Gene's relationship, on a extreme, but necessary level. It is only necessary because there was so much conflict in there relationship, it would be hard to wrap up. Although it seems like a logical climax, I don't think that it is. I think the climax is when Finny falls from the stairs. There is much more tension building up to that moment than Finny's death. Finny's death seemed as quick and sudden, that it didn't feel like a solid moment. That is why it is not climax. Why do you think Gene didn't feel anything when Finny died? Do you think Gene was surprised at his death? How did this chapter emotionally impact you?

Chapter 5: What is the symbolism of the fact that Finny’s leg was “shattered”?

The word shattered comes with a large amount of imagery. You think shattered glass, shattered dreams, but most importantly, you think of something that can never be put together again. If you've ever seen shattered glass, you know immediately it can never be fixed back to the way it was originally. After Gene jounced the limb and Finny fell off the tree, everything in Gene's life seemed shattered. Shattered is worse than broken; this is because broken can be fixed. Finny's shattered leg symbolizes their shattered friendship. By the end of this reading, we can tell that they are not comfortable in the presence of one another. Gene is afraid to be honest with Finny. Their trust was always broken glass, held together by glue with a few cracks, yet their trust wasn't shattered until Finny fell off the tree.

At the end of the chapter, Gene went to visit Finny in attempt to piece together what Gene already knew was a broken friendship. Finny would not allow himself to accept the fact that his best friend Gene made him fall and shattered his dreams of being an athlete. He would not allow himself to believe that all the trust he had put into his best friend was shattered. "I would have to make every move false (p. 71)", Gene tells the reader while trying to get out of the conversation. Gene is now aware of their shattered, hopeless friendship. This seems to be a foreshadow for many lies soon to come. The action Gene made can not be forgiven, and an apology will not fix this. Check out this image of shattered glass. Do you think if it were not for the tree, this friendship would have lasted? Will Gene and Finny ever be able to be good friends again? If you believe good friendships are built on trust, do you think they were great friends in the first place?