What does the conversation about enlisting reveal about Finny and Gene’s relationship (p107-108)? Provide at least two specific examples (MITCH)

In the novel, “A separate Piece”  by John Knowles, the main character Gene, begins to think about enlisting in the war at the time this story takes place (WWII). In this chapter we find out how much the main character’s friend, Finny, really cares about him.

When Gene reveals that he will be enlisting, Finny acts in a surprising way. “Enlist!” cried Finny,....”You're going to enlist!” ( Knowles 107). In the eyes of Gene and a reader of the novel Finny appears to be more shocked than expected.. The relevance of this quote in the novel shows that Finny, even after what Gene had done to him,  still cares about Gene. Gene was also surprised  and says to himself, “Phineas was shocked at the idea of me leaving, In some way he needed me.” (Knowles 108) This also makes Gene question FInny’s thought process behind the whole situation. Why would Finny come back to Gene? How could someone forgive someone for ruining their “whole life”? The answer: Finny really cares about Gene, and he will not let what Gene has done to him get in the way of him loving his best friend the way he does.

Question: Do you think Finny will have a big enough influence on Gene to make him not enlist into the war?

(Assignment #7) What is the significance of Gene and Finny's training? How is it related to their conversations about war? What does is reveal about their relationship? (Charlotte)

Gene and Finny's training represents how their friendship has impacted both of them, as well as how their individual qualities have become prevalent in one another. When Finny was cooped up at home after his accident, Gene began to take on Finny's personality: he dressed in Finny's clothes, and harbored the same deceiving nature when he went with Brinker to the Butt Room. "His glance flickered out at me from his defeat, and I saw to my surprise that I had, by making a little fun of him, brought upon myself his unmixed hatred." (Knowles 91) Once Finny returns to Devon, he insists that Gene begin training in order to take his place at the 1944 Olympics. In addition, Gene begins to tutor Finny in academics. "I was dividing my time between tutoring Finny in studies and being tutored by him in sports." (Knowles 119) They each share a part of themselves with the other, and the result is them becoming more alike.

Additionally, Gene and Finny's training brings out the quality in Finny that allows him to take any negative situation, such as war, and turn it positive. He does this by insisting that the war is fake and that it was created by old, fat men who wish to control all the food and money in the world. "'Do you really think that the United States of America is in a state of war with Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan?'" (Knowles 115) Even though Finny denies that there is a real war, he still insists on completing war related tasks, such as training. Normally, he and Gene would be training to go off to war. However, Finny suggests that this is for the 1944 Olympics. Finny knows, deep down inside, that there is a war going on and that Gene will someday have to be enlisted in it. Finny does not want to even think of losing Gene at this point, so he says that the training is because of the Olympics. This not only shows both Gene and Finny's devotion to their friendship, but how Finny does have a sense of realism, even if he fails to show it sometimes.

Assignment #7) Explore the dynamics and undertones of Finny and Gene’s first conversations upon his return. Does it feel “realistic” to you? Why or why not? (Nicholas)

Upon Finny's arrival, the two friends have a conversation that seems by far too unrealistic, or at least uncharacteristic of their friendship. Finny greets Gene by cracking a teasing joke about his clothing, something one can assume Finny would do. Their talk seems disguised, as if afraid how the other has changed over the course of their break. Once again, the topic of the accident looms over their conversation, which was the last thing they discussed face-to-face. It is a matter that makes them both awkward, of which they don't want to talk about. Secondly, Gene is somewhat jealous of Finny. "In these past months Phineas and I had grown apart on this; I felt a certain disapproval of him for grumbling about a lost luxury, with a war on" (Knowles 104). While Gene was in school dealing with Quakenbush, accusations in the Butt Room, guilt about the accident and the suffocating decision of the brutal war and its effects on his life, Finny was in a completely different world. He lived in the luxury of his home away from what Gene was dealing with at Devon alone despite having a "shattered" leg. One can see how much Gene thinks through the text, but what only so little he says. The same most likely for Finny and all he thinks about his friend after their time apart. Their conversation is merely scratching the surface to everything they believe on the inside.

