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.
