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Post by jillian on Oct 30, 2015 3:25:39 GMT
All of the characterization is from Gene's point of view. And as mentioned in previous threads, can we really trust Gene to give accurate accounts of each character? First of all, it is a flashback from fifteen years ago. There must be some details that are left out. Second, Gene is a very conflicted character. Throughout the whole story, he is a whirlwind of confusion. Did he or did he not jounce the limb? There are so many questions that need to be answered but are left instead for the reader to make their own education guess. I really do not think that Gene is a reliable narrator. We can't truly trust what Gene characterizes every individual as since the story sways completely in his opinion.
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Post by jillian on Oct 30, 2015 3:36:57 GMT
I'd like to mention also (i know that i mentioned this in a different post, but I think it also correlates with Gene's characterization), that I believe that Gene jounced the tree limb because he was in love with Finny. That may sound weird at first, but let me explain. I think that Gene loved Finny so much that it took over all of his emotions and he didn't know how to handle it. At Gene's young age, it is hard to understand love and its many facets, and especially at that time period, Gene would not have been accepted for loving Finny, and he probably didn't want to admit to Finny that he loved him for fear that Finny would not love him back and would reject him. I think that is what drove him to jounce Finny off of the limb. Before the tree incident we can see that Gene greatly admires Finny. On many occasions Gene compares Finny to being a God/God-like (ex: When they go to the beach, when Finny is balancing on the boat). He definitely loves Finny!!!!! Finny is always there for him and he is always there for Finny. Its almost as if he were obsessed with Finny. He has nothing bad to say about Finny except for that fact that he thinks that Finny is outdoing him especially in sports, and Finny does mention the Olympics to Gene. Did Gene jounce the tree limb out of jealousy, or out of fear that Finny would one day leave him for something better? Additionally, Gene doesn't cry at Finny's funeral. This is strange since they were so close. If my theory is correct though, did Gene not cry because he felt relief? Maybe a part of him was secretly happy that Finny had died because he thought that maybe his loving feelings towards Finny would disappear? (which they obviously do not since he goes back to Devon) From what Gene says throughout the story, he subconsciously characterizes himself as a very conflicting character. I don't think we will ever know who he truly is.
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Post by rmay99 on Oct 31, 2015 0:39:52 GMT
Jillian, your idea that Gene jounced Finny because of his love for him is very eye-opening. Although I feel as though the jouncing was for another reason, you supported this idea well and gave me another way of looking at the situation. Personally, I believe Gene's jouncing of the limb was caused by a rivalry and unhealthy jealousy of Finny. Up until this point, Gene views Finny as far above him. He originally wants to "beat" him in the rivalry (all of which is in Gene's head) before accepting that Finny is too far above him to truly be a competitor. This competition is that Gene can become the biggest brain of the school and outmatch Gene in his athletic endeavors. Ultimately, the acceptance of Finny as far superior leads to the jouncing. Subconsciously, Gene's desire to somehow "beat" the perfect Finny still lies within. This desire is driven to only one conclusion, harm Finny so that he cannot succeed in his field of dominance, athletics. He knows that there is no possible chance of him "winning" when healthy, so he harms Finny to end his reign of perfection. He will finally have a leg up on him. All of this thinking is done in the heat of the moment, and as mentioned later in the book, it is a quick action he did without thinking. The subconscious mind of Gene is finally at peace after this points which then allows him to fully accept Phineas as a friend and not a rival.
When looking at this from a characterization standpoint, this event helps the reader see Gene as one who is not fully sure or in control of who he is to be. This indirect characterization declines as he growns and goes through his coming of age. The end of this character flaw in Gene occurs in correspondence with the end of his liminal state (beginning of adulthood.) The beginning of adulthood for Gene is marked by Finny's death and his enlistment into the military. At this point, he is sure of who he wants to be and no individual thing, not even his subconscious mind will keep him from being who he knows he is.
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Post by maddysmith on Oct 31, 2015 22:10:01 GMT
No offense to Gene, but he literally has no personality outside of his admiration for and jealousy of Finny. He does well in school, which one might be able to call a defining trait but really, he does so well because he feels like he needs to compete with Finny. When the boys are at the beach, Finny pretty much convinces Gene to pursue the position of "head of the class" and Gene says, "What if I was. It was a pretty good goal to have, it seemed to me." Then he goes on to list Finny's many achievements and say "we would be even." The idea of being valedictorian hadn't even crossed Gene's mind until Finny mentions it.
I think Knowles' indirect characterization of Gene as jealous and kind of a pushover helps the reader see that Gene definitely jounced the limb at least a little bit on purpose even if he wasn't fully aware of it.
Jillian- You make a very convincing argument and I agree that there was definitely something a little more than friendship going on there. In the scene where Finny is wearing the pink shirt, Finny says, "It makes you look like a fairy!" which was a slang term for a gay man in the 1940s. Even though that's the only time homosexuality is explicitly brought up in the novel, I think it is very telling. Perhaps this is wishful thinking by Gene? Honestly who wouldn't be in love with Finny. He sounds like a dream boat.
P.S Ryan I like the way you said Gene "will finally have a LEG up on him" Was that an intentional pun? Either way I really enjoyed it.
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Post by jillian on Nov 1, 2015 7:32:24 GMT
Ryan, you make a good point. I still think that there is an underlying theme of romance among the boys. Throughout the story I feel there is a romantic tension between them that is more than just a bromance. Perhaps it was love and jealousy that drove Gene to jounce Finny. Stephanie Ko did agree with me during class that she believes that Gene and Finny have something more than friendship between them. I believe her exact words were "I totally ship them". Either way, I think we are both right.
Also, Maddy, I do not think that Finny is as you called him, a "dream boat". From what Gene narrates, Finny is very childlike and stuck in the past, and those are not redeeming qualities (but seriously who knows, Gene is not a reliable narrator).
any way #GeneAndFinny5Ever (because 5 is more than 4)
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