Assignment #6: How does Gene feel about war and enlisting in this reading (look closely at pages 100-102)? (Geoffrey Goose)

Gene feels that by enlisting is the war he would get a chance to push the restart button on life. Gene almost feels trapped in world where he is stuck in the same "'domestic white and schoolboy blue"' life (Knowles, 100). To Gene it's the same routine, with the same people, and the same guilt. The only way for Gene (in his mind) to get rid of this guilt, and regret, is to join the war. He feels that by enlisting in the war, he could drop these things and start new. "'To enlist. To slam the door impulsively on the past, to shed everything down to my last bit of clothing, to break the pattern of my life"' (Knowles, 100). At this point in the novel, Gene is receiving a lot of accusations about Phineas, and what he did to Finny. So, in Gene's mind, enlisting in the war, would be dropping all this stress off his back a starting fresh. Despite the fact that "'The war would be deadly all right"' (Knowles, 101), in Gene's mind it would be worth it as long as he could start fresh.


Do you think that despite the fact that Finny has returned, Gene with follow through with enlisting in the war?

Explore the significance/symbolism of the Nagaumset (Amy Khoshbin)

The Nagaumset river symbolizes the immense change Gene has undergone since the beginning of the Summer Session, both internally and within his environment. At the beginning of the book, The Devon river is where Gene and Finny first jump off the tree, which solidifies their friendship and introduces the idea of fear which is omnipresent throughout the story. This is seen at one of the first jumps when Gene says, "What was I doing up here anyway?....My legs hit the soft mud of the bottom, and immediately I was on the surface being congratulated. I felt fine," (Knowles 17). This quote illustrates an overarching theme of the summer session, which was Gene holding on to Finny both for his own gain regarding social clout, but also a feeling of peace and happiness. In addition, it represents an almost cleansing process, in the sense that jumping into the river was a way in which Gene conquered his fears. However, these emotions are strongly contradicted by the ones of the Winter Session. Because of the tension of the war, feelings of peace and excitement have been replaced by feelings of anger, insecurity, and a fear far greater than that of simple jealousy. After falling into the river during his fight with Quackenbush, Gene says, "Going into the devon was like taking a refreshing shower itself...the Naguamsett was something else entirely...it seemed appropriate that my baptism there had taken place on the first day of this winter session...in the middle of a fight" (Knowles 86). This quote demonstrates how Gene's feelings have matured from jealousy to anger. This relates back to the comparison between the Nagaumset and the Devon by showing how different the summer and winter sessions are, in addition to showing how Gene has been changed by his actions. He has not only corrupted his friendship with Finny, but instead of overcoming his fears, he has lost his perspective on his own identity by doing something that, at the beginning of the novel, he would have seen as pointless and as an act of malice. Furthermore, his feelings of impurity could come from the fact that he feels as if he is betraying his own people,while others are dying in a war fighting for his safety. The Nagaumset not only symbolizes an immense change, but shows the start of a new time, one entirely different from the peace and, by comparison to the Winter Session, minute fears faced by the boys of Devon.

How does Gene feel about war and enlisting in this reading (look closely at pages 100-102)? (Ben K.)

Gene feels like the war could start a new beginning for anyone. Gene has had a slightly troubling past year at Devon University, and as he says on page 100, the war could get rid of his past. "To enlist. To slam the door impulsively on the past, to shred everything down to my last bit of clothing." (100) As Gene talks about how enlisting is a new start for some, he also says how it's a confusing process. He gives examples of enlisting being good and bad, for example, he says "Not that would be a good life. The war would be deadly all right. But I was used to finding something deadly in things that attracted me..." This quote is showing how the war would be deadly but enjoyable for someone like Gene.
Gene feels that if he enlists to the war, he will be happier and the weight will be taken off of his shoulders. "I reckoned my responsibilities by the light of the unsentimental night sky knew that I owed no one anything. I owed it to myself to meet this crisis in my life when I chose, and I chose now." (103) This quote is showing how Gene is swallowing his pride and is going to enlist. By choosing to enlist in the war, he is getting his troubles off of his back and he is swallowing his pride.

Assignment 6 (85-102) How does Gene feel about war and enlisting in this reading (look closely at pages 100-102)? -Fiona

Gene is interested in enlisting in the army because he is attracted to the idea of leaving everything behind, including his problematic friendship with Finny. Gene is thinking about enlisting in the war on his way back from shoveling railroad yards. “To enlist. To slam the door impulsively on the past” (Knowles 100). For Gene, the war is an escape. An escape from having to face his protected, ‘conventional’ reality, and having to deal with the guilt of causing Finny’s injury, because ‘out of sight, out of mind.’ If Gene won’t have to see Finny every day at the Devon School, then he will stop thinking about him, and the harshness of the guilt will be lessened. Joining the war means escaping from every emotion Gene feels while attending the Devon School with Finny and his shattered leg. In this same context, he fantasizes: "...Domestic white and schoolboy blue, all those tangled strands which required the dexterity of a virtuoso to keep flowing - I yearned to take giant military shears to it, snap! bitten off in an instant, and nothing left in my hands but spools of khaki" (Knowles 100). Gene uses this metaphor to describe how fighting in the war would be his way out of his complicated, prestigious, first-world life at Devon. Joining the war offers Gene a chance at a new beginning, where he can forget his past, and get involved in something out of the norm. ​

