Monday, April 25, 2016
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.
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I think that the reason that Gene gets so mad at Quackenbush is because he called Gene maimed. Gene would be mad at this because Finny is actually maimed and he's defending him. Right after Gene hit Quackenbush, he says "... it was almost as though I were maimed" (Knowles 79). This quote relates back to chapter five when Gene puts Finny's clothes on because they both demonstrates the theme of identity. Throughout both of these chapters, there starts to become a lot of guilt building up inside of Gene because of what he did to Finny. After Quackenbush mentions something that relates back to Finny, Gene gets worked up about it and then takes his anger out on Quackenbush.
ReplyDeleteI think the reason why Gene fought with Quakenbush is based off of his loneliness. Ever since the start of the Fall Session Gene has been moping around and missing his friend. He remembers the happy times at the Summer Session until the accident. "Still it had to come to an end, in the last long rays of daylight at the tree, when Phineas fell" (Knowles 74). This quote demonstrates his wistfulness. I think that attacking Quakenbush was a method to release all the emotions that were building up in him in a fight.
ReplyDeleteGene has been in denial since Finny's injury. Even though Gene has started to become angry, he is still in denial. In the Butt Room, (next chapter) he still shows his denial by saying, "I didn't do hardly a thing." (Knowles 89) Although he says this as a joke, he also says it seriously to himself.
ReplyDeleteGene has been in denial since Finny's injury. Even though Gene has started to become angry, he is still in denial. In the Butt Room, (next chapter) he still shows his denial by saying, "I didn't do hardly a thing." (Knowles 89) Although he says this as a joke, he also says it seriously to himself.
ReplyDeleteI think Gene is so mad at Quackenbush because his loneliness. Ever since the start of the Fall session, Gene has been lonely and missing his best friend. I believe that the quilt that he has because of what he did to Finny was taken out on Quackenbush because he has nothing/nobody to take it out on. "But it didn't feel exactly like I had done it for Phineas. It felt as though I had done it for myself" (Knowles 80). Fighting with Quackenbush allowed him to take out all his anger and guilt on someone.
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