Chapters 1-5 Blog Assignment:
Was jouncing the limb a planned, conscious decision on Gene’s part or an impulsive act? Examine the dialogue and the events that occur just before and after the fall. Why might Gene have wanted to see Finny fall? How does Gene feel immediately afterward, and why might he feel this way? Why does Gene later wear Finny’s clothing? Evaluate Finny's reaction to Gene's "confession." Use details/ quotes from the novel to support your conclusions. Please feel free to include a comment about another student's post.
I believe that the jouncing of the limb was not exactly planned by Gene, but more of a subconscious reaction. It was almost liek for a second, he was posessed by the devil in inside of him, so much that he purposely jounced teh limb. The feeling he experianced after ward, i would say, was more like shock than grief. Also, it seemed he was more preoccupied with whether or not people suspected him for it. And because they didn't seem to, i believe he experianced some guilt that not even one soul thought to blame him.
ReplyDeleteWill continue in different blog...
You spelled a lot of things wrong, and there was no devil in him, he obviously was thinking of doing it and it accidentally actually happened. After all what Finny had done for him, Gene is a jerk for doing that. If he was right here right now, I would punch him in his face over and over again until I jostle his you know what and he is knocked out cold. Peace and ying yang to you m***********
DeleteI believe that Gene wanted so much to be better than Finny, that he subconsciously moved the branch to make Finny fall. I don’t think he really wanted to hurt Finny because Gene seemed to be really upset afterwards. I don’t recall Gene ever actually reaching out to save Finny. The book says he saw Finny fall and then Gene, himself, jumped in to the water. I don’t think that Gene wanted Finny to know the truth at first because he was preoccupied with the fact that Finny might have told other people that Gene caused him to fall. Gene wanted to cover up for his mutiny against his best friend. However, the more he thought about it he realized that Finny would have told him the truth. If he was truly Finny’s best friend, then he had to tell Finny what actually happened. I also believe that Gene put on Finny’s clothes as a symbol of becoming the leader. With Finny out of the way Gene was free to become the leader and the person everyone admired simply because he was Finny’s choice best friend. Gene wanted to fill Finny’s shoes. When Gene finally told Finny what happened on the tree, Finny didn’t believe him. I don’t think Finny wanted to live with the fact that his best friend had become so jealous of him that he would go to the length of pushing him out of a tree. Finny didn’t want to believe what Gene said was true because he wanted to keep Gene as his best friend. He didn’t want them to fall apart.
ReplyDeleteGene can't stand the fact that Finny doesen't see him even as a rival or competition. He resents Finny's purity and genuine intentions. I don't think that he deliberately jounced the limb, but i do belive that something in his nature impulsed his accion.
ReplyDeleteWhat is sad is that Gene, never as perceptive and kind-hearted as Finny, selfishily confessed because he coulden't stand the guilt he was feeling. I am glad he immeadiately regretted the decision, but nontheless he seems to be harming Finny more and more, when all Finny did was be loyal and true. He is in disbeief even when Gene is confessing. Finny doesen't understand when people are not as fair and moral as him.
I think Gene did not intentionally try too make finny fall. Since Finny jumped all the time and wasn't scared. I could be that Gene tried to make it more of a thirll for Finny. Maybe it was the wrong thing to do, but I don't tink he wanted to make Finny fall.
ReplyDeletejohn P 3
I don't think that Gene planned on jouncing the limb. I think it was more of an impulsive act. Gene had probably had it with the way that Finny was treating him, that when Finny told Gene to jump off of the limb, he just lost it. So he acted on impulse and jounced the limb. Maybe Gene may have wanted to see Finny get hurt because he was so fed up with the way Finny was acting. After the fall, Gene feels guilty. He feels bad about what he did. He even felt that he had to tell Finny it was his fault. I think that Gene wears Finny's clothing, because he wants to become Finny. He wants to be able to be popular and good at sports, and he wants to be able to get away with things, like Finny. In Gene's confession, he tells Finny that it was his fault. Finny Does not believe him. He tells him not to be silly. Gene continues to try and explan, but Finny wouldn't listen. I think that Gene realizes that Finny really thinks of them as best pals, because he wouldn't accept that Gene tried to hurt him on purpose.
ReplyDeleteMelissa
period 7
I believe that Gene never fully intended to make Finny fall off of the tree. It seemed as if it were more of a subconscious action. After the incident Gene is very shocked and saddened. He breaks out into tears when the doctor tells him that Finny will never be able to participate in sports again. I believe that Gene might have jounced the tree in spite of pure jealousy and his negative feelings at the moment. Although, at the time it was subconscious, Gene realizes what he does later on. When he speaks with Finny at the infirmary he tries hard to cover up what he did. When Finny describes Gene’s look as being “shocked,” Gene replies, “Right now? Well, of course, I am shocked. Who wouldn’t be shocked, for God sakes.” It was a strange reaction in which he was hiding his true feelings. Later on Gene proceeds to tell Finny what happened. That was good on Gene’s part to confess what he did. It shows that he is taking responsibility for his actions, even if they were made subconsciously. The scene where Gene puts on Finny’s clothes however, is very peculiar. Was he intending to become Finny in a sense? I feel that it was more the idea of putting himself in Finny’s “shoes,” literally, but in this case, his clothes. He wanted to for once see what it felt like being Finny.
ReplyDeleteAlexa, Period 7
I believe that Gene never fully intended to make Finny fall off of the tree. It seemed as if it were more of a subconscious action. After the incident Gene is very shocked and saddened. He breaks out into tears when the doctor tells him that Finny will never be able to participate in sports again. I believe that Gene might have jounced the tree in spite of pure jealousy and his negative feelings at the moment. Although, at the time it was subconscious, Gene realizes what he does later on. When he speaks with Finny at the infirmary he tries hard to cover up what he did. When Finny describes Gene’s look as being “shocked,” Gene replies, “Right now? Well, of course, I am shocked. Who wouldn’t be shocked, for God sakes.” It was a strange reaction in which he was hiding his true feelings. Later on Gene proceeds to tell Finny what happened. That was good on Gene’s part to confess what he did. It shows that he is taking responsibility for his actions, even if they were made subconsciously. The scene where Gene puts on Finny’s clothes however, is very peculiar. Was he intending to become Finny in a sense? I feel that it was more the idea of putting himself in Finny’s “shoes,” literally, but in this case, his clothes. He wanted to for once see what it felt like being Finny.
