January 22, 2011
IN HIS SHOES . . .
Gene is in a predicament. He feels guilty, ashamed and as Brutus, indecisive about how to proceed with his friendship with Finny. If you were in his place, what would you do? How would you deal with the tree incident? How would you feel about the war? Take apart his internal and external conflicts so far and become Gene.
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25 comments:
If I were Gene I would put the incident behind me and try to be the best possible friend I could be to Finny. Finny was kind enough to put the tree incident behind him and still consider Gene to be his best friend. Gene should feel extremely lucky that Finny is compassionate enough to move past what has happened and the best thing for Gene to do is to make up for his betrayal by supporting Finny as much as possible. Gene should move on past the incident and no longer let the situation influence his friendship with Finny because constantly remembering and mentioning the tree incident will only continue to make both boys hostile to each other. Finny will further forgive Gene if they both realize that it was a mistake and it does not define their friendship.
I do not think that Gene should suck up to Finny or become his slave but the damage that Gene has caused Finny will last him a lifetime and the least he can do is be as loyal and supportive as possible. Gene has started to do this by training for the Olympics, which is Finny's dream. Gene took this away from Finny and so his willingness to be trained by Finny is a good step towards still being supportive towards Finny.
If I was Gene I would feel very confused about the war. I would acknowledge that it was real and very serious. Gene knows teachers who have gone into the army and received the letter from Leper which conveyed that the war is in no way how he expected it to be. I would also go along with Phineas' theory that the war is made up by fat old men. I do not think that I would want to have to deal with the pain of war. Like Finny, I would want to believe that it is made up, just to comfort myself into thinking that the world is not as horrible of a place as it may truly be.
rugbynbailey@aol.com
While WWII is going on in A Separate Peace, Gene is at war with himself, as is Brutus.
When Gene visits Leper, he finds out that the first of his friends that set out to fight in the war had a mental breakdown,and is now mentally unfit for service. Leper has hallucinations of men transforming into women or arms of chairs becoming human arms. This symbolizes the transformation that all the boys of Gene's age at this time have to go through: the transformation of becoming boys to soldiers. The transforming hallucinations could also relate to Gene's obsession with becoming more like Finny. Gene has put on Finny's clothes and has agreed to do things that his invalid friend cannot do anymore. Gene, during chapters 10 and 11, is called out by Leper and Brinker. Leper knows for a fact the tree incident is Gene's fault, and Brinker, who does not know for sure, wants to know the truth.
I do not think I could ever be like Gene. He holds a secret resentment toward someone who sees him as his best friend. I would not have done something as savage as purposely making my friend fall out of a tree, but if I were in Gene's place, I would simply tell the truth. Gene has done so already in the past, he came straightforward and told Finny that he jounced the limb, but Finny refused to believe him. Finny states later on that he believes in Gene, only justifying that the bond he feels toward his friend is unconditional.
At this point, it seems as if Gene doesn't care much about the war and has focused all of his energy on Finny, whom of which has accepted that there is indeed a legitimate war going on. The bond between them seems to be getting stronger in the beginning of chapter 11, but towards then end, I'm not sure about them anymore.
I think that the events of the latest chapter really test the boys' friendship with each other. Gene's guilt could finally be eating away at him and Finny could finally be realizing that his best friend is as untrustworthy as he as put out to be all along.
During the story Gene is dealing with alot of conflicts both internal and external. Its as though he doesn't know how to react to Finny after this whole tree incident, and I feel it's taking a toll on their friendship. Even though Finny seems to be fine, and still best friends with Gene, Gene cannot let go the past. If I was in Gene's place I would have let the tree incident go after Finny said he was fine with it like Rachel said. The fact that he is dragging the incident on with him like dead weight is definetly affecting their friendship.
Well in general I'm not really the kind of person who thinks war is completely unnecessary, but in Gene's case I feel like the only reason he wont fight is, because Finny doesn't approve. I feel he almost has a sense of pity for Finny now that he is disabled from the tree accident, that is why he began training with Finny without arguing. I believe if Gene just gets over the tree incident it will give him a chance to be his own person again and not just do what Finny wants him to. Because I seriously believe that Gene wants to fight in the war, and just won't, because Finny doesn't approve.
