Thursday, April 28, 2016
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.
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I agree. I think that often Finny is the one who is seen as heroic, and charismatic, however Gene is now the person who has gained both social clout, such as in the Butt room, but is also in a position of power. For example, Finny said "you're going to be the big star now," (Knowles 114). This not only shows the power that Gene has gained, but how Finny is transferring it to him.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the fact that Gene and Finny are trying to suppress their true feelings during their first conversation after Finny returns to Devon. "'Not at all,' he replied ambiguously..." (Knowles 104) This shows how Finny did not want to seem as if he were ignoring Gene, but he also did not want to seem overly interested in their conversation. He replies in an ambiguous tone, leaving it up to Gene to decide what he meant. Later, Gene says, "'It's not much of a sacrifice, when you think of people starving and being bombed and all the other things.'" (Knowles 104) Gene is subtly contradicting Finny when he says this. Before Finny's accident, the boys rarely argued to each other's faces. Now, they are unafraid of contradicting each other, which causes there to be a lot of tension in the room and they are less chatty than they used to be. This does not feel realistic; it feels as though they are putting on fronts for each other and refraining from sharing their true opinions for fear of offending the other.
ReplyDeleteTo me, it seems that they are just trying to push down the feelings that they have on the inside, which is very unhealthy. You need to be able to accept the past to be able to push on into the future. On page 114, Finny says "You can fill any gaps or anything." This shows that they are pushing it underneath, trying to return thing to normal with a transfer of roles.
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