ReplyDeleteAlexa, Period 7
I belive that the jouncing was not planned by Gene, because if he did planned it, he would not feel so guilty afterwards. But, he was really jealouse of Finny, Gene wants to be like him. Gene wanted people to know him and care about him as much as they do about Finny.Gene didn't really accepted the fact that Finny was his best friend, because he was always jealouse of him and do what ever Finny likes to do. Also, because he could do things that Gene could not do, like he could play sports very well, Finny also beat the record for Swimming. I don't think that Gene ever reached out to save Finny.If Finny was his best friend he wuld surely told him about the incident.Gene wears Finny's clothes because h really cares about Finny, and he didn't like to do anything without him. He was feeling really guilty about that, so also wnt to see Finny and told hi that he was theone who did this to him. Finny didn't believe him because he thinks that how could a friend trys to hurt his own bestfriend.
ReplyDeleteKriti,
Period 7
i believe that Gene hadn't planed the jouncing of the limb. I think that it was a spur of the moment thing. After he realizd that Finney had fallen he was sad and disoriented. He was afraid that people were going to accuse or suspect that he had jounced the limb.
ReplyDeleteI believe that jouncing the limb was a consciences act. I think that Gene did this because his jealousy took over his mind. For a long time Gene has been very jealousy of his dear friend Finny. Finny is seen as a superstar in many people eyes, he was extremely athletic, and could talk his way out of anything. Being around Finny so much he soon became seen as competition in Gene’s eyes. When Gene saw Finny standing on the tree limb it was an opportunity to end these feeling of jealousy by hurting him. Immediately after pushing Finny reality took its role. Gene realized what he had just done. The feelings of guilt were probably extreme. Gene feels this guilt because he just hurt somebody that he loved and admired. It also seems that Finny was good friend to Gene so he feels even worse that he didn’t treat him with the same respect. When Gene wears Finny’s clothes it acts as a symbol for how much he really misses him. When Gene looks in the mirror he sees Finny. When Gene visits Finny to confess what he had done Finny has a hard time believing his ears. Thoughts that were probably running through his mind were how could my best friend do this to me? It also seems that Finny doesn’t want to believe what Gene is telling him.
ReplyDeleteLindsey Period 8
In the events leading up to Finny's fall, it seems like Gene jounced the limb on purpose. He was feeling like everything Finny had said to him had been a lie. He wanted Gene to fail, he hated him every time he got an A, and Gene hated Finny every time he did well at sports. They were rivals, not best friends. Out of envy, Gene jounced the limb and made Finny fall. Gene acted on impulse. I don’t think he really meant to do it; his body just took over his mind and took action.
ReplyDeleteImmediately afterward, Gene feels exhilarated. He likes the sound of Finny falling because it is like the sound of Finny failing at something for once. He is no longer afraid, and he jumps off the branch, not phased by what he did at all. This was his gut reaction. He couldn’t hold his feelings in anymore and after he jounced the branch and Finny fell he feels like a weight was lifted off him, that Finny had finally failed at something.
Later, Gene puts on Finny’s clothing as a symbol of victory. Finally, he had won the “race” with Finny. Before this, Finny had not yet failed at anything and Gene had, so Gene wants to wear Finny’s clothes to make a statement about what he had done.
I believe that Finny had no idea that Gene thought he wanted him to fail. He just didn’t assume that Gene had to study. He thought Gene didn’t have to, that he could just get good grades anytime. Finny is an innocent bystander here. His reaction clearly shows this. He is mad, like any normal person would be, knowing that Gene did this to him, he is more hurt then he ever has been before.
i think that it was planned only because gene has been jelouse of finny for like the longest time so there for he wanted to make the limb move a little and have finny loose his balance and then he would fall and end up getting hurt. which he did because he shattered his leg.
ReplyDeleteAmanda Period 3
I think that Gene jouncing the limb was somewhat a conscious act. Right before the fall, Gene thinks, “Now I knew that there never was and never could have been any rivalry between us. I was not of the same quality as he” (59).This shows that Gene realized that Finny didn't have any rivalry between them because Finny was better than Gene. Also, right after the fall Gene thinks, “…I moved out on the limb and jumped into the river; every trace of my fear of this forgotten” (60). I think that Gene purposely jounced the limb so he wouldn’t have to worry about Finny being better than him. Gene had planned out the falling, he just didn't think about the consequences. It is sad that someone could be so overtaken with their jealousy that they succumb to physically hurting another.
ReplyDeleteLater, Gene puts on Finny’s clothing just like how Finny would put on Gene’s. However, the difference is that Gene actually wants to be Finny, he is so jealous of his best friend, he desires to be the very same person. His jealousy is a sick disease.
I was so disappointed with Gene when he went to visit Finny in the hospital. When Finny says “I thought I could reach out and get a hold of you” (65) while he was falling, Gene’s immediate reaction was, “To drag me down too! (65). Gene absolutely disgusts me at this point. He doesn't truly feel that much guilt about his actions as he shows that he almost abhors Finny. I just can’t believe that a person could feel this strongly about another.
When Gene tells Finny the truth, that he purposely made Finny fall, Finny strangely doesn't want to believe it. I wonder why Finny was so resolute in not accepting Gene confession. Perhaps it is that Finny has such a pure heart that he just doesn't want to believe it? I also think it is extremely strange that when Finny says, "I'm going to hit you if you don't sit down" (70) and Gene replies "Hit me! You can't even get up! You can't even come near me!" (70). I would have expected Gene to feel more remorse, to say "Hit me, I deserve it" yet all he proclaims is that Finny can't hit him. Gene just totally disgusts me, as I would never imagine someone who contained so much envy, they would actually hurt another. Gene's obsession with his best friend is very unhealthy for the both them.
I believe that the jouncing an impulsive act. While up on the tree, Gene was furious at Finny, so Gene did whatever he could to make himself feel better (which was to cause Finny to fall). When the idea of jouncing the limb came to his head, Gene just went along with it not thinking about the consequences.
ReplyDeleteGene would want to see Finny fall because it would give Gene the oppurtunity to finally become better than Finny. Gene was very jealous of Finny- of how good Finny was at sports, how charming he was, how everyone liked him, etc. Gene had always thought that Finny was also jealous of him. But before the tree scene, Gene had realized that Finny was not. Gene realized this when he had thought to himself, “I was not of the same quality of he” (59). For some reason, the realization of Finny never being jealous of him just brought Gene over the edge. Gene couldn’t stand that the jealousy was one sided and he needed some sort of event to get back at Finny. Because Gene had this jealousy and it had took over his life/actions, it’s a perfect explanation to why Gene had caused Finny to fall.
Immediately afterwards, Gene had felt lost. When he had become friends with Finny, Gene had let the jealousy take over his life.“At his touch, I lost all hope of controlling myself” (64). This quote shows how Gene he was basically in a daze over his life, and had let his jealousy control his every move. Gene didn’t really see what he was doing, or what the consequences would be. Gene had just acted upon his feelings; he did what ever he could to start feeling better about. After doing this horrible action, jealousy stopped controlling Gene's life and Gene could finally see how stupid he had been. Gene couldn't understand why this jealousy made him act this way, therefore he felt lost. Gene also felt lost because he couldn't comprehend why Finny wouldn't accuse him of jouncing the limb, and why Finny was so nice to him after the event.