In A Separate Peace, the readers are immediately drawn into Gene’s environment at Devon in New Hampshire. We know nothing about Gene’s life before Prep school, and very little about Gene’s existence after his education, other than that he is 31 years old, and Devon had a life changing impact on Gene. It seems as though Finny became Gene’s “soul mate,” for while he may not be “with” Gene all of his life, Gene will always remember Finny and the experiences they shared. Finny inspired Gene to develop his talents and to live life more fully.
The tree incident seemed to destroy Gene’s innocence. Not a day passed where Finny’s mishap wasn’t relived and reconsidered by Gene. The incident permanently affected Gene’s actions, his emotions, and perspectives. When Finny was undergoing treatment, Gene experienced conflicting thoughts. He had qualms about participating in any activity in which Finny had been involved; in that regard, he only strived for Assistant Senior Crew Manager, and nothing more. Because Phineas always was a presence in Gene’s mind, he always was on his toes if an insult was directed at him: throwing a punch at Quackenbrush because of the maimed accusation and becoming uncomfortable during the recreation of the tree event in the Butt Room.
If I was to be placed in this scenario, I would try to reestablish and strengthen my relationship with Finny. I would have a guilty conscience after the incident, and would want to atone for what I did wrong. Even though restructuring the friendship with him may cause further guiltiness, I would rather face the music and not give up on our friendship established in the past. It was easy for Gene to buy into the phoniness of war because he never took issue with what Phineas said or believed, at least to his person. The fact is the boys at the school weren’t engaged in any war events, so who knew the truth? I would have to disagree with Phineas on his idealistic war perspective. By seeing troops pass by on the train, the talk of enlistment, and then the actual enlistment of Leper, I would surmise that there actually is a war being waged. The point is I don’t believe Finny wants to accept that something so grave and depressing could be happening in the world, especially after he has suffered for 6 months recovering from personal injury in his own world.
Ashley discusses Gene’s journey up to Leper’s house in Vermont (Christmas Location.) At the end of chapter 10, Gene unexpectedly leaves Leper desiring to see Finny only. Ashley mentions that “the transforming hallucinations could also relate to Gene’s obsession with becoming more like Finny.” I feel that Gene really does want to concur with Phineas’ belief about war, but by staying at Leper’s house, he is being swayed by Leper’s recollection of events during the war.
e.e.butler@comcast.net
Gene, like Brutus, is very irresolute during A Separate Peace due to the events that are happening with his supposed 'best friend.' Even though he continously shows the jealousy and envy he has towards Finny, Finny still considers Gene his best friend, even after the life-changing fall caused by Gene. Before the fall, Finny was Devon's shining athletes and was very popular. After the accident, he changed, in that he can't continue his dreams and aspirations.
Because of all this and the fact that Gene knows that the accident was his fault, Gene feels so guilty that he agrees to continue on with one of Finny's dreams which is to compete at the 1944 Olympics. He doesn't understand why Finny still considers him as his close friend when Gene altered Finny's life. He doesn't know what to do without hurting Finny's feelings at this point and can't make any progress with this issue that is eating away at him. Gene also shows on the outside how much he envys Finny and others, like Brinker, are beginning to notice it. Gene hasn't told anyone straightforward and seriously that Finny is hurt because of him, but this aspect of that incident is becoming obvious to some already.
