Why did Gene go to Finny’s house? How did it impact Finny? Did Gene try to do the right thing? Why or why not? What would you have done? -Barber
Why did Gene go to Finny’s house? How did it impact Finny? Did Gene try to do the right thing? Why or why not?
What would you have done?
What would you have done?
In A Separate Peace, Gene visits Finny's house before heading back to Devons for the start of school.
Gene does this because he has been living with guilt about the tree incident. He tries to come clean to
Finny but it comes out in the wrong way. Finny, in disbelief, tells Gene, “Of course you didn't do it. You
damn fool. Sit down you damn fool”(70) and, “I’ll kill you if you don’t shut up”(70). But it is how Gene
responds that forces Finny to say, “... Go away. I’m tired and you make me sick. Go away”(70).
Gene does this because he has been living with guilt about the tree incident. He tries to come clean to
Finny but it comes out in the wrong way. Finny, in disbelief, tells Gene, “Of course you didn't do it. You
damn fool. Sit down you damn fool”(70) and, “I’ll kill you if you don’t shut up”(70). But it is how Gene
responds that forces Finny to say, “... Go away. I’m tired and you make me sick. Go away”(70).
Gene had the right intentions to go to Finny’s house and tell him the truth. He tried to do the right
thing however, it hurt their friendship even more. Gene had done the right thing up until the part
where Finny told him to “sit down”(70). His response was too abrupt and he was not understanding
of the fact that Finny was shocked. Gene should have responded saying something more calmly and
considerate of Finny’s reaction. After this interaction, there may be a part of their friendship that
can’t be fixed. When Gene’s lie at the end of chapter 5, it foreshadows how their friendship could
drift later in the novel. Though Gene meant well with his visit, his response to Finny’s reaction will
be detrimental to their friendship. Knowles includes this essential scene to the novel to signify that
Gene’s journey to adulthood is becoming increasingly difficult.
thing however, it hurt their friendship even more. Gene had done the right thing up until the part
where Finny told him to “sit down”(70). His response was too abrupt and he was not understanding
of the fact that Finny was shocked. Gene should have responded saying something more calmly and
considerate of Finny’s reaction. After this interaction, there may be a part of their friendship that
can’t be fixed. When Gene’s lie at the end of chapter 5, it foreshadows how their friendship could
drift later in the novel. Though Gene meant well with his visit, his response to Finny’s reaction will
be detrimental to their friendship. Knowles includes this essential scene to the novel to signify that
Gene’s journey to adulthood is becoming increasingly difficult.
- Do you think Gene and Finny can mend their friendship? If so, how?
- At this point in the novel, which character do you have more sympathy for?
- How do you think Finny should have acted?
When he's confronted with the truth, Finny doesn't want to believe it and is resolute in his denial. Because he avoids dealing with what Gene did, Gene is also forced to live a lie. This will irreparably damage their friendship, as while they continue as friends on the surface level, resentment and mistrust will build in Finny, and Gene will never be able to work through his guilt. While I understand why Finny responded in such a way to Gene's admittance, he should have acknowledged the truth expressed his anger. Even if that meant cutting off their friendship indefinitely, Gene would be left feeling like he had gotten what he deserved and they were "even" now, and Finny would have had time to come to terms with what Gene did. Suppressing their emotions and pretending nothing happened is the worst course of action to take in this situation.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Gene confessing was the right thing to do, his friendship with Finny is unsalvageable. Athletics were the one thing that Finny was very passionate about at Devon, and for that to be taken from him, especially at the hands of his best friend is devastating. Gene being honest with his friend was the right thing to do for his guilt, but it will be impossible for them to go back to normal with the resentment they would have for each other. In his mind, I understand why Finny shut down Gene's confession, but it stunted both of their abilities to move on from the incident and from each other. The best outcome for both of the boys would be to end their friendship completely, rather than lying to each other and themselves. Confusion, silent accusations and resentment is the last thing Gene or Finny need, and it is not worth trying to mend a friendship that died on that tree.
ReplyDeleteFinny is still very light hearted during this reading, is that a front or who he really is?
I think that right now Finny's light heartedness is just a front. This may just be in my head but I feel like he's being really nice to get revenge on Gene. Not only for throwing him off the tree and destroying his chance to ever play sports but also for letting him believe it was all just a feeling. I think this way he pretends to care about Gene and continue being friends with him but also by being friendly he lets Gene feel super guilty. I think this because Finny could easily end their friendship and just not talk to Gene but that would be so much easier on him. He'd just forget and not feel that amount of guilt he would feel if they are still friends. Seeing Finny struggle everyday without doing what he likes to do would hit harder.
DeleteGene and Finny's friendship is never going to be the same again. Finny should have let Gene apologize or have yelled at him. Gene feels even worse because Finny is not acknowledging it. They both would have been better off if they had stopped being friends. Finny will now always be suspicious of Gene, and Gene will always feel bad about what he did. When Gene tried to do the right thing and Finny didn't let him, it hurt Gene. Finny didn't seem to want to believe it happened. He was probably upset with him at first in the hospital, but didn't want to be mad at Gene. Finny should not have forgiven him, he should have ended their friendship because it is probably going to be very different and not enjoyable for both of them.