Gene later wears Finny's clothes because now that Finny had lost ability of being able to walk, Gene is now better than Finny. Gene wears the clothes to get some sort of reassurance that he is better.
When Gene visited Finny at Finny's house, Gene had said that he had deliberately jounced the limb. Finny denied that Gene would actually do such a thing, and said that it wasn't his fault at all. Even though Gene kept insisting it was intentional, Finny wouldn't believe such a thing. Finny wouldn't believe Gene because Finny is too much of a good person at heart. Finny would ever be able to believe that his "best friend" would actually do something that would ruin his life. Because Finny would believe that, he couldn't accept that Gene would deliberately do such an action.
I don’t think that Gene jouncing on the tree limb knocking Finny off was intentional. Once Finny had fallen Gene was really scarred and felt guilty. It could have just been on impulse because of his jealousy towards Finny. Finny wanted Gene to jump from the tree but Gene didn’t want to so he was getting angry which could have forced him to jounce the tree limb. When Gene put Finny’s clothes on he wanted to be just like Finny and wanted to know what it would be like to be exactly like him because Gene is so jealous of him. When he went to the infirmary to visit Finny, he confessed that it was his fault that Finny fell out of the tree but Finny didn’t believe him.
ReplyDeleteHeather period 1
I think that Gene didn't intentionally meant to jounce the limb, he just did it without thinking. One of the reasons why he might have wanted him to fall is so he would be out of his life or to get rid of him so he could pretend to be him. Afterward, he felt very guilty, so guilty that he had to tell Finny. I think he wore Finny's cloths to see what it would like to be Finny. When he tells Finny that it was all his fault, Finny doesn't want to believe it. “Of course you didn't do it...” (70).
ReplyDeleteBrendan Period 7
I don’t think Gene intended to make Finny fall off of the tree. I think that he originally just jumped onto the limb in a sort of joking manner, but once Finny lost his balance, Gene was like “Oh crap, what did I do? This can’t seriously be happening right?” (60) and psyched himself into thinking that maybe he really did try to hurt him. Right after Finny falls, the author writes, “With unthinking sureness I moved out on the limb and jumped into the river, every trace of my fear of this forgotten.” I think that Gene is so confused as to what just happened and what could result from it that he jumps into the lake, hoping trying to make it all disappear. I also think that he has an initial reaction of being happy about Gene’s injuries, one that he can’t help but feel, because now he knows that he won’t have to compete with him any more because he really will be better than him. I don’t really understand why Gene puts on Finny’s clothing. Maybe it was some sort of symbol, showing how he took Finny’s clothes without him knowing and without any real reason even though he had clothes of his own, just like he took away Finny’s talents (sports/athletic things) without him knowing and for no good reason, even though he had talents of his own that were just as important (his intelligence). When Gene tells Finny that the accident was his fault, Finny wont listen to him. It’s almost as if he doesn’t want to listen to him, and to admit to the fact that a guy who he though was his best friend had deliberately tried to hurt him; he doesn’t want to admit that he was so stupid to think that Gene too thought they were best friends.
ReplyDeletelauren, p1
I believe that Gene's actions on the tree were completely deliberate, but may have been subconsious. Gene, at this point, feels that he and Finny are unequal. Finny, to Gene, is a symbol of perfection and Gene envies him to the point where he wants to destroy him. On page 59, Gene reiterates his jealousy by saying “Now I knew that there never was and never could have been any rivalry between us. I was not of the same quality as he..." After this was stated, Gene proceeds to hurt Finny in such a way that he may be permanently damaged or even dead.
ReplyDeleteWeeks later, when Gene visits Finny in Boston, he attempts at an apology. After he tells Finny that the fall was his fault, Finny refuses to believe it. To me, this shows how pure and naïve Finny is. He doesnt understand the extent of Gene's admiration and obsession with him. When Finny says "I'm going to hit you if you don't sit down," (70) Gene's only response is to remind FInny that he can't even get up to reach him. At this point in the story, I'm starting to think that Gene is dangerous. I think he has the capability to really hurt Finny, more than he already has, physically and mentally. He's already deeply hurt himself, mentally speaking. I predict that the remaining parts of the novel will prove Gene's mind to be tainted with an ever-growing unhealthy obsession.
... had to finish because i ran out of time in class. I believe Gene decided to where Finny's clothing because then it would almost be like him being finny himself. All of the jealousy Gene felt toward Finny has been erased, because now Gene has taken Finny's spot.Finnys reaction to Genes confession was not a good one. It was so bad in fact the Gene felt forced to take back everything he said. Gene strikes me as very cowardly for doing this. He cant fess up to anything. I dont see why he has to be jealous of Finny either. After all, Gene is one of the best students and Finny is one of the best athletes. IT seems as if Genes jealousy is fueled by greed, like he wants to be the best at everything.
ReplyDeleteI think the the jouncing of the limb was planned by Gene but i don't think the outcome of it was. What i mean by this statement is that Gene wanted to scare Finny but didn't want to harm him in anyway. I think what he felt after the incident was like a shock of what had just happened. Gene didn't wish this to happen to Finny but he just wanted to scare him a little. I think Gene wore Finny's clothes because he felt bad for what happened and missed Finny. I think this was a way of showing his love for Finny. I think that when Gene finally told the truth to Finny, Finny didn't want to believe the truth. Finny didn't want to believe that his best friend would want to harm him in anyway.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Gene jouncing the limb was an impulsive act. He had just come under the realization that Finny was not out to get him. Gene had been under the assumption that Finny was bad for so long that it just happened. If he had, had time to think about his actions then he probably would not have done that. This is because immediately after the fact he regrets what had happened.
ReplyDeleteKelsey per.7
The jouncing of the limb was definitely an impulsive act by Gene. Him and Finny are the best of friends, but Gene was extremely jealous of Finny. Gene got to his boiling point when they went to the beach and slept over. Gene did very poorly on his test that he should have studied for. The jealousy got to him when they were on the tree; that caused him to jounce the limb impulsively. Gene might have wanted to see Finny fall because he manipulated Gene into coming to the tree with him. I think he was very sad, like it said in the book, “I spent as much time alone in our room, trying to empty my mind of every thought, to forget where I was, even who I was.” (p.62) I think Gene wears Finny’s clothes because he is so jealous of him. I think he might want the attention of everyone else. It could even be that he feels really bad that he has done something that bad to his best friend; to symbolize how sorry he was. Finny doesn’t want to believe that Gene did anything because they are best friends and he doesn’t want to know that Gene did it. He was just forcing himself to think that wind or maybe even a squirrel jostled the limb to make him fall.
