5. How does Gene feel about war and enlisting in this reading (look closely at pages 100-102)?
The sudden shift in the book was imminent, yet we did not expect Gene to have the need to enlist. We didn't expect Phineas to be home either. War to Gene was something that people were forced to join, not a decision. Brinker states, "I'm giving it up , I'm going to enlist tomorrow" (Knowles 100). This is strange for the reader, because in a way he is giving up on life as if he had nothing to lose. As if his future was nothing without war. When Gene thinks of war as his duty, everything in the book turns around. Gene is a follower if it's Finny, a troop leader in Europe. Gene is too easily influenced. Gene doesn't fell good or bad, he just simply knows that Devon without Finny just isn't the same. The tongue-twister, Finny back at home, Geneis in shock. Everything can change up to now. We don't know if Gene's will for war will be influenced by Phineas.
Victor, you have a point. Gene does get influenced a lot by Finney and his other "friends." I agree with that, but does Gene currently want to enlist? Does he think it's something he's forced to do or his duty to fight for the country? Gene still doesn't want to go to war, but Devon is, as you said, not the same without Finney. It's much worse for him, not other people who are jealous of his athletic ability and are sort of happy that he is hurt.
ReplyDeleteGene is easily influenced by friends including Finny, but he says also that war would provide competition and danger that he doesn't have in his life without Finny. As Gene described, "The war was deadly all right. But I was used to finding something deadly in things that attracted me; there was always something deadly lurking in anything I wanted, anything I loved. And if it wasn't there, for example with Phineas, then I put it there myself" (Knowles 100-101). In this quote Gene admitted the absence of Finny and the danger and excitement he brings to his life, was one of the things that made the war so intriguing. Both the opinions of his friends and the absence of Finny until the last line in the chapter contributed to Gene's desire to enlist in the Army.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Victor that Finny coming home was very unexpected but was Gene really obliged to enlist for war? He was not forced to do it and he had a decision. Gene used to follow Finny around but when Finny wasn't at devon everything changed. Gene changed, he seemed more bland and he made all of his surrounding match how he felt. He was thinking about enlisting because he felt like something was missing and it would have been the right thing to do for himself and Finny. I agree with Victor though, now that Gene came home we don't know what will happen. We can't be sure if Gene is going to fall under Finny's influence again or if he will enlist on his own.
ReplyDeleteJulia I agree with you that Gene is influenced by his friends. In this chapter I feel that we have lost the old Gene, and is slowly starting to become Finny. Gene is using the war to hide his action that he preformed. Gene is using the war to fill in the feelings lost since Finny is no longer with him. Gene no longer gets to participate in competitive games with out Finny or any dangerous activities. I do not feel that Gene wants to go to war I feel that he no longer knows what to do he is lost without Finny.
ReplyDeleteVictor, I think you have a great point by saying that it is strange that Gene all of a sudden wants to enlist. Gene has showed to be influenced very easily and he is a follower. He follows Finny, and now that Leper decided to enlist, Gene went ahead and decided to follow him too. Gene needs to start making some decisions for himself.
ReplyDeleteVictor I agree with you that in this chapter many things have changed and that many of his classmates are changing their minds about the war. Also Devon is not the same without Finny, but I would not say in a bad way. For example you have not heard of any bad decisions that Gene has made because he was peer pressured. Also you have not heard of any stuggle in academics because of distractions like Finny. In this reading he was blamed for intentionally hurting Finny. I am exited to see how the two boys act toward each other in Finny's final months, weeks, or even days.
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