Assignment 6) Explore and explain the significance of the scene in the Butt Room. (Stephen)

The Butt Room scene symbolizes Gene’s denial of injuring Phineas. At this point in the story, Gene uses denial to keep himself from guilt and regret. This is symbolized when he says “I had to take part in this, or risk losing control completely” (Knowles 89).  In this case, denial and guilt is represented by losing control of the conversation. If he does not take part in it, which represents not denying it, he will lose control. Another way his denial is more directly represented is when he says, “All I did was drop a little bit ...a little pinch of arsenic in his morning coffee” (Knowles 89). Here he is directly denying that he injured Finny to the group, but he is also denying it to himself. He is trying to avoid the question so he does not have to answer it, which he never ends up doing. The flow of the argument also symbolizes his denial. The conversation starts with an unwanted topic, Finny’s injury. Gene then brushes off the question with humor, and leaves as soon as he can to avoid it. This represents how, while in denial, thoughts quickly shift from the topic trying to be avoided. The conversation in the Butt Room symbolizes Gene’s denial through both the dialogue, and the flow of it.

Assignment 5: Why does Quackenbush use the word “maimed”? Explore the significance and connotation. (Gavin)

Quackenbush used the word maimed because people that are managers often have disabilities and he thinks Gene has a disability because he doesn't play a sport. Quackenbush and Gene start off on the wrong foot when Gene is late for the crew practice, which immediately makes things bad. Quackenbush freaks out on Gene after Gene says, "You Quackenbush know nothing about who I am, or anything else." (Knowles 78). This set Quackenbush off and he called Gene maimed. This Quote also connects to Finny because he is maimed and after Quackenbush said this Gene says, "Then the realization that there was someone who was flashed over me." (Knowles 78). This someone that flashed over Gene was Finny because he was maimed and this angered Gene because Quackenbush was making fun of maimed people. The author of the book (John Knowles) had Quackenbush use the word maimed because this word relates to Finny as he is maimed, but Quackenbush was using this to say that Gene was maimed because he doesn't play a sport and only manages teams.

Assignment 5 (72-85) Why does Quackenbush use the word “maimed”? Explore the significance and connotation. (Eve)

Quackenbush uses the word “maimed” because he dislikes Gene for only doing a sport for the physically disabled and uses the word to make fun of him.  Gene's doesn't enjoy sports so he took a job as an assistant crew manager.  This job is usually reserved for people with an injury.  After the accident, the identities of Gene and Finny almost begin to mush. This is shown when Gene tries on Finny's clothes. For a small moment Gene loses his guilt because he abandons his identity.  This is also shown when Quackenbush calls Gene maimed. After hitting him, Gene says "I didn't know why for an instant; it was almost as though I was maimed." (knowles 79) The guilt of making Finny fall out of the tree is constantly hurting Gene.  When Gene takes on Finny's identity, he is allowed to be free of this guilt. This is why he feels "intense relief" (Knowles 62) when he puts on Finny's clothes.  Gene is a self conscious and an insecure character. Finny is confident, good-natured, the best athlete in school, and spontaneous  - everything Gene is not.  Throughout the book, Gene has wanted to be more like Finny. In these small moment when he share Finny's identity, he is at peace with his own identity.When Quackenbush calls Gene maimed, Gene sees it as him calling Finny maimed and stands up to defend him. However, he also feels as though he is the one with the injury and Quackenbush is making fun of his own physical disability.

