(Chapter 12) Explain what Gene means when he says, "Phineas, you wouldn't be any good in the war, even if nothing had happened to your leg." Do you think this is true? Why? - Winschel

In John Knowles's A Separate Peace, the moral of the story is maturity as a child to an adult. The two main characters in the novel, Gene and Finny, are portrayed perfectly by John Knowles as the average kid whose imagination rules out everyone else's world. Since the story is seen through Gene's eyes fifteen years later, the reader knows a lot more about him and his true feelings than Finny. When Gene impulsively made Finny lose balance and fall off a tree leading to his paralyzing injury, it had led to guilt and shame; but also made Gene more honest with Finny and changed the book's theme from innocence and childhood to adulthood and the real world. Gene states, "Phineas, you wouldn't be any good in the war, even if nothing had happened to your leg" (190). This quote shows how brutally honest Gene has become to Finny. John Knowles had always shown the reader that Finny was innocent but in chapter 12 Finny's true intention to be a brave, heroic soldier were revealed. Gene is telling Finny that his innocence would make enemies kill him: his kindness and ability to forgive would make him a horrible soldier. Gene tells Finny that he would 'be sitting in one of the [German or Japanese armies] command posts and teaching them English' (191). This quote further proves how Gene is bringing the cold, hard truth to Finny that even though he was the most athletic kid at Devon, his imaginary childlike fantasies and kindness would drive him crazy like Leper and even get him killed. Also, the war relates to the real world as Finny's innocence makes him believe everyone is just as nice as him, but not a lot are.


Is Gene redeemed by the end of this reading?
Does bone marrow clogging Finny's heart relate to the plot of the story in any way?
Rank these people from most guilty to least guilty for Finny's death and explain why: Gene, Brinker Hadley, Dr. Stanpole.
Why was everything so unfamiliar to Gene while he walked away from the Infirmary?

Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 7, 2020 at 2:28 PM

    By the end of the reading Gene is becoming more redeemed, but after Finny's death it is difficult not to blame Gene for all that has happened. Even though all of Finny's misfortunes, and eventual death lead back to what happened on the tree, Gene has tried to tell Finny what happened and eventually got it all out in the infirmary. This moment I think redeemed Gene in many ways and showed that he and Finny were finally out of denial and admitting things to each other. Though this is true the consequences of of what Gene did became a lot more clear with Finny's strange and sudden death. It is not all Gene's fault of course some of the blame has to go on Dr. Stanpole. Gene and Finny left each other on a good note, they both admitted what was really going on and Finny forgave Gene about what had happened on the tree. Overall, Gene redeemed himself in a few ways this chapter but in the end some of his actions caused the death of one of his friends.

    How do you think the other kids will react when they hear about Finny's death?

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  2. AnonymousMay 7, 2020 at 2:51 PM

    The truth had never entered Gene's time at Devon until now. For the whole book he had been living a lie, and keeping a lie. He never wanted to admit the harsh reality of life and wanted to stay innocent and peaceful forever. After telling Gene Finny was dead Dr.Stanpole said, "This is something I think boys of your generation are going to see a lot of," (193) Gene realizes what's to come for the rest of his life. Gene didn't mourn the death, he wasn't guilty, he just sort of accepted it. In the infirmary Gene and Finny had a talk about the war, and Finny admitted that his theory had been nothing but a distraction to keep his mind off the fact he could not become a soldier. This novel is all about maturity, and John Knowles does a good job of showing this in the end. When Gene walked away from the infirmary he was seeing a new world, a real world, different from their false reality. It was unfamiliar to him because he had never accepted maturity, but maturity is inevitable, so in the end he had to accept it. It was interesting in the end how throughout the novel Gene and Finny had a codependent relationship. But when Finny's dies he is forced to now mature on his own, and find his own identity. He can't bring himself to cry because it would be like him crying for himself. In the end, he lost a part of himself.

    How will Gene's personality change after Finny's death?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousMay 8, 2020 at 6:37 AM

      How will Gene's personality change after Finny's death?
      I think that Gene is going to feel even more obligated to “become Finny.” Even though Finny is now gone, and ideally Gene could go back to being himself and mature in a less toxic way, Gene feels more guilty and will need to make up for this. Because Finny can no longer be a part of their codependent relationship, Gene now more than ever, will need to become Finny. I think that other students are not going to react to Finny’s death very well, especially Brinker. Students at Devon are going to know that Gene was the one who jounced the limb, making Gene feel even more guilty. It's going to have a major effect on the way Gene will mature into adulthood, as the other part of his codependent relationship is missing.

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  3. AnonymousMay 7, 2020 at 10:21 PM

    Does bone marrow clogging Finny's heart relate to the plot of the story in any way?

    Bone marrow clogging Finny’s heart relates to the plot because if it wasn’t for him falling out of the tree, he would still be alive. Because of this, Gene has lost his best friend and is obviously going through a hard time with all of this. This is the original reason why this story takes place because Gene returns to Devon for Finny. If Finny’s death didn’t occur, I don’t think that Gene or Finny would never become their own person. Gene probably has some type of relief from this death because of him not having to worry about Finny so much. So in conclusion, this death makes Gene capable to mature into adulthood and become his own man.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousMay 8, 2020 at 3:59 AM

    When Gene walks away from the infirmary, he has become himself. He has gone away from he and Finny's codependency. He feels like he hasn't ever seen Devon from his point of view but always from Finny's. In a messed-up sort of way, this is what Gene needed in order to continue on a path out of codependency and into the real world.

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