I agree with Ashley, that if I were in Gene's shoes, I wouldn't be able to walk around school with someone who I hate on the inside but treat with respect on the outside. If I were Gene, I would have told Finny everything that was going through my mind and about the reasons why I happen to resent him. Even though I would lose a valuable friend, it would be better to tell the truth and lay all the marbles out then to keep everything bottled up and be fake about the situation.
kristie.varghese@gmail.com
Gene is someone, who, I do not want to be in his shoes. If I were Gene, I would try and just forget about the whole tree thing. I mean, Gene has already done horrific damage to Finny’s life. The boy was a sports star and now he cannot play any sport anymore. I would not even try to tell Finny about the accident any more because it would be not use. The fact that Finny is even still talking to Gene should be something Gene should be grateful for. Fortunately for Gene, Finny is the type of boy that would look away from any sense of negativity. He thinks the war does not exist, and denies the fact that Gene may have caused his shattered leg. I say I would simply go with the flow. There is a famous commercial that says that “life comes at you fast.” Gene needs friends now more than anything. Better to keep a friend in denial than to have no friend at all. Especially with the draft and the war being heavy on people’s minds any more negativity would probably make anyone else resort to more drastic measures of self harm. I mean (as Gene) I’m going to see people die in war, I ruined my best friend’s life, I being forced into sports for my best friend… and talking to my best friend is like talking to a brick wall with no cracks. I think that that to just flow with it and go where life is taking you is the best way to cope with this.
I agree with Charlotte, I would not want to be in Gene’s shoes. Considering what horrible things he has done to his best friend, Finny I say he is pretty lucky to still have that friendship. I think it is great that Finny can move past the whole tree incident and is willing to forget and forgive Gene, for what he did. Like Rachel and many others said, Gene should not mention the tree incident any more, the more he mentions it the more likely it is that maybe Finny won’t let Gene back into his life. He is trying to forget he whole incident, and also does not want to be reminded that he can no longer play sports ever again. To Finny, sports was everything, now he is trying to get Gene to take his place. I also think that the reason he is making Gene become so into sports even though that was never his ‘thing’ is because Finny I think in a way is treating this almost like payback for what Gene did to him. If I was Gene I would treat the whole war situation pretty similar to how he did, although I don’t think that Gene understands or is mature enough for what the war really is. Gene does feel guilty just like Brutus did, so I think that’s why Gene is going along with the whole Olympics idea that Finny has for him.
Raech629@verizon.net
Gene feels guilty because he has hurt someone who cares about him. In the beginning, Gene thought that Finny was trying to stop him from excelling in his school work. Finny asked Gene to hang out with him all the time and participate in his games. After Gene told Finny he wanted to study, he realized that Finny did not mind that he is a better student. Gene is very jealous of Finny so he causes him to fall off the tree.
If I were in Gene's shoes, I would definetly feel guilty. Gene hurt one of the few people in school who liked him. He took away Finny's sports life and put him through a lot of physical and mental pain. Gene did this just because he is jealous. Finny never did anything spiteful towards Gene. I would have dealt with the tree incident by telling Finny the truth. It is Finny's right to know. I would not tell anyone else because it is not their business. Even after telling Finny, I would still feel guilty. I would not feel good about the war. I would not want to enlist. Instead I would do everything to help Finny because I owe it to him. I agree with Liz that the tree incident has changed Gene. Everything he does is with Gene at mind. He does not making any decisions with out thinking of Finny. He stays with Finny all the time and cannot forgive himself for what he has done even if Finny has.
If I was in Gene's predicament the last thing I would do is dwell on what has happened in the past. Gene did the correct thing in apologizing to Finny and coming forward by telling him that it was his responsibility for the tragic life changing fall. As my classmates have all stated Finny has moved on from the situation in which Gene will not let go of. Finny knows that the fall cost him his future in athletics but you can tell as the story progress's he begins to realize there is much more to life then just one hobby. If I were to walk in Gene's shoes i would do what Brinker says and not forget about the whole situation since that is impossible. But I would simply not talk about it much Finny and Gene both know what happened. Yet Finny is strong enough of a person to look past Gene's rash decision and still see him as a best friend.