Assignment 5 (72-85) Re-read the last sentence of chapter 6 (p84-85). Explain what is happening in the quote (establish context) and then explore and explain the last part “I lost part of myself to him then, and a soaring sense of freedom revealed that this must have been my purpose from the first: to become part of Phineas” (85) (Ben Friedman)

The end of chapter six shows that Finny and Gene are living through each other: Finny through Gene's sports, and Gene through Finny's identity. At the end of chapter six, Gene and Finny are talking on the phone about how the first day of school is going. The conversation is going fine until Gene says he is fulfilling his athletic requirement by being a team manager. Finny reacts with, "Assistant crew manager! You are crazy!" (Knowles 84). In the last sentence, Finny says, "Listen, pal, if I can't play sports, you're going to play them for me" (Knowles 85). After Gene hears this, he believes that his purpose from the beginning was to become a part of Finny. "I lost part of myself to him then, and a soaring sense of freedom revealed that this must have been my purpose from the first: to become part of Phineas" (Knowles 85). When Gene loses Finny after his fall off the tree, Gene loses the part of him like Finny. He believes the only way for him to get the part like Finny back is to act as a part of Finny. He does this at first by wearing his clothes in the dormitory. When Finny says that he has to play sports for him, Gene believes that he will gain his part of Finny back and become one with Finny. Gene is essentially letting Finny live through him, by becoming the athlete that Finny can no longer be. But Gene is also living through Finny. Gene is escaping his identity, by becoming a person (Phineas) he is not. Each boy is living through one another, Finny through Gene's sports, and Gene through Finny's identity.

Assignment #5 (72-85) Explore the significance of the fight with Quackenbush. Why does it happen? What exactly sets Gene off? How is related to his narrative earlier in the chapter? Why might Quakenbush be so disdainful of Gene?(Myles)

The fight with Quackenbush happens due to the fact the Gene feels grief. During the summer, Gene is surrounded by Finny and the "Gypsy Ways", but now he feels empty on the inside. To make a text to world connection, it is similar to the Kübler Ross model of grief, or D.A.B.D.A. There are five stages of depression in this order: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. Finny is struggling to deal with the so called loss of Finny(seeing as Finny isn't dead). On page 75, Gene says "Suddenly I did not want to see the trays of snails which Leper had passed the summer collecting replaced by Brinker's files. Not yet." This shows that he is experiencing denial, the first stage of grief.  When he fights Quackenbush, he is experiencing anger, the second stage of grief. Gene will continue feeling feelings such as these until he reaches the last stage, where acceptance is reached, and Gene will accept what he has done.

Assignment #4 (61-71)What is guilt? Do we all have it? Is it part of being human? Can someone live guilt free? (Sharon)

Whenever I think of guilt I think about the sinking feeling in someones stomach. Everyone who can empathize with someone has guilt, because if they had done something wrong they would think about what the other person felt like in that situation. Having guilt is apart of being human. It is possible for someone to live guilt free, if they are really that selfish enough to not care about what they've done in their life to hurt someone. Everyone makes mistakes so people are bound to hurt each other, but it all depends how you make up for it. In this chapter Gene feels guilty because of what he did to Finny. "Hit me! You can't even get up! You can't even come near me!" (Knowles 70) This is when Gene goes and visits Finny at his house on his way back to school in September. Gene had just told Finny that he was the cause of Finny's injury. Of course Finny is upset and tells him the he'll hit him. Gene then says this yelling at him that he can't even get up. This is a realization of what Gene's done. 

If Gene were to talk to Finny about how he's feeling, do you think that they could resolve it and make everything better? 

(Assignment 4 #61-71) While Finny is in the infirmary, Gene is paranoid that people will be suspicious of him, and then he dresses in Finny's clothes and feels better. Why does Gene do this? Why is this significant? (Charlotte)

Gene dresses in Finny's clothes because it allows him to take on a new identity. Ever since Gene bounced the tree limb and caused Finny's leg to shatter, he has been drowning in guilt. This guilt has caused him to become paranoid, thinking that everyone at Devon knows that he is responsible for Finny's accident. Not being able to tell anyone about how he caused the incident has caused this guilt to build up inside him so that he feels as though he is carrying a burden on his shoulders. To temporarily escape this guilt, he tries out walking in Finny's shoes, literally. He says, "I spent as much time as I could alone in our room, trying to empty my mind of every thought. To forget where I was, even who I was." (Knowles 62) This shows how Gene is not only dealing with a burden on his back, but how he is also insecure. He felt relieved the instant he tried on Finny's cordovan shoes, which proves that he is envious of Finny and would much rather have Finny's life at this moment in time. "I had no idea why this gave me such intense relief, but it seemed, standing there in Finny's triumphant shirt, that I would never stumble through the confusions of my own character again." (Knowles 62) Wearing Finny's clothes, Gene has no worries and feels comfort, something he has not felt in a long time. Based on the reaction he experienced from this "therapy," it does not seem unlikely that he will try something similar again, especially since he made things worse with Finny after finally telling him of his guilt. Everybody makes mistakes, and this is just one example of how Gene is only human.