ReplyDelete: JAke Cudgma Period 1
ReplyDeleteI think Gene did plan out the jouncing of the limb. He wanted to see Finny get scared. However, I dont think he really wanted him to get hurt like he did. Gene was tired of Finny being so perfect in every way. He wanted to see him mess up or look dumb just once. He really wasnt thinking about the aftermath once gene started shaking the tree. He was justthinking of himself and how he wanted to be perfect.ut then onmce he sees him on the ground and aftewr he heard the thud, he finally realizes, what did i do.he says, "I moved out on the limb and jumped into the river; every trace of my fear of this forgotten” (60)This shows that Gene was very upset and scared about what he did. And I dont think that finny actually believed Genj when he told him. He didnt want to believe i
I think that Gene jouncing the limb was a subconcious decision. After it happened Gene was shocked and very guilty about it. Gene might have wanted to see Finny fall because he feels like it is a contest between the two of them to see who was better. When he found out the news that Finny was lucky to be walking and would never play sports again, Gene started crying as if the doctor was talking about him. I'm not sure why Gene put on Finny's clothes. It might be because he wanted to feel like Finny and maybe act like him more. Or maybe he wanted to have him there, so putting on his clothes brought him back. He says that Finny wore Gene's clothes because he would just pick something up and wear it, so he might want to be like Finny.
ReplyDeleteMolly, period 7
Andrew Period 7
ReplyDeleteI think Gene did plan out the jouncing of the limb. He wanted to see Finny get scared but not get hurt. However, I dont think he really wanted him to get hurt like he did. Gene was tired of Finny being so perfect in every way. He didnt want to believe it. It was his best freind after all. He wanted to see one time where he looked badfor once but really didn’t want his friend to have anything bad happen to him.
He really wasnt thinking about the aftermath once gene started shaking the tree. He was just thinking of himself and how he wanted to be perfect.
But then once he sees him on the ground and afteward he realizes he had done something he deffinatley shouldn’t have do.He says, "I moved out on the limb and jumped into the river; every trace of my fear of this forgotten” (60)Here is shos gene was very upset at the fact that he had done what he did. When gene told him finny I don’t think believeed him because finnys always like no its fine it was my fualt. They are best friends and I think they both knew that they wanted to keep this relashionship so in my opinion both wanted to pretend like this was an accident.
Finny was clearly jounced off the limb by Gene, but I highly doubt that Gene did this purposely. There is no hesitation in my mind when I say that Gene finds the relationship between him and Finny a competition. Gene is undeniably jealous of Finny but I do not think jealousy was the motive for Gene's actions.
ReplyDeleteIn the scene where Gene jounced the limb, he didn't include any other details about what was happening other then him bending his knees and jumping off into the river afterward. Since this is a 1st person narrated story, I would expect that if Gene was conscience , he would include details like what was running through his mind at that point in time. The jouncing was a guileless subconscious act.
Immediately after Finny has fallen, Gene is so shaken and aghast that he jumps into the river. If he jounced the limb on purpose, he would not have jumped into the river while thinking, "every trace of my fear of this forgotten."(60) If I pushed someone I truly hated and was jelous of off a tree, I would first feel redemption, and then I would be afraid after I realized what I did. From immediately jumping off the tree into the river, Gene is sincerely surprised and scared.
After reading the scene of Gene trying on Finny's clothes over and over again, I am still mystified about what the author is trying to convey. Gene puts on Finny's clothes because he is obviously jelous of him. My thought is that the clothing symbolizes leadership and power, everything Gene wants to be. But when Gene puts on Finny's clothing, he realizes that he is not some superhero, or "character out of daydreams."(62) He is simply a replica of Finny. After trying on Finny's clothing, Gene says, "I would never stumble through the confusions of my own character again."(62) In essence, Gene is trying to say that he knows the exact type of person he wants to be, who is Finny.
Since Finny placed so much trust in Gene to be his best friend, he doesn't believe that Gene would hurt him. In this case Finny is naive to think the best of Gene. Finny doesn't comprehend the fact that no one has as pure as a heart as he does and therefore he doesn't want to believe what Gene is telling him.
Alice Ni
Period 7
I think that the decision to jounce the limb and make Finny fall was an impulsive decision, rather than something Gene had planned out. After Finny fell, Gene says: “I moved out of the limb and jumped into the river, every trace of my fear forgotten.” (60). If it was planned out, I think Gene would have known the consequences, and known what was going to happen, therefore Gene would have at least given it a second to stand there and admire his work. Instead Gene rushed out to see if Finny was all right. Gene seemed really surprised by the fall and I think it was just an action that was spontaneous and Gene didn’t really think twice about. Gene would naturally want Finny to fall with everything going on with them lately. Gene was so jealous of Finny, and the jealousy just got so bad that it caused Gene to want to do something horrible to Finny. After the fall, then Gene automatically realizes what he has done, and is completely shocked. I think Gene then realizes that maybe he wanted Finny around and discovered that even though he was jealous of him he couldn’t imagine his life without Finny around. He then jumps in after his friend to see if he is all right. He later wears Finny’s shirt, I think, because he was trying to imitate Finny. “I was Phineas, Phineas to the life. I even had his humorous expression in my face, his sharp, optimistic awareness. I had no idea why this gave me such intense relief but it seemed, standing there in Finny’s triumphant shirt, that I would never stumble through the confusions of my own character again” (62). It gets a little out of hand when the jealousy of Finny coming from Gene goes as far as to wear Finny’s clothing. I don’t really think having Finny as a best friend is the best thing for Gene, seeing as how the jealousy is to this degree.
ReplyDeleteJouncing the tree limb was an impulsive action for Gene. At that moment his jealousy got the better of him, he was up on the limb that he had always dreaded and even countless number of jumps did not distill the fear of jumping. There is significance to the fact that after hearing the thud of Finny's body against the riverbank did Gene feel at ease with jumping form the tree. The juxtaposition of Finny and Gene here is that Finny; the true friend wants to jump side by side at the same time like if they'd face everything together, but Gene's illogical hatred toward Finny at that moment compels him to act without thinking of the dire consequences. He ruins his friend’s life because the competition had gotten the better of him, when he found out that all along there had been no rivalry, no betrayal, no injustice on Finny's part, and that Finny really had been true and sincere all along he snapped.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Gene tried to forget who he was and what he had done after the accident shows some morality but it is disturbing that while trying to forget himself he tried to become Finny. He was still too numb and shocked to really feel guilt but I guess that makes sense because until you see something like war firsthand it seems unreal and it’s hard to have true emotion for it. It wasn’t until he came face to face with Finny did guilt truly set in.