In one sense though Gene does seem to understand now that the damage is done what the right actions to do as a true best friend would be. As he shows us all that he does feel truly horrible for his past action. He does everything in his power to keep Finny happy especially by taking Finny's dream of making the 1944 Olympics even though he doesn't truly want to do it, and trains as hard as he possibly can since he knows that is exactly what Finny would do. Also if I was in Gene's position looking at every aspect of the war I would not know what to think at first. But after Leper's letter, and meeting with him and seeing first hand what the war did to him. I would disregard every possible outcome Finny told me he felt about the war, and realize its real and it does change you. From the way Gene seems to be he has some what of an attachment to Finny. Since Finny will not be able to be drafted into the war from his injury Gene would not last very long in a setting like a war. He would live in the past and stay beating himself up over an action that happened forever ago which would cost him in the end
Honestly speaking, Gene is in a very sticky predicament. Let’s recap: Gene pushes his one and only best friend, Finny, from the tree and as a result Finny is maimed for the time being. Because of this cruel and unnecessary act, Gene feels guilty and does not know how to handle the impending friendship with Finny.
If I were to be in Gene’s position I would apologize to Finny for all that happened and then I would stop being his best friend. Why? Because, while reading this novel, the audience sees the positive influence that Finny is for Gene and the negative influence that Gene is for Finny. In the novel Finny tries to make Gene a well-rounded person by improving his athletic abilities. The readers already know that Gene is the smartest scholar at the Devon School. On the hand, Gene is bad for Finny because he purposely pushes his “best friend” off a tree. (Friends do not do that to each other and Finny would never do that to Gene.)
If I were to be Gene it would take a long time for me to forgive myself over the tree incident because Finny is the most honest and unselfish person one will ever meet. In the novel, Finny even admits that for one measly second he thought that Gene subliminally pushed him off the tree. After realizing what he said out loud, Finny quickly apologized. Nonetheless, I probably would not forgive myself for what happened and as stated before, I would stop being Finny’s best friend for his own good.
During their stay at the Devon School, World War II is taking place in Europe. In the beginning, Gene was going to enlist in the war but Finny’s opinion of war and how it destroys peace makes him change his mind. If I were to be in Gene’s position I would not go to the war because of how important it is to Finny. I would stay at the Devon School to make sure that he keeps his composure. In the novel, it seems as though Gene is the air the Finny’s world. Without Gene, it seems as though Finny would not know what to do with himself.
As Charlotte says “Gene is someone, who, I do not want to be in his shoes.” I would not want to be in his shoes because as a reader, he seems mentally unstable and paranoid. In the beginning of the book, Gene begins to think that Finny is after him and wants him to be an academic failure like himself (Finny). Gene shows antagonistic characteristics because he pushes his -so called- off a tree that they founded together.
eo95@ymail.com
It is clearly very easy to put all of one's energy into the fighting of a personal and internal war when the true war seems so unreal. World War II is a difficult idea to grasp for Gene in John Knowles' novel, A Separate Peace because of the peace and happiness he feels which clashes with the stories he hears of contradicting conditions elsewhere.
Gene has performed an unspeakable act of betrayal to his best friend, leaving him crippled and incapable of doing what he loves most for the rest of his life. Were I in his shoes, my immediate feelings would consist of a brutal self-hatred. However, upon seeing the true goodness of Phineas' character, and his ability to carry on and allow the friendship to remain just as strong as it had been prior to the "accident," I would do as I can to help make it right - even knowing it may not be possible. I would do as I can to make Phineas happy, and just as Gene does, I would go along with whatever he says and allow him to coach me in the sports that he can no longer take part in.
In regards to the war, were I in Gene's place I would not feel quite so distant and disbelieving of it. I would see more clearly how real the war truly is through my witnessing how truly cruel people can be. For example, I - being in Gene's shoes, have ruined the one thing my best friend held dear. I have betrayed him despite all the good he has done for me. If such cruelty exists so closely to me, or even inside of me, I would be able to believe in it existing far from me as well in a separate war from my own.
As Liz previously stated, Finny is unable to see any traces of these cruelties in the people of the world. He cannot comprehend that a war can be real, because that goes against what he has always believed. I believe that this naive outlook was partially adopted by Gene in an attempt to be like his friend and to block out what has yet to hurt him.
