Chapter 5, Pages 61-71, Question 1 Assignment 4 by Lachie McGrath

1.) While Finny is in the infirmary, Gene is paranoid that people will be suspicious of him, and then he dresses in Finny’s clothes and feels better. Why does Gene do this? Why is this significant?

Gene does this do get comfort in the tragedy that has occurred. By seeing an almost exact resemblance in the mirror, he was able to see a fallacy, that Finny was okay and he was back to normal. However we know that this is not true. "He'll be walking again" (Dr Stanpole 63) Dr Stanpole states that Finny will be able to walk again but not be able to play sports. This forces Gene to cry knowing that he stripped Finny of his life "The only true goodness" (Finny 27). The fallacy is significant because it shows how even as the worst events occur, Gene is still able to find comfort in the silliest of ideas. It also presents us with a symbolic message. "Turns out it was all in my head. We were like two pals sharing stories of our vacations" (Knowles 69). This message also ties in with Gene's jealousy earlier on in the book. Will Gene and Finny be friends again?

Assignment #4 Question #1 Victor

Question #1: While Finny is in the infirmary, Gene is paranoid that people will be suspicious of him, and then he dresses in Finny's clothes and feels better. Why does Gene do this? Why was this significant.

This horrible accident is horrible for Finny, but even Gene is greatly affected by it. Gene becomes very paranoid and insecure. To feel better he wears Finny's clothes and sacred emblem. I think he wore them so that he could feel more like Finny. When Gene learns that he is asked by Phineas to visit him in the infirmary, he feels as if he is about to be attacked. In the room, you can notice that he is on the defensive when Finny mentions that he was trying to grab Gene. Gene then says, "To drag me down too"(Knowles 65)! This scene shows that what Gene did to Finny is hurting both of them. Gene knows thats it time to come forward, but the doctor takes him out before then. To come back to why he wore Finny's clothes, Gene and Finny whatever happens will still be best friends. So wearing the clothes is putting part of Finny in Gene, reminding him that Finny didn't deserve the fall.