Finny’s response to Gene’s confession is only natural. “Of course you didn’t do it. Sit down, you damn fool” (70). No one wants to believe that someone they love and care for could possibly try to purposely hurt them. Its like Finny would take a bullet for Gene, but all along it would be Gene who shot the gun. I absolutely agree with everything Coral says, Finny doesn’t lie and he expects others not to as well. He thinks everyone is good and chooses to be oblivious to the badness in other’s own souls.
Gene jounced the limb on purpose but he wasn't planing to do it when Finny sugested they climb the tree and jump together. Gene had a lot of crazy ideas swirling around in his head and that led to some anger toward Finny, and when he saw Finny standing out there on that branch something from somewhere inside him told him to jouce that branch. If he had time to think about it he wouldn't have jounced the branch because he's smart kid and he would have thought about the consequences, but when he was up on that limb his instinct kicked in.
ReplyDeleteThe words exchanged between Finny and Gene before the incident show that Gene was wrong about Finny all along. Finny wasn't trying to be better than Gene in every way possible he was a true friend. Gene either didn't accept this or still didn't belive this until a while after the fall from the tree, when he realizes what he's done and feels that he has to apologize. Immediatly after the fall however Gene feels like has accomplished something and the good feeling from this accomplishment took over his fear of jumping out of the tree.
Later when Gene puts on Finny's clothes he is symbolizing how now he feels equal to Finny. So equal that they can wear the same clothes.
When Gene confesses that he shook the limb on purpose and Finny tells him not to say that Finny is in denial. Finny doesn't want to accept the fact that a kid that he thought was his best friend would want to harm him in such a bad way.
I think Gene jouced the limb not consciously. I think that it was his jealousy of Finny that did it. The jealousy in this book is like and alternative personality that Gene doesn't do things consciously. Its like the jealous personality comes out and takes over his body and brain, and Gene doesn't have an recalection of what he did when hes in this state. When he jounced the limb i believe that the jealousy did it and wanted to scare Finny and perhaps make him fall. Also i believe that this alternate personality causes something tragic to happen to Finny
ReplyDelete:P
- andrew
I think that jouncing the limb was not a planned action by Gene, but rather it was imvoluntary. Many different things were going on throughout Gene's head at the time, which probably caused him to jounce the limb (due to the fact that he was not focused on the situation at hand). Other students have posted that he might have been "posessed" of some sort, which I can agree with - Gene was certainly not himself when this happened.
ReplyDeleteI think that perhaps Gene might have wanted Finny to fall so he would get hurt and be unable to "compete" with him. For some reason I have a hard time supporting this argument, though - truly I do not have a clue as to why he might have wanted Finny to fall.
Afterwards I think that he felt somewhat guilty, but also somewhat relieved of his competition. Now that Finny was gone, there was nothing to worry about, right?
In addition, I have no clue why he wears Finny's clothes - perhaps he wants to be like him (even though he's always wanted to be superior) or he just likes Finny's threads?
I think that it was a good thing for Gene to explain everything to Finny. Although it makes the situation between them two quite stale, it was good for Gene to let Finny know how he feels. All tensions are vanquished, and all jealousys forgiven. From this point on, one can conclude that they are truly best friends.
Corey W.
I think that jouncing the limb of the tree was completely a subconscious act for Gene. Even though Gene is outwardly Finny's best friend, Gene has a subconscious hate for him; Gene just cannot stand that Finny is all the things he isn't: easy going, sweet talking, and basically all the other things a normal teenager is-without having the pressure of academic achievement weighing him down as it does to Gene. So, when Gene and Finny where on the tree, Gene’s subliminal hate took over Gene and caused him to jounce the limb, causing Finny to fall off. “Holding firmly to the trunk, I took a step towards him, and then my knees bent and I jounced the limb.” (p. 59-60) This shows that Gene didn’t purposely bounce the limb; Knowles indicates that Gene bounced the limb without thinking since “[his] knees bent.” Had Gene purposely jounced the limb, it would have probably said “I bent my knees” instead of “my knees bent.”
ReplyDeleteThe reason Gene wants to see Finny fall is because of their rivalry. Deep down, Gene hates Finny because he’s so carefree. Additionally, Gene is an average athlete whereas Finny is the most athletically inclined student in school, able to break records in things that he doesn’t even do competitively (such as swimming). Gene is jealous of Finny’s athletic ability, so Gene wanted to see Finny falling in order to see him for a second without any control over his usually graceful body. “It was the first clumsy physical action I had ever seen him make,” (p. 60) shows that Gene was used to seeing Finny as an agile person, and that in falling off the branch, Gene could have a feeling of superiority over Finny.
As soon as Gene realizes that he has caused Finny to fall off the tree, he feels guilty and feels bad about his actions. It was merely in a fit of jealous rage that he jounced the tree branch and caused Finny to fall off. After the incident, when Gene had a level head, he felt ashamed that he had caused his best friend so much pain. When Gene finds out that Finny will never be able to play sports again, he starts to sob. He realizes that he took away Finny’s forte and, more importantly, his link to the “absolute good” (as Finny describes sports). The grief that this causes him is proof that Gene thinks of Finny as a friend, but is still jealous enough of him to subconsciously cause him to fall off the tree branch.
Gene puts on Finny’s clothes for two reasons: because he cannot stand being without Finny and because he cannot stand being himself. Gene misses Finny and, in his mind, putting on his clothes will, kind of, make up for his absence; as if wearing Finny’s clothes will be like Finny is actually there. The other reason Gene wears his clothes is because he wants to get out of his head, so to speak. In wearing Finny’s clothes, he tries to become Finny. Gene wants to have wants to have what Finny has: the ability to be carefree. Gene is so swamped down by his guilt that he tries to rid himself of it-by becoming more Finny-like.
When Gene tells Finny that it was his fault he fell out of the tree, Finny is in disbelief. Finny thinks of Gene as his best friend, a guy who would do anything for him and never do anything to hurt him. So, when Gene tells him that he jounced the limb, Finny doesn’t belief him. It hurts him more to hear that his best friend would hurt him than falling out of the tree did. So, when Finny yells at Gene to shut up, his anger is his coping mechanism; he does not want to think that Gene caused his fall, so when Gene keeps pressing the point, his shouting is almost blocking it out for him.