ReplyDeleteUp until this point in the novel, I have grown to have more sympathy for Gene right now. Although, Gene purposefully shook the tree and made Finny loose all abilities to play sports, I do acknowledge Gene trying to tell the truth. Since, Gene couldn't handle his own guilt after the tree accident, it forced him to come clean and tell the truth with Finny. For someone to do this, especially with the fear and possibility that they could loose their only and best friend is incredibly hard and difficult. Gene telling the truth was the best possible thing he could of done after the tree accident. If Gene were to not tell the truth I think later in their friendship it would come out the wrong way and ruin their friendship even more. By cause of these things, I have more sympathy for Gene doing the best possible and most responsible thing he could do.
ReplyDeleteI do think Gene made the right choice in telling Finny about what he did or thought he did. He couldn’t keep the secret cooped up forever and it was obvious that it was hurting him to not tell Finny in the first place. Gene felt guilty even after the summer session ended, and this was his chance to tell Finny what really happened. It’s a moral dilemma: wanting to tell your best friend what you did but also not wanting to lose one of the, if not the most, important friendships you have. Finny is left in denial; he doesn’t believe Gene. His best friend would never hurt him, right? In doing so, he’s pushing that denial back onto Gene, only hurting Gene in the process. Whether Finny has noticed or not, he is putting a burden onto Gene. I think they both realize that there isn’t much left to mend their friendship. They each hurt each other and themselves in their own ways, turning their friendship into a toxic one, whether they meant to or not. Sure, you can have rivalry in friendship, but there’s has grown so strong that there’s no trust left. Keeping all the emotions hidden and unsaid will only hurt them further. They both have to come to terms with what they’ve done and not look back.
ReplyDeleteAt this point in the novel, I have the most sympathy for Finny. Although by the way Gene portrays Finny he seems flawed, it is likely that some of these qualities are a reality, but the rest is just built up in Gene's mind. Gene may feel that Finny is selfish, but the fact that he does not know whether he purposefully injured his friend or not is enough to even out the selfishness between the two of them. For these reasons, I feel more sympathy for Finny, because even though Gene has to live with the guilt Finny is the one who must live with the results of the injury.
ReplyDeleteDo you think Gene and Finny can mend their friendship? If so, how?
ReplyDeleteI believe that the fall will create more tension and competition in their relationship, and the relationship is unsalvageable. This is because school is starting and Gene still has academics for him, yet Finny has lost athletics. Finny has lost what he’s best at, so naturally, he’s going to want to take out revenge for Gene’s academics. I feel like Finny will use their relationship and spending time together as an anchor to get Gene away from studying. This will show Gene how the pain for Finny is, not having the thing he was best at anymore. However, Finny might not have these intentions. If this is true, Gene’s state of mind will obviously create a fictional story that is true. In conclusion, yes the fall will create more tension and competition between their relationship and the relationship cannot be mended.
Gene and Finny can easily mend their friendship but it would be pointless. They could just simply forgive and forget but that’s easier said than done, and it would cause more harm than good. The two are both very explosive characters when they are in the presence of one another, and they are not so explosive when they are separate. The best thing that could happen is that they would never talk again. They would become complete strangers, and further down the road maybe even acquaintances. Becoming friends again is the wrong choice.
ReplyDeleteThis whole time, it had been Gene causing harm to himself. Finny had been a mere distraction, even an excuse. Gene had then realized this, and again he caused even more harm, but not to himself. His latest victim had been Finny, his best friend. I think Gene realizes that if he had never told Finny that he shook the tree on purpose, this whole friendship would go back to “normal”. This is obviously not the case, and if it were to go back to “normal”, there would be a lot of work that Gene would have to do.
At this point it the novel, I feel more sympathy for Finny. He now feels like he has been living a lie because someone who he thought was his best friend pushed him out of a tree. His best friend took away the one thing he was great at, on purpose! I do not feel sympathetic for Gene because it was his fault and so it is his job to live with the guilt. I believe that because the accident was Gene's fault, he cannot be pitied for having to live with his decision.
ReplyDeleteI think that Gene and Finny's friendship can never and will never be the same as it was before. Finny chooses to deny the possibility that Gene would purposely make him fall off the branch, choosing to believe that his confession comes from an equivalent of survivors guilt. This means that, even if Gene chooses to try and take back what he said, the possibility will always loom over them. Gene's intentions were honorable, his first reaction is that he has made a mistake by hurting Finny more when he is already so traumatized. But in the long run, telling him was definitely the better option. If he did not, he would likely alienate Finny because he was working so hard to hide something so big. In this situation Finny has done no real wrong, but his actions definitely make the situation worse. Neither of them can fully accept either answer now that Finny has basically called him a liar, meaning they will never be able to reach an agreement on what happened.
ReplyDeleteWill the time until Finny returns to Devon change Gene's opinion on what happened?