Jim Morrison, the lead singer of the popular 1960s band The Doors once remarked, “A friend is someone who gives you the total freedom to be yourself.” Yet, there are those friends that get people into trouble all the time dragging them into things we know will have consequences but we do it anyway. These friends may have good intentions and may want you to lighten up and relax. Throughout the book, Finny was able to persuade Gene to do things that he would not do if he did not have any fears.Finny has become such a big part of Gene’s life that he does not remember what it was like without him. Therefore, Finny and Gene’s relationship is shaped by fear which both strengthens and threatens their relationship. First, Gene fears taking risks …show more content…
As humans we tend to make certain things a competition whether it’s sports or academics, Gene seems to take this competition a little too far when he thinks Finny is trying to sabotage his grades like in the situation when Gene explained going to the beach, “‘Going there risked expulsion, destroyed the studying I was going to do for an important test the next day’”(Knowles 20). Finny had talked Gene into going to the beach despite all the things he was risking which gave Gene the idea that Finny was purposely trying to keep him from his studies. When Gene had taken the next day, he had gotten his very first F on a test. This enraged Gene because after that he knew that Finny was up to no good. The Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session was also taking up most of Gene’s school time as he described, “‘ As we drafted on through the summer, with this one inflexible appointment every day - classes could be cut and chapel skipped”’ (Knowles 14). Since Gene is one of the leaders of the club he is expected to be at the meeting every day which is taking away homework and even class time which makes it a little obvious to Gene that Finny is really trying to sabotage his grades. School and grades mean a lot to Gene, they are what make him who he is just like sports are what make Finny who he is. When Gene felt like Finny was trying to take that away from him he got upset because that is all he really …show more content…
Being alone is something that nobody wants to experience just like Gene he does not want to know what life is like by himself because he only knows himself as being around Finny all the time. An example of Gene sticking with Finny is when he almost fell out of the tree he admits. “I went along; I never missed a meeting. At that time it would never have occurred to me to say, ‘ I don’t feel like it tonight’“ (Knowles 14). Even though Finny almost got Gene seriously hurt he was not able to be alone long enough to skip a club meeting. Throughout the entirety of when Finny had gotten back to Devon after his accident he was able to get Gene to do pretty much what he wanted him to do, like not enlist in the Army and instead do as Finny suggested, “‘ Listen to pal, if I can’t play sports, you’re going to play them for me.’” (Knowles 43). Since Finny’s accident is keeping him from enlisting it was easy for Gene when Finny asked him not to go to the Army because he did not want to go if Finny was not able to. So instead Gene was willing to play sports for Finny and even train for the Olympics for him. Gene seems to not want to be alone because he was willing to take up the sport if that meant not being without
Furthermore, this immensely supports my clause in how Gene was jealous of Finny and was fighting an inner struggle. Gene made this comment because he was trying to hide his jealousy under a mask due to his non athleticism unlike Finny. Gene foresees that Finny is very popular and has many friends from the Devon school around him because he's so endearing to be around. In other words, This is also a silent blow to Finny because with the comparison of being surrounded by a hockey team, it shows that Gene was getting at that Finny is surrounded by chaos and loudness like Gene endured when around Finny just like a real hockey team. Jealousy goes hand in hand with creating our darkest
In the book, a separate piece, Gene suspects Finny of trying to ruin his grades. The reasons are that he is paranoid, he thinks that they’re in a rivalry, and he thinks that Finny is jealous of him. These reasons are not logical, but when you’re paranoid, you don’t know what to think. He is mostly paranoid because Finny jokes that he’d be so envious if Gene became the head of the class. However, Gene didn’t take it as a joke and thought he meant it.
The envy Gene felt for Finny drove him to a state of mind where his goal was to beat Finny or at least be tied equal with him. Gene had an academic advantage over Finny and at first thought that they were even, but he ended up thinking that, “Finny had deliberately set out to wreck my studies”(Knowles 53). He tries to focus more on his studies in order to beat Finny. Eventually, Gene is consumed by his envious ways and he finally makes a
According to the novel, Finny and Gene are best friends. They would both go to places together and share a room at school. As Gene gain his knowledge, he becomes more conscious about his greed and desires for being successful at beating Finny for his athleticism and capability. He also surmised that Finny was keeping him from making good grades by stopping him from accomplishing his academic courses. Gene had came to a realization that he hated Finny and wanted to be better than him. It was all a misunderstanding because Finny never
33). This then leaves Finny to question a lot and it breaks their friendship. Throughout the story, Gene isn’t a good friend towards Finny because he is constantly being deceptive and hiding the truth of the events that occurred. While Gene didn’t tell him the truth, he didn’t completely lie to him because he only agreed with what Finny believed. Although Gene might have gone along with Finny's version of events, he still didn’t tell him the truth and continued to go along with the
Instead of joining Finny wholeheartedly and honestly speaking through feelings (about studying for exams, for example), Gene suppresses their mixed emotions and becomes the new experience of freedom in other conformity: It was decided to follow Finny's whims without exception or risk losing their friendship. This way of thinking "all or nothing" childlike in its simplicity, leads to Gene Finny to resent and ultimately causes the violent explosion that destroys a
Gene thought that Finny was sabotaging his education because he was jealous of Gene. Gene ended up overthinking everything when Finny turned out to be a true friend. It was too late. Gene had already jounced the limb to get rid of his evil. Finny fell, eventually died, and Gene was devastated. Finny would have never expected his “best friend” to make him fall out of the tree. Even when Gene said “Finny, I’ve got something to tell you. You’re going to hate it, but there’s something I’ve got to tell you.” (Knowles 66) Finny didn’t suspect a thing by it. He would never even accuse Gene of such an action. Gene has learned that he can’t take his own motives and make an impulsive decision when it comes to genuine
One way their relationship is concerned is because Gene was assuming that Finny was trying to sabotage him and that he was out to get him. Gene had said," Finny had deliberately set out to wreck my studies. That explained blitzball, that explained the nightly meetings of the Super Suicide Society…That way he, the great athlete, would be ahead of me. It was all cold trickery, it was all calculated, it was all enmity" (Knowles 53). Gene was ruining their friendship because of stupid assumptions that he made up in his head.