Assignment #4) What is symbolic in that fact that the summer session is coming to an end – look specifically at the passage on page 67? (Emily)

When the summer session is coming to an end, it is a symbol for Gene's and Finny's friendship. The friendship that Gene and Finny had was real and right as the summer session ends, their friendship gets torn to pieces and won’t be the same as it was before. After Gene attempted to tell Finny that he deliberately bounced on the branch to make him fall, Gene says to himself that the summer session was almost over. He also says, “... it seemed irresolutely suspended, halted strangely before its time” (Knowles 67). It’s not that the summer session is over forever, it’s that it’s just there and it’ll just always be hanging around. This quote was foreshadowing for their friendship coming to an end. When Gene comes back from visiting his hometown, he decides to go to Finny’s house. Gene says to Finny, “I deliberately jounced the limb so that you would fall off” (Knowles 70). After Gene telling Finny this, Finny wants to make himself believe that this isn’t true. He wants to do this because their friendship was a great thing that they had and the summer session was a little part of their friendship that demonstrated their happiness together. In the poem, “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost, it talks about how most things beautiful come to an end. This connects back to A Separate Peace because before the incident with falling off the tree happened, the summer session and Gene’s and Finny’s friendship were symbols for great times with each other and happy moments. However, at some point, those most great moments will come to an end. They won’t be forgotten, but they will be over and it won’t be the same again.

Re-read the last paragraph on page 48 (end of chapter 3). What happens here? Why is important? Why doesn’t Gene respond? What do you think holds him back? What is the “truth” he refers to at the very end of the quote? Mitch

At the end of chapter three, the importance of Finny and Genes relationship is shown. In the chapter they have found themselves at a pool where Finny had broken a school record. Shortly after he had broken the record he said "Oh my God, So I really did it" (Knowles 43).  Then Gene had found himself in a tree, with Finny. Gene falls and Finny nearly catches him, saving his life.

At the end of chapter 3 (Knowles 48) we find out that Finny looks at Gene as his best friend. At the Devon school this was close to "suicide" and Gene was shocked. Gene was shocked that it was said at the school, and that it was also said by Finny, someone Gene looks up to. Unfortunately, Gene did not feel the same way, causing him not to respond. The "truth" he refers to at the end of the story is that he does not feel the same way about Gene (Knowles 48). This will soon create an awkwardness between these friends. Gene feels this way because of all the trouble Finny has put him through.

Assignment 3) On pages 52-54, how does Gene’s view of their relationship change? (Be sure to explain his usage of enmity). What does he think of it? How do you know this? Why does he feel this way? Do you think it is accurate? Why or why not? (Stephen)

Gene’s view of Finny goes from thinking Finny was better and being jealous of him, to thinking of themselves as equals and creating a rivalry. On page 52, Gene thinks of Finny as better than him. This is because of his outstanding athletic achievements, such as breaking the swimming record. This creates his jealousy. Since Gene could not be as good as Finny athletically, he decides to excel where Finny does not, academically. By doing this, he says, “We would be even, that was all” (Knowles 52). This quote shows his jealousy, as it implies that they are not even already. But after a short talk with Finny, he starts to make irrational conclusions. He starts to think that Finny is trying to tear him down, and keep himself above. He creates false enmity between them, thinking of them as rivals rather than friends. This is shown when he says to himself, “You are even in enmity. You are both coldly driving ahead for yourselves alone.” Gene thinks this because Finny is making him attend so many things like, blitzball, and the Super Suicide Society. He only realizes this is not true after doubling his studying efforts. Gene went from being jealous of Finny, to thinking there is a rivalry between them for a short time.

Assignment #3 (40-60): What exactly happened in the tree and who do you think was responsible? Why do you say this? (Lang)

     Exams were coming up, and Gene was determined to do well. He began studying as Finny walked into the room declaring that Leper Lepellier intending on making his leap that night. Gene snarled at Finny because he needed to study for his exams. Finny told him he could stay and study, but Gene decided to go anyway. When they arrived at the tree, Phineas began to exuberantly throw off his clothes and came up with the idea that himself and Gene should jump off the tree side by side. Finny began climbing up the tree and Gene followed. Phineas, trying to help Gene told him to "Come out a little way, ... and then we'll jump side by side" (Knowles 59). Gene held firmly onto a branch in order to step towards him. All the sudden, Gene's competitive side took charge, and he bounced the limb of the tree that Finny was on, which caused him to fall off backwards. I do believe that this was Gene's fault. He mistakenly believes that him and Finny are in a competition with one another. Gene is very aware that he will never reach the level of athleticism that Finny obtains, so by bouncing the limb, Gene is trying to show off his athletic superiority.

