Chapters 4-7
Lauren, when I first read your explanation for the first quote, I thought that your description implied that the main character was in war fighting for fifteen years, and that is what caused him to be away from his town. However, this would be impossible because World War II only lasted for four years. Like you, I thought that the main character was going to be lonely, but luckily he had a friend. Just like I mentioned in my first post, I think that the stairs symbolize Gene’s experience and memories at his school. You mentioned that Gene may be an OCD character, and I think that he may be an OCD person because one of the symptoms of this disorder is to have repeated thoughts and sensations, and after reading this section I totally agree. Throughout the beginning of this chapter, Gene continuously has negative thoughts towards his friend Finny.
Lauren, when I first read your explanation for the first quote, I thought that your description implied that the main character was in war fighting for fifteen years, and that is what caused him to be away from his town. However, this would be impossible because World War II only lasted for four years. Like you, I thought that the main character was going to be lonely, but luckily he had a friend. Just like I mentioned in my first post, I think that the stairs symbolize Gene’s experience and memories at his school. You mentioned that Gene may be an OCD character, and I think that he may be an OCD person because one of the symptoms of this disorder is to have repeated thoughts and sensations, and after reading this section I totally agree. Throughout the beginning of this chapter, Gene continuously has negative thoughts towards his friend Finny.
Just like I was leading into, the relationship between the two boys is portrayed in a different way than it was described in the section prior. Based on Gene’s character development, I can totally sense that his envious feelings towards his friend are more serious in this section then it was before. For example, Gene thinks that his friend is trying to distract him from studying so that the two can be at an equal status whereas; the two are at different positions currently. Finny was behind from Gene because he was not as good of a student academically as Gene was athletically. “We were even after all, even in enmity. The deadly rivalry was on both sides after all” (page 43). After reading this section, I was really mad at Gene for thinking this lowly of his best friend. It is apparent that Gene wanted high popularity in his school. “Anyways,’ I [Gene] grudgingly added, ‘somebody’s got to be the head of the class’” (page 41). This quote reminds me of the saying “I did not ask to be princess, but if the crown fits…..” because it Gene is trying to persuade his friend that he does not have the burning desire to be in charge, but if the school community really needs him to rule he will. The thing that really makes me mad about the relationship between Gene and Finny is that Gene thinks that Finny is trying to bring him down. This is obviously a false statement, because if it were true, Finny would always try to distract Gene from studying instead of motivating him to continue studying. “Why didn’t you say you had to study before? Don’t move from that desk. It’s going to be all A’s for you” (page 48). Lauren, how would you react to envious feelings towards friends?
On one side, Gene is a terrible friend while Finny is a naïve one. I am really surprised how Finny acted like Gene was innocent when he was trying to convince him that he was responsible for his condition. I think that this is a very commendable example of friendship. This example shows that just because one person sees their friend as an enemy instead, that does not mean that this should become a mutual mind set for the relationship. I feel that by inflicting harm on Finny just because he was competition was a very cowardly act for Gene. If I was in the shows of Gene, I would not have the guts to push someone off of a tree no matter how much I hated that person. And as a result, if I were Finny, I would never be able to forgive the person that willingly hurt me. I thought that it was such an emotional moment when Finny asked Gene to play sports for him because he was asking the person responsible for his condition to “continue his plan” of gaining more and more popularity in the school by participating in everything that he possibly could. I am really curious as to know what and how you would react if you were betrayed by a dear friend.
As the story progresses, I could feel the remorse that Gene felt whenever he encountered his crippled friend Finny. I know that Finny’s absence from school is not good for his academic life, but I think that it also has an effect on Gene’s behavior in school. I say this because the journey described prior to Finny’s injury never mentioned if Gene was ever bullied. I think that in a way, Gene used Finny as a shield to guard him from bullies at school because after he left, the school found Gene as a weak person and began to bully him. For example, Gene has a conflict when he becomes the crew’s assistant manager. In the very least, I feel as if he descerves that after hurting Finny.
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