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.