(Assignment 3, 40-60) Why does Gene’s “fear” disappear at the end of the chapter? What was the fear? How is it connected to what happened in the tree? (Nicholas)

Gene's fear at the end of the chapter completely disappears due to another overwhelming fear for Finny. For the most part, this chapter was focusing the height of Gene and Finny's friendship, as well as the start of their rivalry. At the very end, Finny falls from the tree and Gene leaps from the branch without any fear: "With unthinking sureness I moved out on the limb and jumped into the river, every trace of my fear of this forgotten," (Knowles, 60). The forgotten fear he speaks of is his original fright of the jump itself, which he mentions while doing this every other time. It is not forgotten forever, just fully submerged by a stronger pure terror and concern for Finny's well-being. This also proves how the two boys's great friendship overcomes the rivalry that was being set up, as well as the anger of their previous fight over studying. Just before, Gene thought: "Now I knew that there never was and never could have been any rivalry between us," (Knowles, 59). Although their friendship could have been questioned before due to Finny forcing Gene to do things against his will and now his discovery of their rivalry, this quote plus Gene's actions in the tree proves that their bonds cannot be doubted. Overall, Gene's original fear became insignificant compared to concern for Finny, nothing being more important than each other and their bonds of friendship.

What other factors do you think influenced Gene's fearless action of jumping out of the tree?

Assignment 2) Explore and Explain the quote "Yes he had practically saved my life. He had also practically lost it for me." (33). Explain what Gene is saying and why he is saying it at this point. What are the larger implications of what he is saying? (Ben)

Gene is talking about how Finny saved his life by grabbing his arm as he lost his balance while standing on the tree preparing to jump, but how Finny pressuring him to jump almost killed him.

As you look more into it, you can tell that there is a bigger meaning to this quote. Gene, being a very lonely person, didn't have many friends, so Finny saved his life by becoming friends with him, but I think, at the same time,  Finny is killing Gene by influencing him to do things he doesn't necessarily want to do. "I went along; I never missed a meeting. At that time, it would never have occurred to me to say, 'I don't feel like it tonight.'" (34) This quote shows how Gene is kind of going along with what Finny is doing, but not really enjoying it.

Another example of Finny "killing Gene" is when they didn't show up to dinner and they got in trouble by one of their professors. "He enforced such rules,....Finny explained that there had been a wrestling match....he rambled on..." (21) This quote represents how now that Gene and Finny are friends, they are breaking the campus rules. Finny is kind of the mischevious friend while Gene is a little more innocent.  The quote about how Finny saved Gene and also killed him showed how Finny saved Gene by being his friend, but is killing him by getting themselves into trouble.

Assignment 2, How would you characterize Gene at this point (the end of the reading)? Provide two specific examples from the story to support your answer. (Geoffrey)

Gene is a character who follows and is jealous of Phineas.  Gene is a high school student at the Devon school, in New Hampshire. It is currently the summer of 1942, right in the middle of WWII. Gene and his best friend Phineas are at the tree that is near the river.  Phineas is trying to get Gene to jump off of the tree into the river. Then right before Gene jumps, he has second thoughts about Phineas’ judgment, and ideas.  “What was I doing up here anyway? Why did I let Finny talk me into stupid things like this? Was he getting some kind of hold over me?” (Knowles, 17).  As seen in this quote, Gene is a devoted follower to Phineas. Thus far in the novel being a follower of Phineas has only put Gene in bad situations. The reader doesn’t quite know why yet, but so far it seems that Gene would do anything with or for Phineas. Gene also shows signs of envy, and jealousy towards Phineas. Whenever Phineas gets in trouble he seems to find a way to get himself out of it. Gene is fed up with it and declares that despite Phineas being his best friend he wishes just once Phineas would get a harsh punishment. Gene also show signs of jealousy/envy because he wants to have what Phineas has, whether it be the skill of lying, or the courage of willingly jumping of a tree into a river. Throughout the novel thus far, Gene has shown that he is both a follower, and envious of Phineas.  