I believe that jouncing the limb was more of an impulsive act on Gene’s part. My reasoning stems from the fact that from before, Gene states that he would have “listlessly agreed to anything”, after Finny announces that they should jump together—which was entirely spontaneous, something Gene hadn’t pondered about. This shows that he hadn’t really thought about physically hurting Finny, rather he seemed to have been assessing Finny and how he towards Gene, himself. When Gene is on the tree with Finny, it seems he isn’t fully conscious of his actions and, in an almost possessed manner, jounces Finny from the tree to the ground. Gene may have wanted to see Finny fall because, in a metaphorical sense, he really wanted to see Finny fall (lose his good qualities, for even a moment). Gene points out that that had been “the first clumsy action [he] had ever seen [Finny] make.” (70) Immediately afterward, Gene feels that he has finally forgotten every trace of his fear, his fear that Finny was and would always be better than him. Gene later wears Finny’s clothing maybe in an attempt to be Finny and his “greatness” to make himself feel superior. After Gene confesses to Finny that it was he who had purposely made Finny fall, Finny reacts with surprise, trying to disregard Gene’s words. When Gene continues to blame himself, almost manically, Finny tells Gene that he is “tired and [that Gene makes him] sick.” (70) Afterward, he tells him to go away.
ReplyDeleteHaleema, Period 1
The jouncing of the limp by gene was done on purpose, but not concisely. I believe that he did it without knowing that he did. Deep down he wanted finny to get hurt without knowing he actually did.
ReplyDeleteI think that the jousting of the limb wasn't done on purpose but that Gene did it just to feel better than Finny for a second. But Gene didn't think that it would end in a serious injury for Finny.
ReplyDeleteI think it was an impulsive act on Gene’s part. All of this time he has been so jealous of Finny. I think he just felt he had to do it. I think Gene wanted him to fall to see him finally fail at something, instead of succeeding and getting away with everything. His reaction right after Finny fell was "It was the first clumsy action I had ever seen him make." I think he wears his clothing to show how much he wished he was like him and envy’s him. Finny keeps on saying how it wasn't his fault, and that it would have happened no matter what when Gene explains everything to Finny. Finny was very questionable of why Gene was acting like this."But I don't see why you should look so personally shocked, like it happened to you or something?"
ReplyDeleteI believe that Gene jouncing the limb was not intentional but in fact, a subconcious act. Gene without a doubt is extremely envious of Finny and this envy was reflected through this impulsive act. It is unfortunate that this jealousy Gene has for Finny is so strong that he wants to physically harm him and tear him down. It shows on page 59, Gene lets out his jealousy by saying “Now I knew that there never was and never could have been any rivalry between us. I was not of the same quality as he..." Following this, the jouncing of the limb was demonstrated.
ReplyDeleteGene didn't even try to help Finny probably because he was in shock of what he had done. The green monster had overtaken him and caused him to hurt his best friend. Subconciously, this is what he wanted to do but in his natural state of mind he just couldn't take the jealousy.
Krista Period 1
i dont feel that gene conciously jounced the limb to make finny fall. throughout the story gene was consistantly jealous of finny, and i think that the moment of weakness displayed by finny on the branch gave gene the oppourtinity too, and whether he was concious of it or not, he made finny fall because of all his pent up jealousy and resentment. gene is not a bad kid, but his temporary lapse in judgement had serious repercussions for both him and finny.
ReplyDeleteBarnett- per. 1
I thought that this chapter was very interesting. I feel that the guilt Gene felt was justified but Finny is way too innocent or forgiving, I'm not sure which. I also found it creepy when he put on all of Finny's clothes. I think that Gene is overreacting. I believe that Gene should loosen up and he should be more willing to talk to Finny. I feel that jouncing the limb was an intentional act by Gene but he hadn’t planned to jounce the limb before climbing the tree.
ReplyDeleteI think that Gene is so dumb because he shouldn't of shook the tree. Why did he in the first place? I think Gene is trying to murder Finny because he is green full of envy of because Finny posseses so many talents and ways to get out of things. Finny really enjoys Gene's company but he feels very uncomfortable with Finny and so he's trying to kill him. Shaking the tree branch represents the hate that makes Gene dispise Finny. Gene is trying to get over Finny but he can't so he wants to kill him.
ReplyDeleteMichael Augustak
Period 8
I believe Gene was not purposely trying to make Finny fall. I believe it was out of pure curiousity just to see what would happen. Finny and him have been best friends for awhile now so I highly doubt Gene would try to do something like that on purpose. I'm not saying it was by total accident, cause I don't think it was, but I believe Gene was a little curious.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Gene for a long time now, has put up with Finny and his finer points. Like how he can get out of anything and his great athletic ability. I think Gene's emotions and jealousy got the best of him for a second there. Hopefully, they will be able to move on from this..
Kiana, Period 5
I don’t really think gene shook the branch on purpose for finny to fall in. If gene did it on purpose I don’t think he would have had the reaction he did, because he jumped in fearless to go get him despite the fact that he has always been afraid to jump in. Sometimes I do think gene is jealous if finny but I don’t think he’s jealousy would go to that extent to try to hurt him. I gust don’t understand why he shook the branch in the first place but I don’t think he knew that finny was on it or that he would fall in if he hook it.
ReplyDeletei believe that jouncing the limb was not simply by accident. i don't believe that Gene had actuality intended the outcome of his actions but that is what happened. i also believe that this action was not premeditated. i believe that this action was either subconscious or done "in the spur of the moment."
ReplyDeleteJeff Peroid 7
I think that Gene jouncing Phineas off a tree was a subconscious thing. If he had thought about it first he would have realized that he did not want his friend to break his leg and permanently damage it so he could no longer participate in sports. Gene was tired of Phineas always taking the spotlight and wanted it for himself. So when that moment came, Gene took advantage of it, not knowing that afterwards he would suffer consequences. Immediately afterward he denies it even happens. He’s scared people are blaming him, but they are not. He tries to remember what happened but his mind is acting crazy and the real truth is hard to find. I think that putting on Finny’s clothes was a way of honoring him. He felt guilty for doing what he did so he put the clothes on in his memory. This, I believe, creates a realization with Gene and that he really did want to become Finny, and that’s why he subconsciously decided to “jounce” him off the tree. Finny’s reaction is that he can not believe a friend could do that to him. He doesn’t believe that any one who actually cared about someone would purposely knock them off a tree. And Gene did not realize he was that jealous of Finny to do such a thing.
ReplyDeleteAlly, Period 7
I believe that Gene’s jouncing on the limb was not planned, but just simply a spur of the moment thing. I think it was not planned because if it was he would have thought about all of the consequences that followed him and what might happen to Finny. If he thought of it he would have realized that Finny would never be able to play sports again. We know that Gene was not aware of this because he started to cry once the doctor told him that. I think sometimes we all do thing with out thinking and then afterwards we realize that it was very stupid thing to do on our part. But for Gene this was a very big mistake and even though it was not planned it was a very awful thing to do.