I believe that making mistakes allow you to learn in life, and prevent yourself from making the same mistake again and again. Gene is facing the conflict of continuing his friendship with Finny, after he has made the mistake of jouncing the limb. Even though Gene may feel guilty, and ruined Finny’s opportunities in sports, he should still talk to Finny about the way he feels. I believe that pushing a problem aside will not resolve anything, and will continue to haunt you throughout your life. If Finny truly considers Gene a best friend, then Finny would be willing to talk to Gene and understand where he is coming from. Gene is truly hurt by the situation and the only way the pain can go away is if Finny and Gene talk it out. It is very hard to let go of things, and push it to the side. Even though you may think it’s the easier way out, at the end of the day it would come right back and hit you in the face. That is why Gene continues to face this problem, because he keeps pushing it to the side. Gene has to learn from his mistakes, and learning from his mistakes will make him a bigger and better person. Gene cannot learn from his mistake if Finny just pushes it to the side as well. When Gene tries to confront Finny about the situation Finny does not want to hear anything about it. Therefore, neither them will be able to learn from this conflict.
I also feel that if Gene is considering enlisting in the war that Finny as a best friend should be there for support, and encouragement. If Finny is a true best friend he would stick by Gene’s side no matter what the situation is. Finny just tries to discourage Gene, by trying to convince him that there is no war. Even though Finny might be against Gene going to war, he should have told him how he truly felt. I believe this because true friends understand each others feelings, and point of views. If I were in Gene’s situation I would base my decision on myself, and not what a friend tells me, if my friends cannot be there for support, then they are not true friends. I agree with Tiffany because once Gene learns from his mistake and gets over the tree incident, it will allow him to become more independent, and do what he wants to do.
biancasanabria13@hotmail.com
I would probably be dying of guilt if I were to be Gene. I mean, I practically was the one who had caused Finny's fall in the first place. I might as well should say that I shoved Phineas from the tree limb causing him to fall and become now known as a cripple since that's how it would feel like. Yet, Finny still cares about Gene and wants Gene to be there for him. You've got to admire the kid actually. It takes a lot to put something as traumatic as a fall like Finnys' that occurred that night behind you and keep moving on. Forgiving is just as effective as healing. Finny counts on Gene to be his friend and in some ways his legs, metaphorically speaking. Finny has high hopes and dreams for Gene and Gene has to not let him down. If I were Gene, just thinking about the tree accident would hurt my guts. I would eventually just realize that Finny really has nothing but to love for me and wants things to be great with us. Even though this should lighten my heavy remorse, it would actually make me feel even more guilty if I were in Gene's shoes. I could only imagine how Finny is feeling about being a cripple. He is faced with his own personal struggle about the bitterness of being a cripple and attempting to live in a world where sports and enlistment in the army are no longer a possibility. Even if I, (Gene) decided to enlist in the army, it would break Finny's heart that his best friend would leave him alone and if it weren't for the fall he could've tagged along besides Gene. That would be the mother load of all guiltiness that lies onto this Earth. I'd lament over the fact that Finny has to confront the reality that his life-altering injury was caused by someone he considered, and still must try to consider, to be his best friend. It is such a powerful effect that an accident can leave on two friends.
If I were Gene, I would just face my jealousies over Finny. It's not Finny's fault that he is better than him athletically. Finny can easily persuade whoever he wants to get things to go his way, he is way more built than Gene, and Gene wants what Finny already has. He wants to be just as athletic as Finny. He wants to be just as handsome and persuasive as Finny. He wants to BEAT Finny. Gene's admiration and love for Finny is balanced by his fierce jealousy of him, by a deep insecurity in himself, and, because of his insecurity, a need to compete with and defeat his friend at all costs. Gene's internal emotional battles is what can sever or strengthen his ties with Finny in a win-lose situation. If I were Gene I would, just as Charlotte would, just forget about the whole tree incident, even though it would be a long road to put it aside me. These, in my perspective, would be the down hills of life, and the only way you'll be able to climb up that hill, is to just forget about the past, and think about what'll happen when you reach the top of the hill. In Gene's situation, it would, during a certain amount of time, could actually increase the bond that Gene and Finny have tenfold. Things like Gene and Finny and the tree and Finny being a cripple is just the works of life and being able to cope with the struggles of inner and external conflicts. I would come to realize that if i were in Gene's position and be there for Finny all the way because there is no guy that I would wish for in the world to be my best friend than an amazing, caring, sympathetic guy like Finny.