Assignment 2 pages 21-40) Explore and Explain the quote "Yes he had practically saved my life. He had also practically lost it for me." (33). Explain what Gene is saying and why he is saying it at this point. What are the larger implications of what he is saying? (Gavin)

Gene says on page 33 "Yes, practically saved my life. He had also practically lost it for me." Gene is saying that Finny saved him by becoming his friend, but has killed him with all the things he has got him into that he doesn't want to be in, and I also believe this quote may be foreshadowing. On page 31 Gene was getting ready to jump out of the tree, but when he looked back to look at Finny he started falling back. Luckily for him Finny saved him from falling by helping him regain balance and they both jumped off the tree together into the lake. Later Gene says, "Yes, he practically saved my life. He had also practically lost it for me." (Knowles 33). Gene is saying that Finny did save him from falling off the branch, but he also wouldn't have been up on the branch if it wasn't for Finny making him. The larger implications of what Gene is saying is that without Finny he wouldn't be in all the trouble he gets in. Gene loves being friends with Finny and thats how Finny has saved him, but he has also got him into a lot of trouble missing dinner, chapel, etc. Also, Gene says Finny has also killed him because Gene does not want to be in the club, "Acting against every instinct of my nature, I went without a thought of protest." (Knowles 34). This quote shows that Gene does not want to have any part in the club and Finny is killing him by making him go every night to something he does not like. Therefore the larger implications of this quote are that Finny saved Gene by becoming his friend, but he does not need to thank him in any way because he gets him in trouble and makes him miss a lot of school activities for their friendship. Gene says this at this time because I believe he is foreshadowing to something bigger and maybe a break in his friendship with Finny.

How does the invention of and the playing of Blitzball impact/influence the relationship between Finny and Gene? (Amy)

The invention and playing of Blitzball impacts the relationship between Finny and Gene by disclosing the power imbalance between them, and highlighting Finny's feelings of superiority over Gene. When the game first begins, Finny throws the ball to Gene, catching him off guard. Finny begins to yell out orders while Gene runs frantically,  "No, not that way! Toward the river! Run!... Don't hog it!" (Knowles 36). This quote demonstrates Finny's belief that Gene will do as he says, and by catching Gene off guard, Finny is able to demonstrate his own skill by showing how he is superior to Gene, which raises him up in the eyes of the other boys at Gene's expense. In addition, doing so forces Gene to decide whether or not he is going to let Finny use him, and follow his orders, or if he is going to potentially lose Finny's respect and the feeling of camaraderie between them by asserting some power. After the game ends, Gene reflects back on the night and says, "[Finny] had made it up... the rest of us were more or less bumblers in our different ways," (Knowles 40). Although Gene feels inferior to Finny after the game because Finny succeeded while Gene struggled, Gene realizes that Finny has designed it that way. Although the game was created to be an enjoyable pastime, Finny uses it to display his own skill, and configures it in such a way that it would highlight his abilities while bringing out the worst in others. Although Finny could not be blamed for this, because they had followed along, Gene realizes that Finny had more than simple fun in mind, and instead of feeling threatened Gene admires Finny for his ability to display himself in such a way. Blitzball not only shows a schism between Finny and Gene's personalities, but it brings to light the length at which Finny will go in order to be admired, and the intensity of Gene's feelings of oppression due to Finny's immense ego.

Assignment 2 pages 21-40: Once the story shifts to the summer of 1942, Gene begins his narrative about his summer, the war, the school, his friendships and most specifically his relationship with Finny. Provide 3 specific examples of characterizations about Finny, most specifically what kind of person he is and how you know this.

