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Oct 29, 2015 22:27:36 GMT
Post by nzglinicki on Oct 29, 2015 22:27:36 GMT
Gene and Finny are made foils in this book for a purpose. Their being foils made for more suspense in the story. It behind with Gene being a complete follower of this really great athlete that makes all the rules and is very well known. Sometimes this match works, but other times it doesn't. We were left waiting to see if it would work out this time, or if we were going to watch a big transformation and switching of roles. We were given one of the two. We watched a transformation of a follower turn, slowly, to being his own person. This is made even more intense by the fact that his best friend is his foil, and his worst enemy. Gene plays along with Finny when he's around, but when he isn't he has pretty much no influence over Gene’s life. Gene doesn't have to try to be his best friend because his friend isn't there to watch or criticize him. Finny being an overall child and reluctant teen is a huge draw for Gene, but we find that Gene is the teen going on to adult that Finny wants to be. This stretches out the story more because it's a story of how they go back and forth trying to become who they are, being jealous of the other, tripping the other up, and trying to continue with their stage in life. This went on and on until there was no more competition, which ended up being the death of Finny. The back and forth was what created the suspense in the story, and when the foil of Gene died so did the back and forth of his teen state, and this is what pushed him over the edge to his goal, adulthood
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Oct 29, 2015 23:04:38 GMT
Post by morganmassino on Oct 29, 2015 23:04:38 GMT
I totally agree with you, Natalie. The relationship between Finny and Gene carries the plot of the story forward. I really like how you mentioned Finny and Gene going back and forth in the liminal state because that shows how growing up isn't just a straight path that can be followed. It has twists and turns and a lot has to be learned before one can move on to adulthood. In the story, Gene has to figure himself out and realize who he is before he can get out of the liminal state.
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Oct 29, 2015 23:58:35 GMT
Post by Ms. McGettigan on Oct 29, 2015 23:58:35 GMT
Great points here, ladies! The analysis of Gene and Finny going back and forth is very interesting, especially Natalie's assessment that it went on until there was no more competition. I wonder if, had Finny lived through the second fall, it would have gone on throughout adulthood or if they would have outgrown that behavior naturally?
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Oct 30, 2015 1:04:49 GMT
Post by morganmassino on Oct 30, 2015 1:04:49 GMT
I think that Gene and Finny probably would have outgrown their "competition" if Finny hadn't died because a rift is put between the two when Finny finally acknowledges what Gene did to him. I don't think that their friendship could ever fully recover from that. Even if Brinker hadn't held the "trail" and Finny didn't find out about Gene, Gene and Finny would have grown apart regardless. Gene would most definitely be physically separated from Finny because of his involvement in the war, which Finny would not be able to be a part of. The war would change Gene, as it changed Leper, and he would be a different person after coming out of it. So even if Finny and Gene were physically brought back together, I think Gene would be in a completely different place in life than would Finny, and the two would not be put in a position where they feel as if they are pitted against one another.
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Oct 30, 2015 2:07:36 GMT
Post by dgarrett on Oct 30, 2015 2:07:36 GMT
Wow, great points Natalie and Morgan. I also would like to point out that if Finny didn't die from his "broken heart" (chuckle chuckle) their competition would have ended because Finny was going to be sent home, and their interaction would've stopped for the rest of that year. And, as Natalie pointed out, Gene wasn't really influenced by Finny when he wasn't around. This separation would've continued with Gene's enlistment into the navy, and unless either Gene or Finny attempted to see each other again after the war, which is highly unlikely due to the problems they had, they wouldn't have had the chance to compete again.
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Nov 1, 2015 16:41:10 GMT
Post by tmehta on Nov 1, 2015 16:41:10 GMT
The points being made here are great. I agree with what Morgan said; Gene and Finny were growing apart, and the multiple accidents just paused their separation for a while. After Finny’s first accident, he and Gene seem to be closer to each other than ever before. But the irony lies in the fact that each boy uses the other for his own personal gain, and deep down both boys might even realize that their relationship is taking a turn for the worse. Gene stays with Finny out of guilt, and Finny needs to live vicariously through Gene now that Finny is handicapped. Had the accident not occurred, the boys might have realized their differences and grown apart naturally. But the accident creates something artificial.
Each boy has his own insecurities and secretly wishes to achieve more than his seemingly perfect friend. Had their friendship ended sooner, Gene might have blossomed and matured into a normal adult, but because he stays friends with Finny, he is constantly dragged back to childhood. It is when Finny dies that Gene is pushed into adulthood. Gene finally comes to terms with his toxic relationship with Finny, a very mature and adult-like thing to do.
In a twisted sense, Finny almost helped himself when he died. He was too childlike to ever be able to succeed in the real world. Finny embodied that innocence and naivety of a child. Either Finny would die and his innocence would live, or he would live and his innocence would be killed.
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Nov 1, 2015 20:34:13 GMT
Post by sarahegerter on Nov 1, 2015 20:34:13 GMT
I feel as if Finny was acting as an anchor to Gene, sinking him back into the childhood state. Whenever Gene showed promise for becoming an adult, Finny would swoop in and pull Gene backwards. For example, after the tree incident, Gene was on his own. He was maturing, helping the war effort, and even thought about enrolling. But of course once Gene made these mature decisions, Finny was back in the picture and basically told Gene "No," and Gene obeyed. Instead of going to war or considering it more, Gene became childish and let Finny live vicariously through him by training for the Olympics. And I think the point Tara made at the end about how Finny kind of helped himself by dying is exactly right. Finny in no way, shape, or form was ready for the real world. What happened to poor Leper was bound to happen to Finny, or worse. He was too innocent, whereas Gene was much more capable of surviving the adult world. I feel as if meeting Finny was just detrimental to Gene from the very beginning, because I feel like the maturing process would have occurred far sooner without Finny acting like an anchor.
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Nov 2, 2015 0:22:36 GMT
Post by hopekim on Nov 2, 2015 0:22:36 GMT
Although the points mentioned about Gene and Finny being foils are completely valid and agreed with, I'd like to share a different take on things. I actually think that Finny and Brinker Hadley are also foils in the novel. While Finny is known to get away with everything after breaking the rules with his charm, Brinker does not have to use his charm to get away with anything because he follows the rules unlike Finny. Finny is a very childlike figure while Brinker always has something adult-like to say. When Gene tries to tell Finny that he jounced the limb on, Finny, like a child, tries to deny it completely and actually gets very angry, similar to a tantrum. On the other hand, Brinker actually jokes multiple times to Gene about how he had done it on purpose, like an adult might think. Furthermore, Brinker helps convince Gene to enlist in the war, a very adult-like thing to do, while Finny makes Gene train for an unoccurring Olympics with the actual belief that there is not a war going on, living in a fantasy world like a child does. In many ways, Gene and Finny are foils, but I also believe that in many ways, Finny and Brinker are foils as well.
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gmiades
New Member
I love English Class
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Nov 3, 2015 20:15:31 GMT
Post by gmiades on Nov 3, 2015 20:15:31 GMT
I agree with what Sarah is getting at here. Finny was always the one the pull Gene back from becoming an adult. It is almost like Peter Pan never growing up.
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