ReplyDeleteJessica
per7
I do think that Gene really itended Finny to fall from the tree. Gene was tired of being the wing man and had to do something to stop Finny and make himself get more power. The chance came to im and he took his chance and made Finny fall taking away all of Finny's power. Finny doesnt beilee that it was Genes fault olny because he wants him as a best friend and he knows that he will be hi wing man and he likes it that way. Jelousy got to Gene and made his move and Finny went down. To me Gene isnt that sorry from Finny.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that Gene was planing to jounce the limb and make Finny fall, but I think when he realized that he could do it, he did it. He realized that that was his chance to hurt Finny. I think he felt shocked afterward, even though he wouldn't have done it if he didn't want to. I think that Gene wanted Finny to fall becuase he was so jealous of him, and if he could get rid of Finny, he wouldn't have anything to be jealous about. I think that Gene wore Finny's clothes so he could feel what it's like to be Finny. When Gene confessed, Finny was in shock, he didn't even want to believe it.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the jouncing of the limb was exactly planed by gene, because he felt some jealousy and did something he regretted. He wore his clothes because he tried to act like him because he knew he was going to lose a friend and tried to get something’s of his to make it seem like he is there with him. Gene is going to tell finny that he did it and finny is not going to believe it. Gene fells very bad about him self. Gene will never forgive himself.
ReplyDeleteedison per.5
From what I gather from the story I think that Gene purposely jonced the tree limb so that Finny would fall off. Up until that point Gene showed many signs of jealousy and even admitted it. He was jealous Finny got away with wearing the pink shirt and using the school tie as a belt. He felt as though Finny can and will get away with anything.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that made Gene mad at him is when Finny guilted him into going to the tree instead of studying. Good grades were the only thing Gene had on Finny. At this point I think Gene was getting so frustrated that deep in his mind he wanted to hurt Finny. After he jounced the tree ou could tell he kind of regreted it. He couldn't stop thinking about it the whole vacation and made a special trip to see Finny in his home. That's where Gene confessed about intentionally making him fall from the tree. Finny didn't want to hear it and didn't believe that Gene would do that to him so he just told him that he was acting crazy and told him to think about it again.
From what I gather from the story I think that Gene purposely jonced the tree limb so that Finny would fall off. Up until that point Gene showed many signs of jealousy and even admitted it. He was jealous Finny got away with wearing the pink shirt and using the school tie as a belt. He felt as though Finny can and will get away with anything.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that made Gene mad at him is when Finny guilted him into going to the tree instead of studying. Good grades were the only thing Gene had on Finny. At this point I think Gene was getting so frustrated that deep in his mind he wanted to hurt Finny. After he jounced the tree ou could tell he kind of regreted it. He couldn't stop thinking about it the whole vacation and made a special trip to see Finny in his home. That's where Gene confessed about intentionally making him fall from the tree. Finny didn't want to hear it and didn't believe that Gene would do that to him so he just told him that he was acting crazy and told him to think about it again.
I think that Gene's act of disturbing the limb of the tree was not premeditated. I think that it was an act of impulse, and at that moment, Gene felt compelled to do it. He might have wanted Finny to fall because he was jealous of the natural athletic skill that came very easy to Finny. He was also jealous of how everything Finny seemed to do always worked out in his favor. Gene thought about this for a while and came to the conclusion that Finny was also jealous of him because he was so naturally gifted when it came to schoolwork. Gene thought that he and Finny were both equal for once. When Gene realized that this was not the case, all of his jealous feelings came back twice as strong. These could be reasons why Gene jounced the limb that made Finny fall.
ReplyDeleteGene's first action and thought afterwards was quoted as: "With unthinking sureness I moved out on the limb and jumped into the river, every trace of my fear of this forgotten." (60) Immediately after Gene caused Finny to fall, he felt almost relieved and that he had done what he needed to do. He probably only felt like this because the seriousness of his action did not hit him yet.
Gene puts on Finny's clothing to see how it feels to be Finny. Once in the clothing, especially the pink shirt, it seemed as though he realized the confidence and the essence of the person Finny would no longer be the same. Who knew whether or not Finny or their friendship would be altered slightly or changed entirely..
Finny did not want to believe that Gene had CAUSED his fall and that it had not been an accident. He responded to Gene's confession by saying, "Of course you didn't do it. You damn fool. Sit down, you damn fool." (70) Finny clearly did not want to change his opinion of Gene by believing what he said in his confession.
Erin - Period 5
I agree with many people that Gene shook the branch subconsciously. His recent feelings that he was having, like jealousy and resentment were biulding up inside of him. In his last few thoughts that he has before Finny falls is when he realizes that Finny and him are not rivals. " Now I know that there never was and never could have been any rivalry between us. I was not of the same quality as he. I couldn't stand this" (59). This is when Gene realizes that they are not the same quality because Finny is too honest and too good of a friend. So together with his feelings of jealousy and guilt, they worked against him to do something Gene did not mean to do. And later, giult becomes so overpowering that Gene thinks he did consciously jump on the branch. He even tells Finny this. I think he wants Finny to get mad at him so he can have some sort of redemption within himself. Like a punishment for thinking badly of Finny.
ReplyDelete- Anja, Period 5
Gene has said before that he envies finny because of all the attention he gets, everything he is good at and that he isnt. When he says he made the branch move his intentions were to obviously have finny fall off... although the reality of it actually happening is another story. When people say expressions such as " i hope you die " (mostly ) they are not actually wanting this turn out; jsut like in the story. Gene was in a way hoping to get rid of finny, when really that is the last thing he wants. After finny fell Gene felt immediate guilt because, becasue of the accident finny is now unable to play sports... do what he loves; and the thought of that has become a huge burden to gene
ReplyDeleteI don't think that Gene was planning to jounce the limb and make Finny fall. But when he realized that he had the oppourtunity, he took it. Gene wanted to see Finny Fall becuase he is so jealous of him. He figured if he got rid of Finny, then he wouldn'y have to be jealous anymore. Gene seemed to be shocked afterward, even though he knew what he ws doing when he did it. I think that Gene wore Finny's clothes becuase he wanted to get a sense of what it would feel like to be Finny. When Gene confesses to Finny, Finny was so shocked that he couldn't even bring himself to believe it.
ReplyDeletegene is sick
ReplyDeleteI don’t think that Gene jounced the limb purposely. I think that he was joking around and unfortunately he caught Finny off guard. Finny fell and hit the bank with a “sickening, unnatural thud” (60). As soon as Finny fell, Gene moved out on the limb and jumped in. All his fear of this event was forgotten. If Gene did intentionally jounce the limb, he might have done it because he wanted to see Finny fail at something. In my personal opinion though, I don’t think Gene did it deliberately. Later on I think that Gene wears Finny’s clothes because he is trying to step up and replace Finny. When Gene admitted to Finny that he purposely jounced the limb, Finny didn't believe it."Of course you didn't do it. You damn fool" (70). Gene realized that when Finny told him to go away and that he made him sick, Gene was injuring Finny again. He was making a deeper injury than he had done before. I agree with what Alexa says when she writes that Gene was trying to become Finny by putting his clothes on. He was putting himself into Finny's shoes (or clothes).