Phineas is fascinating and self-assured, and has many other qualities underneath his glamorous personality. He is very smart in the way that he knows how to wiggle his way out of potentially troublesome situations by using his charm. At the Headmaster’s tea party, when Finny is wearing a Devon school tie instead of a belt, he has to come up with an explanation. During his explanation, “Mr. Patch-Wither’s face has been shifting expressions and changing colors continuously, and now it settled into fixed surprise. ‘I have never heard anything so illogical as that in my life’” (Knowles 28). The Patch-Withers then proceed to laugh at Finny’s speech and dismiss his belt slip-up. Finny mushed together abstract, unrelated ideas whose topics appealed to Mr. and Mrs. Patch-Withers and produces a confusing presentation of information that shocks Mr. and Mrs. Patch-Withers into admiration and amusement. After this incident, as Finny and Gene are walking out of the tea party, Finny says “‘We need to clear our heads of that party,’ he said, ‘all that talk!’ ... ‘Mr. Patch-Withers was pretty gassy’” (Knowles 29). These dialogues clearly demonstrate that Finny is full of himself by thinking that even if he talks nonsense people will buy it, then when they are out of earshot he can criticize and make fun of them. Finny also has an acute ability to subtly and subconsciously craft things to work out in his favor. As Finny, Gene, and some other boys are playing Blitzball, Gene realizes “He had unconsciously invented a game which brought his athletic gifts to their highest pitch” (Knowles 39). This quote indicates that Finny is someone who was once probably very insecure. He tried very hard to cover his flaws and appeal to anyone and everyone. Now, most likely many years after his period of insecurity, inventing things that highlight his strong points comes naturally to him, and ends up automatically doing it all of the time. In this scene, Gene is realizing that Finny wasn’t handed loads and loads of luck at birth, but that he has to contort the situation in order for it to benefit himself the most. This proves that Finny is self-centered and constantly tries to shine the spotlight on himself in order to consistently be the star of the show. In another instance Finny has established the Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session which requires Gene to jump off of the tree into the water every night, and Gene hates that. “But I always jumped. Otherwise I would have lost face with Phineas, and that would have been the unthinkable” (Knowles 34). This quote shows that Finny is not a good friend, and is the opposite of supportive towards Gene. He indirectly forces Gene to do something every single day that he dreads doing, but feels too scared of Finny’s opinion and view of Gene to stand up for himself and not jump from the tree. Finny may be fun and interesting to hang out and interact with, but at the end of the day, he is not someone who is a good friend.

Chapter 1/ pages 9 - 20 question 2: Gene is narrating his own story of what happened in high school...

Reading the story from the narrator’s perspective helps the reader to understand every emotion taking place in a scene. . Gene looking back on the story from when he was young and at the Devon School to now were he has “more money and success and “security”’(12), allows us to see how he has changed from the events in the book.  Seeing the story by looking back on the past shows us that Gene has come back to relive his memories of the school and becoming friends with Finny.  This memory must be important or change the narrator into the person he is now as an adult or the author of the book wouldn't have included it.  Allowing us to read the story from Gene's point of view doesn’t make the book completely reliable.  It means that we read the story frow was Gene remembers or wants to remember each situation.  There could be many details than Gene forgot or a small embarrasing moment that he wants to forget.  He is the character that we see most of, so he will be the character that we most identify with.  If he is withholding information or emotions, there would be no way for us to know.  

Chapter 1: Gene visits two specific places upon his return: the First Academy Building and the tree. Name and explain two specific things he notices/realizes about these places/things now (as opposed to then) and why Knowles might have done this.

When Gene goes back to the Devon school, he visits two places he recalls as fearful sites. The first place he visits is the First Academy Building. When he enters the First Academy Building, he goes into a marble foyer and then stops at the marble stairs. He points out that he never realized how hard the marble was, and that he had overlooked this crucial fact. He says, "The marble must be unusually hard. That seemed very likely, only too likely, although with all my thought about these stairs this exceptional hardness had not occurred to me" (Knowles 11). Knowles must have pointed this out because something must have happened when Gene was a student that he might have did, and the hardness of the stairs must have mattered in some way, either good or bad. The second place that Gene visits was the tree that he and Finny had jumped off of when they were students. "It [the tree] had loomed in my memory as a huge lone spike dominating the riverbank" (Knowles 13). What he realizes when he reaches the site is that he thought the tree was much bigger than all of the rest of the trees around the one he was searching for. He sees now that the tree was not that big. Knowles might have pointed this out and started the flashback here because Finny and Gene started becoming true friends and trusting each other. Their friendship grew stronger after they both jumped off the tree.

Chapter 1, Pages 5-20 : The novel opens up with present day Gene narrating his return to Devon 15 years after he graduates (until the middle of page 14). Why does John Knowles begin the novel this way? What is the purpose? What is the effect?(Myles)

The purpose of beginning the scene in the present day is to give it a reflective and nostalgic feel. To make a text to world connection, it's like when a kid has a favorite toy, but they lose it as they grow up. The person may find it later, but by then, both themselves and the toy have probably changed. On page 14, Gene says “So the more things remain the same, the more they change after all-plus c’est la même chose, plus ça change.” This illustrates while it is essentially the same school, things have changed for Gene. Also, on page 12, after looking at the stairs, Gene says “I had more money and success and “security” than in the days when specters seemed to go up and down them with me.” The point of these two quotes is to essentially give you a chance to make a comparison between present day Gene and the past. The author uses this reflection in the first 14 pages to instill a sense of nostalgia and the feel that things have changed.

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