Friday, May 6, 2016
Assignment #11: If Finny had survived his operation, do you think Gene and Finny could remain friends? Or do you think the friendship at this point is too broken? Make sure to include support from the text in your answer. (Nicholas)
If Finny had survived his operation, he and Gene would certainly remain friends. After the second accident but before Finny dies, he realizes the truth of how Gene caused the first accident. Because of this, Finny struggles to understand Gene’s motivation, whether or not he did it purposely although deep inside he knows Gene did. When he saw Gene in the window, Finny is driven by confusion, and this results in him releasing his anger at his friend. Gene, on the other hand, was full of fear for not knowing how Finny would react upon his appearance. This was also a fear for their friendship; Gene still wants and frankly needs Finny as a friend. When Finny was first being carried off, Gene held back from helping because he thought, "Phineas had thought of me as an extension of himself" (Knowles 180). Gene knows that if Finny accepts that it was all an accident, their freindship would be spared. Finny inside despertly wants to keep their friendship, but feels guilty about his attempted attack on Gene through the window. At the same time, he fears that Gene jounced the limb because of a hidden hatred he kept stored away. When Gene the next day pleads him to understand that it was just a sudden impulse that made him jounce the limb, Finny is sighing in releif on the inside. "I believe you. It’s okay because I understand and I believe you. You’ve already shown me and I believe you” (Knowles 191). These are the last words Finny told his friend before never speaking to him again. The quote shows that the fear, confusion and guilt that reathed around the pair since the the first accident and that was reignited by the second accident has been forgiven and resolved. But then, Finny dies and Gene is engulfed in another fresh wave of emptiness, feeling as though a part of him was torn off. In the end, the flame of their friendship that was smothered with such powerful anger and emotions was rekindled in Gene and Finny’s final conversation and would have continued to burn brightly if not for Finny’s sudden, unexpected death.
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I agree with Nicholas that if Finny hadn't died, the pair would have remained friends. When Gene brings a suitcase of Finny's belongings to his room in the infirmary, Gene tells Finny he bounced the limb out of crazy, blind anger. "He was nodding his head, his jaw tightening and his eyes closed on the tears" (Knowles 191). This quote shows that the thought of Gene having a strong hate against Finny makes him very deeply saddened. I think that if Finny hadn't died, Gene and Finny would have stayed friends because they clearly need each other and rely on each other for support too much to stop being friends.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Gene and Finny would have remained friends for a little while, but I think there would be a constant lack of trust in their friendship, causing them to be not as close as they used to be. I think Finny really wants to believe that "blind impulse" was the reason Gene knocked him out of the tree. He even says "I believe you, I think I can believe that" (knowles 191) showing how he knows what Gene says is not true. Finny will keep denying to himself that there was no bigger reason for Gene bouncing on the branch. But eventually, the pressure and strain of being friends with someone who tried to kill you would get to be too much. I think their friendship would eventually fall apart because Finny wouldn't be able to truse Gene anymore
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ReplyDeleteI agree with Nicholas that Finny and Gene would remain friends after the operation. I also agree with Eve that there would definitely be tension and a lack of trust between them, especially on Finny's side. I also believe that they wouldn't be able to remain as close as they were before because this lack of trust. Finny finally accepts that Gene did jounce the limb. "It was just some sort of blind impulse you has in the tree there, you didn't know what you were doing. Was that it?" (Knowles 191). Finny is in denial that there was a real reason for Gene to jounce the limb, and I believe that will strain their friendship.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with this because I think that they would remain friends but it wouldn't be the best friendship between them. As Eve said, there would be lack of trust between them and they would also still be competitive with each other. In chapter 9, before Gene receives the telegram from Leper, he says,"... this afternoon of momentary, illusory, special and separate peace" (Knowles 137). Finny and Gene's separate peace was mainly what their friendship was based off of but it was only momentary and not permanent so, they would have a difficult time being friends without their separate peace.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the comments above because throughout the story Finny and Gene had become true friends. They had a special bond the could not be broken. I think they would have been frustrated at each other but they would not have hated each other forever
ReplyDeleteI don't think they could still be friends. I think ever since Finny's first injury, their friendship has been ruined. "'Finny, thank god you're back!' 'Sure,' Confirmed Finny, with a slight, pleased grin." (106) This quote shows how Finny is no longer enthusiastic to be back at school, despite how he used to be a very energetic, happy person. After the incident, Finny has changed into a gloomy person, while Gene has turned into the old Finny.
ReplyDeleteI do not agree with Nicholas that they would remain friends. I think that Finny would want to remain friends with Gene because he says, "It was just some blind impulse you had in the tree there." (Knowles 191). Finny knows that Gene bounced that limb, but he thinks he did not do it on purpose.I think that Gene on the other hand would not want to be friends with Finny anymore after this incident, because he would believe he is bad luck in Finny's life.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I think they would remain friends. Although their misunderstanding was furthered when Finny fell down the stairs, they made up when Gene visited Finny in the infirmary. When Finny said, "It was just some kind of blind impulse you had in the tree there," he is trying to make up something to keep their friendship together. Once Gene agrees, they would have remained friends for a long time.
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ReplyDeleteI agree, I think they would remain friends. Although their misunderstanding was furthered when Finny fell down the stairs, they made up when Gene visited Finny in the infirmary. When Finny said, "It was just some kind of blind impulse you had in the tree there," (Knowles 191) he is trying to make up something to keep their friendship together. Once Gene agrees, they would have remained friends for a long time.
ReplyDeleteI agree that they would remain friends, but I think that the tension surrounding the incident would stay there. I think that they would still spend time with each other, but never again would they share a full-hearted laugh or have a conversation that didn't end with an awkward moment of silence. Before Finny's death, the tension had already been slightly destroying their friendship. To keep the friendship going, they both tried to suppress their anger and start with a clean slate. This is what Gene tried to do once he noticed a rivalry between him and Finny, and it resulted in him pushing Finny out of a tree. If he built up all of that anger and rage inside of him again, there would probably be another major accident to which Leper would reply, "Always were a savage underneath." (Knowles 145)
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