christian.pineda@rocketmail.com
Truthfully I don't understand the friendship between Gene and Finny! First of all Gene ruined Finny's athletic career, and second they dont seem to be caring friends in the least! Even so Finny learned to forgive and forget about the injury that Gene made him sustain during the tree incident, but Gene still feels guilty about it. For the friendship between Gene and Finny to continue to be a healthy one Gene has to learn that there is nothing he can do to change what he did.
In the place of Gene, my emotions with the tree I would be totally shocked with myself for doing such a thing. That is such a terrible crime to commit; to take one of the only positive qualities of someone and destroy it for less competition is plain wrong. Finny even said himself that he did not care that I (Gene) is smarter than him. I honestly would not be able to look at his face anymore because I would see his face and I just would not be able to handle that on me. I have been in that type of situation before and it is not fun at all to say the least.
It is seen in the book so far that Finny is suggesting the war is not real. That the war was actually conjured up by the government. People often hear the same story today about the War on Terrorism. The conspiracy theorists say that the government caused the infamous strike of 9-11-01 to make an excuse to invade Iraq. I fully believe in our nation to be honest and act accordingly. So therefore I would also believe in the second world war. No one can fake something this big and my country needs my help. America needs men ready and willing to go through the horrors of war to protect her people. Drafts will only supply a hand full of good men. I (Gene) enlist into the army. Now of course I might not see Finny for a very long time or not at all because I might die. However, I would get to start off new without the guilt because running away from a problem would give me time for the guilt to drain away. Eventually I will just be a stone cold and will not be bothered by such conflicting emotions.
I clearly display disagreement with Abijah's opinion about staying with Finny and caring for. Unfortunately some people are not so tough as him. I (Gene) have placed myself in a dark place I would not like to be. I would just want to get away, but maybe some day I will be mature enough to confront the evil within myself.
Email:nicocoup@msn.com
In A Separate Piece, the war is occurring while Gene is having a war with himself. He is having both internal and external problems.
If I was Gene, in this situation I would put 100% effort into moving on from the past. I might think about going to a therapist if I was Gene. It always helps people to talk about their issues such as the issues Gene is currently going through. I completely agree with Rachel Cooper when she says that Gene should be extremely happy that Finny was a good friend and forgave him about the accident. Finny seemed to act like the bigger person and show Gene that it was all in the past and now it was time to start a new beginning. Obviously Finny and Gene will both remember it, but if they move on with life without making each other’s life miserable, their friendship will grow. Like the famous quote made by Eugenia Tripputi, “ By forgiving and choosing to move on, one takes the power back to morph it into positive energy”. This quote I believe goes very well with what I would do if I was Gene. It is not the best idea to keep living in the past, especially if the past is not a good one. I live by this on a daily basis because it makes me realize that some things in life are meant to be put in the past.
I also agree with Tiffany when she says that the only reason that Gene would not fight in it is because Finny does not approve. It is obvious that Gene does everything and anything Finny approves. Since Finny does not approve him fighting in the war, Gene will not go and fight in the war. In my eyes I do not think that the war is that important, but through Gene I see that he truly does want to go fight in it, but is being stopped due to the fact that Finny does not approve.
Gene is always cause up on what he should do and what he should not do. This is because he want to do certain things, but Finny being his best friend, does not approve, Gene has a decision on whether he will go with what he wants to do or doing what Finny wants him to do. This is a constant battle that Gene has with himself all throughout the novel. Also Gene will continue fighting with constant guilt about the incident at the tree. So I see Gene as someone that holds onto the past for the rest of his life.
