5) Explain the significance of the last paragraph: "I did not cry then or ever about Finny. I did not cry even when I stood watching him being lowered into his family's strait-laced burial ground outside of Boston. I could not escape a feeling that this was my own funeral, and you do not cry in that case."
Gene is deeply shocked by Finny’s death. The fact that he died so suddenly, and in such a random, very medical way, is hard for him to deal with. When Finny dies, Gene feels like he has lost part of himself. He says “I could not escape the feeling that this was my own funeral, and you do not cry in that case.” (Knowles )This shows that, through the entire book, whether Gene saw Finny as a best friend or bitter rival, Phineas played a huge part in shaping his life at Devon. He was central in Gene’s adolescence, and now that that’s gone, it seems to Gene as if a huge hole has just been ripped out of his life. Gene also feels guilty, because he never gets the chance to set things right with Finny. This could also play into the quote, as he feels some of his morality has died.
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