Gene contemplates his and Finny’s friendship many times in the book, but despite what Gene may have thought, Finny was a good friend to him. He always took Gene’s feelings into account, and through all that happened he had faith in Gene. But Gene never knew this,
Though Gene is feeling like he is losing his grasp on his relationship with Finny, he is discovering more about himself; he “discovered that his private evil, which caused him to hurt [Finny], is the same evil… that results in war” (Ellis 318). He also learned a lot through Finny that foreshadows their relationship, ironically during the times that Gene cherished the most. Finny used his athletic abilities to make up a perplexing game that overall taught an ideal of warfare: “since we’re all enemies, we can and will turn on each other all the time” (Knowles 39). This sense of warfare creates a desire in Gene to “defeat” Finny during the time before they graduate and leave off for the war. Throughout their years at the Devon school, Gene conceives an idea that Finny is trying to ruin Gene’s school studies and future. Since the beginning of their relationship, especially when they spent more and more time with each other, Finny’s actions perceived him to be trying to drag all of Gene’s attention away from school and toward him; Gene uses this as a justification for his growing anger toward Finny that resulted in the warfare demonstrated in the tree accident. This anger eventually morphs into positivity as Gene “feels [himself] becoming unexpectedly excited” when Finny fails to get his way (Knowles 27). The warfare between Gene and Finny causes mental reflection on Gene, as he tries to find his true purpose and identity at the Devon
As Gene feels the obligation to lose himself to become Finny, Knowles shows us that a loss of identity may be present in a relationship if there is an unequal amount of power. When Finny tells Gene that he has to play sports in the place of Finny himself, Gene says, “I lost part of myself to him then, and a soaring sense of freedom revealed that this must have been my purpose from the first: to become a part of Phineas” (77). Gene loses who he is to become the powerful Finny because told him to do so. He feels the need to give up his identity seeing that he has the order to do. This results in an unequal friendship because a true friend would never force someone to do something that would make them lose who they actually are. Gene and Finny’s unbalanced friendship eventually causes paranoia and insecurity on the less powerful side known as Gene because he is giving himself up.
Throughout the story Finny thinks him and Gene are friends; when they are really enemies. In the novel Gene says, “what was I doing up here anyway? Why did I let Finny talk me into this? Was he getting some kind of hold over me?” (Knowles 5). The narrator’s jealousy, starts to grow more towards the other character. The hate Gene has for Finny builds up and eventually leads to his death. Their relationship got more affected when Gene admitted to causing the accident, and caused Finny to never play sports again. When Gene admits to hurting Finny, it changes both of the characters, and their friendship was hanging by a
Gene was attempting to be top of his class academically, but he was continuously being distracted by Finny. Oneday Gene decided to ask Finny if he would be upset if Gene was top of their class. Finny responded by saying, “‘I’d kill myself out of jealous envy’” (Knowles 52). Although Phineas said that in a joking manner, it is clearly that he really would be jealous if Gene was top of their class. Finny loved to be first, and he didn’t like when people threatened his position. After pondering on Finny’s comment, Gene realized, that he may have, “deliberately set out to wreck [his] studies” (Knowles 53). Finny clearly had extreme envy of Gene for better academically. It is unhealthy for friends to be jealous of each other, especially when taken to that extreme. Finny was being unsupportive and selfish, just so that he could be better than Gene.
Finny’s subsequent death is the final step in Gene recognizing Finny was a part of him all along. When discussing Finny’s death, Gene says, “I did not cry then or ever about Finny… I could not escape a feeling that [Finny’s funeral] was my own funeral, and you do
First, Gene admits to being guilty of shaking a tree in order to injure Finny when he visits him at his home, making Finny livid, and temporarily tearing them apart. Gene is envious of Finny’s athletic ability and bravery. One way Finny shows his bravery is by jumping off a tree for fun. Gene is greatly threatened by the bravery, so he decides to strip it from Finny by shaking the tree one day, making him fall and suffer an injury. Consequently, he instantly regrets his decision, but he realizes that the damage is done. Remorsefully, he wants to apologize for his terrible choice, but when he tries to talk about the situation and confess, Finny is in denial and starts to get angry. Finny’s denial is evident when he says “‘I don’t know anything. Go away. I’m tired and you make me sick. Go away’” (Knowles 70). This dialogue shows how Finny did not believe that Gene caused the incident even after the confession. This is because he believes that Gene would not do such an action. The confession tears Finny apart to the point that he lashes out at Gene and wants him to leave his house. If Gene did not commit the notorious action, Finny would not have to feel the pain physically from the injury, and mentally from the idea that Gene would hurt him, and the boys could have a stronger friendship.