If I was Gene in the situation I would do my best to make Finny feel good. I single handedly ruined my best friends chance at becoming a great athlete. Gene is also facing the Self Vs. Self conflict just like Brutus. He feels that if he goes into the army then Gene will never forgive him.
With the situation about the war I would feel insecure about any decision I make. If I do what I think is best for me then I will hurt my best friend. The war could be my way of serving my country and that could change the way I live my life. If I have to give that up to save a relationship that I already partially ruined then I would not risk the chances.
As Bianca says I would take the decision of enlisting upon myself and not my friends to decide my future for me.
Gene is a good kid, even though he did not mean to push Finny out of the tree, I think that he was not expecting that he would turn out like he did. If Gene knew that Finny would become maimed, he would of never had done that. Nothing can change the past. If I pushed my friend out of a tree I would not know how to act or what to do. I would just treat him however he feels. If I feel like he does not want to be friends then I would keep my distance from him, careful to not spark a fire. If I feel that he is comfortable around me, and fully forgives me, I would treat him like my best friend just how they were before.
The only thing that Gene can do is to do whatever makes Finny happy. He is in forever debt to him. Gene took away what he was good at, sports. If I was Gene I would treat Finny just the way Gene did when Finny was “normal.” I would try to never bring up the accident. I would make sure that he knew I was extremely sorry about what happened just like Efe said. Even though he must be really strong about his friendship, he has to make sure that this friendship would not turn around.
The war would make me feel unsure. I would not know what to do, either to serve my country or be scared about what Leper said. I would probably be scared about what Leper said, just because Gene knew him personally and that he was like Gene. Leper’s message was serious, and close to scary. He makes the army seem like it is a terrible thing.
Overall Gene is going to be scarred for life. He is going to have internal and external problems about the war, the fall and his friendship, no matter what he does.
If I were placed in Gene's position, as horrible as it sounds, I would have most likely dealt with it in the same matter. Finny is Gene's best friend in the whole world. Imagine how difficult it would be to tell your friend that you purposely pushed him out of a tree because you were jealous of him. I am pretty sure that I would have cracked down much sooner than Gene though. When I feel guilty, it is obvious; I sweat, answer in short sentences, shake, and overall seem quite uneasy. I agree with Julian's comment that it would not be a good thing to dwell on, but I do not think Gene did the right thing by taking back his apology.
As for my feelings on the war, I would worry most about making Finny mad. Since I would have already spilled my heart out to him the decisions I would be making would towards bettering the friendship. Finny's feelings on the war are that it is merely a conspiracy written by old men, so my decision would be to not join the war. I am not sure that I would be too happy with not enlisting, but for the sake of my friendship my decision would stand.
syd1194@aol.com
Gene allows his "little green monster” otherwise known as jealousy, justify who he is as a person. He let this monster grow and form until it overtook him, and caused him to lose control of his life. Jealousy became Gene’s “best friend”. It played tricks on Gene’s mind and turned his friendship with Finny into one that was corrupt, and gruesome. I would have to agree with Lizzy, when she says that the "tree incident" was an act that took away Gene's innocence. Before this incident Gene was just a boy who was uncertain about his "best friend", but after the act he started to have to take on big challenges, and new responsibilities. Some of which include keeping what really happened the night on the tree a secret from all the other boys at Devon, this is seen in Butt room when he is interrogated. He must now be responsible for the welfare of Finny who is back at Devon. I agree with Abijah when he says he would feel guilty, and basically would not leave Finny's side, even to go to war. If I were in Gene's shoes I would feel obligated to stay by Finny's side seeming as I've ruined his life. I would be very sorry for the act that I did in the heat of a moment, regret doing it and look back at what I've done as something childish. To the best of my ability I would try to repent, and "grow up", forcing myself to be more adult-like.