ReplyDelete^ above- Heather Period 7
ReplyDeleteFrom my point of view, I believe the fall, or the "jouncing of the limb" was not planned. He did not want to hurt a friend in that way, but it seems like the jealousy of not being as Finny hit Gene at that moment, and he found that he would be a great moment for revenge. It's shown that Gene did mean to hurt his old pal, because when he was consulting with Finny's doctor, Gene was told that Finny would be able to “walk again" and hes done with sports. Gene was not able to take this. He knows how much Finny likes to play sports, and basically sports takes up Finny's life, and now Gene ruined it. Gene was not able to hold back his tears. The worst part for Gene was that Finny had a feeling that Gene had caused the jouncing of the limb, but he knew that couldn't be real. When Gene had come out with the truth, he could not believe it, and he did not want to. Finny kept telling Gene to stop saying that he caused it, but Gene kept spilling the truth. Finny shouted at Gene couple of times and told him to leave because he did not want to hear that his feeling that he had was the truth. Gene left quickly because he didn't want to cause any more harm to Finny's condition as he already did enough.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think that Gene bouncing on the tree knocking Finny off was on purpose. Once Finny had fallen Gene was remourseful. It could have just been on impulse because of his jealousy towards Finny. Finny wanted Gene to jump from the tree but Gene didn’t want to... he was getting angry which could have forced him to bounce the limb,but i dont think he ment for finny to fall off. When he went to the infirmary to visit Finny, he confessed that it was his fault that Finny fell out of the tree but Finny didn’t believe him.
ReplyDeleteAnthony Period 8
ReplyDeleteI think that Gene was planning to jounce the limb like he did. I don't think that he planned on making Finny fall and break his leg. Gene was planning to just jounce the limb and scare Finny but not make him fall. He really wasn't meaning for Finny to fall. When this happened Gene was very upset and wanted to take it back. I don't think that Gene meant for Finny to fall.
I think that gene jounced the limb on purpose in purpose in order to make finny fall off because gene felt jealous, and he did someting he regretted.Gene ever wore the same clothes as finny because he wanted to be so much better than him.
ReplyDeleteI think that Gne was just screwing around on the tree branch and wanted to hurt Finny to disable him so he wouldn't be able to be bettr than him anymore. i wouln't blame Finny for being mad at him since it was Gene's fault anyway. I also think that Gene didn't really like Finny and he was just trying to use him to find out how to be as cool as him. he probably made Finny fall out of the tree so it would seem like Gen was better at things than Finny.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Gene subconsciously wanted to hurt Finny because he was kind of competing with him so he wanted to sabotage. I don't think that he really wanted to hurt Finny but he really wanted to do good in class and Finny to do bad in sports. Finny's disbelief when Gene confessed seemed normal because Finny thought that Gene was his best friend and figured that he would never want to hurt him.
ReplyDeleteI believe the jouncing of the limb was a conscious act on the part of Gene. Throughout the story Gene proves himself, time and time again to be completely obsessed with an imaginary competition between him and Finny. At first it was just a jealousy of Finny’s natural athletic ability, and speechcraft. As the story continues Gene puts himself in a 1 way competition with Finny, trying to pick out faults in Finny, and hoping for him to fail. After failing his trigonometry test Gene convinces himself that Finny has been setting him up, as an excuse for why he failed, which lays the road down for disaster. Before the jouncing Gene had a talk with Finny in which Finny states that he thinks Gene should be studying, as he is far smarter then him, and shouldn’t waste his talent. At this time Gene decides not to study, as he originally intended and follows Finny to the tree where he will jounce the limb and make Finny fall.
ReplyDeleteThe scene before the tree is very important. Up to this point Gene had convinced himself that the resentment toward the other’s success had been mutual between the two. But in this scene Finny had made it very clear that this was only true with Gene, which gave Gene the final push off the edge, Finny was not only more athletic then him, but he was a better person and friend. In Gene’s mind, he had lost the two out of three battle (athletics, academics and personality) which he had made clear he was counting before. It is at this time he elects not to study, I believe this is very important, before this he had resented jumping off the tree, and it appeared that he did care about doing well in classes before his competition with Finny, so Finny supporting his studies should have been reassuring to stay and study. The fact he decided not to, in my opinion, means he wanted to do something more then just jump out of the tree, which was jouncing Finny out of the tree, two retake the two out of three battle that his jealousy had created (When Finny’s leg is broken, sports is out of the picture therefore the two out of three battle goes back to Gene, because he’ll be a better athlete and student).
Riley Period 1
ReplyDeleteI think that Gene wanted Finny to fall out of the tree because he is gealous of him. In reality he never intended to hurt him, but subconsciously he wanted him to get hurt. He was feeling guilty after it happened because he Finny didnt even know it was his fault. But Gene sees how much Finny likes him as a friend because he wont believe that he was actually pushed out of the tree by Finny.
I think that shaking of the branch was on purpose. I think that Gene wanted to scare of even make Finny become hurt. I think that Gene was jealous of Finny because of all the things that he acomplishes. I think that Gene after he made Finny fall out of the tree and after it had happened i think that Gene felt really bad that he had hurt Finny this bad. I think that Gene wore Finny's clothes because he was upset of what he had done, and wearing Finny's clothes made him feel alot better. I think that when Gene confesses that Finny will be shocked and still try to be nice to Gene but then he will try for revenge later in the book
ReplyDeleteI think that the jouncing of the limb was not a planned action. But more of a subconscious reaction. I feel that Gene wanted to be so much better then Finny that he moved not thinking to make the branch move and make Finny fall. I belive that Gene did not do it to intentionally hurt Finny but his mind took over and acted on impulse. After the fact of Finny geting hurt i think that Gene felt bad and felt that his mind had forced him to do what he did.
ReplyDeleteJordyn period 8
I believe the jouncing of the limb was not on purpose, but subconscious. I think he didn't plan to do anything to Finny but just couldn't help himself because no matter what Finny did, he got away with anything and everything. I think Finny didn't believe Gene simply because he didn't want to. He needed Gene as his partner in crime and without him he would be miserable.
ReplyDeleteI am sort of slit between the two possiblities of why Finny fell. Part of me wants to think that Gene didn't do it subconsiously and another part of me wants to say that Gene purposly made him fall. The reason I think that Gene might have purposly broke the limb is because he is always jealous of Finny even though they are best friends. He is jealous of how Finny is basically perfect. The reason I think that it wasn't on purpose is because of Gene's reaction to it. He truly felt horrible about how Finny got hurt.
ReplyDeleteI think that Gene put on Finny's clothes because it gave him a feeling of confidence. Gene is always shy and looking up to Finny, so I think that wearing the clothes made him feel "invincible" or "perfect".
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