If I were in Gene's place, I would be very upset. He pushed his best friend off of a tree which injuries him greatly and stops him from playing sports. If I were him I would feel terrible about the tree incident. He not only maimed his best friend, but he also has to deal with Finny feeling the way that he does. Finny does not think that it was Gene who pushed him off the tree, even though it was. If I were Gene and I knew this I would feel extremely guilty and disappointed in myself. The war would be another topic thought if I were Gene. It shapes how people at Devon act and interact with each other. Personally, I would not even consider the war an important aspect of my life. Even though I think this way I know that Gene on the other hand, would not think like that. He sees the war as a large shadow looming over everything that he does. If I were in Gene's shoes then I would take a look at how I am approaching my friends and life in general
If I were in Gene's position I would have handled the situation similarly to how he did on the book. I wouldn't really know ho to deal with the friendship. Finny being pushed off the tree was my fault. I wouldnt be able to handle the thought of crushing Phineas' Olympic dream. Looking at Finny everyday walking with crutches would pain me. I would feel so guilty and responsible for causing this horrible accident. I agree with lizzy when she says that this incident took away all of Gene's innocence. Gene did not feel too guilty at first. He enjoyed the fact that he was almost taking the place of Finny. When Finny came back it didn't seem like he held any ill feelings toward Gene. He tried his best to make Gene succeed even though he could not. When it comes to the war, I would make the decision not to enlist without even thinking about it. I would feel bad enough for causing Finny's injuries. If I left him there alone, I feel like Finny would never forgive me. I do not really think that Gene cares if he leaves Finny alone even of they are supposed to be "best friends".
Gene is in a very tough predicament and he is faced with hard decisions that he has to make. Like Brutus, he is not easy to make a decision and he needs to think about it more and weigh his options. If I was in Gene's position, I would do what ever felt right in my heart. I would do what makes Finny happy with the consideration of the action as well. I would do almost everything he tells me unless it is to jump off a bridge. That is why Gene is so different because unlike many others who fall in his position he does not just simply do everything to make the person that he made suffer happier. He does things with the consideration of the effects that it will have on him. If I was in his position and I was thinking about enlisting in war, I wouldn't go for two reasons. The first reason is that I would not go because Finny clearly wants me to stay with him and not go off to battle. Lastly, I would not go to war because I would want to stay with my best friend (Finny) who I just hurt and needs me more than ever. However, I would do one thing differently than Gene. I would have never jumped on the tree branch to make it brake. I would have known the consequences and let the idea drift away. I would have also remembered how Finny saved me (Gene) one time in a tree and no matter how much I envy Finny, I would have always wanted him safe. Even though Gene is in quite a predicament, I hope and think he will make the right choices.
Grlzluvemplaya1@aim.com
If I were Gene, I would try as best as I could to put the whole ordeal about the tree behind me. There is no point in fretting over something that happened long ago, especially since it was something unpleasant to remember. That not only means forgetting about it myself, but removing that shred of doubt that remains in Finny's heart, and convincing Brinker and the rest of the boys that it never happened. Finny was already pure and trusting enough to believe Gene when he said he did not do it, even though Finny knows deep inside him that Gene caused the fall that turned his whole world upside down. The tree incident might be hard to remove from Brinker's mind, as he sees Finny everyday, but I would have to try in order to completely erase the memory from history. As for the war, I would love for my mind to fully embrace Finny's view of the war, where there is no war and the fat, old men have just created the conspiracy for their own benefit. Yet logic will not allow me to delve into such naivety. Of course there is a war and people die everyday because of it. Finny's paradise is tempting, but I have to face reality.
If placed in the same predicament as Gene, then I, like Sydney, would have dealt with it the same way. I agree with Sydney when she says it is extremely hard to tell your best friend that you intentionally pushed him out of a tree. so for the most part,I would have just tried to brush it aside. Gene is at war with himself because of his friendship with Finny. After all they had been through, Finny continues be a good friend to Gene, but it seems as if Finny does not recieve the same treatment. Like Sai, I would love for my mind to embrace such a concept that war was created by old, fat, rich men. But we have all seen and learned so much that this type of ignorance cannot be embraced. But I feel as if the war is just a "way out" for the people of Devon High School, because when they have no where else to turn, it seems as if that's where they go. It's basically social and literal suicide.
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