1. Gene and Finny’s friendship thrives off of their codependency on each other.
In the novel Finny depends on Gene because of his injury. He tells Gene that he can fill in the gaps for him in athletics because he can't do it. Finny's dream was to be in the olympics and now that he cannot play sports he will not be able to fufill this dream. He tells Gene that he can train him so that he could be in olympics instead of him. This shows that Finny is using the training to live through Gene. Gene depends on Finny because Gene loses himself and ends up being like Finny. At the end of the novel when Finny dies Gene says that he almost feels that he is at his own funeral because he became a part of Finny. If looking at this assertion statement from a Structuralist point of view then it shows that everything that occurs in the novel is related to how they depend on eachother. For example the reason why Gene feels so empty at the end of the novel is because of the way he depended on Finny. When Gene was reflecting on Finny's death he says to himself, “They unrolled aways impervious to me as though I were a roaming ghost, not only tonight but always, as though I had never played on them a hundred times, as though my whole life at Devon had been a dream” (178). This quote shows that now that Finny is gone, he has no one to depend on and he does not know who he is without Finny. He feels as if his whole life at devon was a dream because he was living as a part of Finny. He was trying so hard to become like him that he forgot who he really was. After Finny's death he feels as if he woke up from this dream, and realizes that he really doesn't have a sense of who he is without Finny.
2. Gene is jealous of Finny
Statement through a Formalist lense: The characterization of Gene illustrates his jealousy for Finny. His thoughts, feelings, actions, and what he says all coexist to showcase his jealousy of Finny.
-”I was beginning to see that Phineas could get away with anything. I couldn’t help envying him a little, which was perfectly normal. There was no harm in envying your best friend a little” (18). John Knowles’ characterization of Gene illustrates Gene’s jealously of Finny because Gene openly admits to himself that he envies Finny.
-”This time he wasn’t going to get away with it. I could feel myself unexpectedly excited at that” (20). Gene is excited that Finny may get in trouble. When Finny doesn’t get in trouble, Gene feels a “stab of disappointment” (21). This shows Gene’s jealousy of Finny because Gene wanted to see Finny punished and have to suffer through consequences.
-”Was he trying to impress me or something? Not tell anybody? When he had broken a school record without a day of practice? I knew he was serious about it so I didn’t tell anybody. Perhaps for that reason his accomplishment took root in my mind and grew rapidly in the darkness where I was forced to hide it” (44). Gene’s jealousy of Finny continues to fester because he assumes Finny’s actions and accomplishments are meant to make him jealous. If Gene wasn’t characterized as being jealous of Finny, he would realize that Finny doesn’t want to inform other people about his accomplishment because he doesn’t want attention, and he doesn’t want Gene to feel bad.
Statement through a New Historical lense: A New Historical criticist would argue that Gene purposefully pushed Finny off of the branch and did nothing to save him so Gene could end up on top and have more power, both at school, and in his relationship with Finny. Gene wanted to feel superior to Finny, so by hurting Finny, Finny would no longer be a good athlete, so Gene would become the better athlete in addition to being the more intelligent one.
-”’You always win at sports.’ This ‘you’ was collective… Finny never permitted himself to realize that when you won, they lost” (26). A New Historical criticist would argue the point that because both Finny and Gene are highschool aged boys, and at the time period in which the book was written, power at Devon was based on who was the best at sports and who was the most popular, so Gene wanted to take those things away from Finny so he too could feel powerful.
3. Assertion: People have difficulty believing in bad events until they experience them first hand.
Formalist: The character’s thoughts, feelings, and beliefs in regards to war clearly indicates that the boys do not actually believe the war is occurring. It is not until they receive a letter from Leper, and Gene visits Leper and sees how traumatized he is that the boys realize the war is a real thing that is negatively impacting those around them. \-Finny says, “‘But they couldn’t trick us forever, so for us in the forties, they’ve cooked up this fake war’” (107). Through Finny’s statements and beliefs, it is evident that he believes the whole idea of war is a hoax, and the whole thing is a joke.
-The boys throw a Winter Carnival celebration right in the middle of the war. A Formalist criticist would argue that the boy’s actions reflect their disbelief of the war because had they realized that war was really going on, they would not be celebrating.
-Leper writes a letter for Gene that reads, “I have escaped and need help. I am at Christmas location. You understand. No need to risk address here, my safety depends on you coming at once” (129). Once Gene visited Leper and saw all of the changes war made him undergo, he realized that the war was not a hoax, and it was actually occurring. Gene experienced the negative impacts of the war first hand by visiting Leper, and it was in this moment his beliefs changed.
New Historical: A New Historical criticist would argue that the boys have not realized the war is actually occurring because they haven’t been exposed to it. Devon is isolated from the rest of the country. A New Historical criticist would also argue that the boys’ ways of thinking at the time influenced their beliefs. The boys were all both young and naive, so they had difficulty coping with the fact that bad things really do happen because for the most part, they haven’t had any experience with these bad things. Also, even after Leper had enlisted in war, the boys made many jokes about Leper, and pretended everything they heard in the news was about Leper, due to the ways of thinking at the time that caused them to believe that war was fake. Once Leper returned to Devon, they saw the scary change that occurred in Leper, and they realized that the war was a real thing.
4. You never know how good you have it until it's gone.
In the novel Gene doesn't realize how fortunate he is to have a friend like Finny until he passes away. In the beginning of the novel he lets his jealousy take over him and he feels like Finny and him have competition. Finny was a good friend and didn't feel jealous the way Gene did. Gene's jealousy causes him to shake the branch of the tree, which makes Finny fall. If looking at this from a Marxist point of view, it was Finny falling out of the tree that ultimatley caused his death. After Finny falls out of the tree he breaks his leg and cannot play sports the way he used to. If Gene saved Finny from falling the way Finny saved Gene from falling then he would not have fallen and broke his leg. If Gene had saved Finny from falling out of the tree, then Brinker and the other boys would not have accused Gene of shaking the branch and making him fall. If Brinker did not accuse Gene of shaking the branch, then they would have held the meeting that made Finny fall down the stairs and injure his leg. If Finny had not fell down the stairs then he would not have had to have surgury which ultimately caused his death. As shown, using Marxist Criticism these events led up to the death of Finny. If Gene had realize how much good Finny did for him, then he would have saved him from falling out of the tree, which would have overall saved his life. Once Finny was gone Gene realized how much good he did for him because Gene had become a part of him. For example when Gene was at Finny's funeral he said that he felt like he was at his own funeral. This shows that Gene had become a part of Finny's life and that he was missing a part of himself without him. He did not realize that he could not find a sense of himself without Finny until he was gone.
5. Humans cannot maintain peace with others
Reader Response Criticism: Throughout the novel, Gene has difficulty achieving an inner peace with himself. It ultimately this conflict that results in him maintaining peace with Finny. Gene is insecure, and wishes to be like Finny. This causes Gene to become extremely jealous of Finny, and have no desire to potentially save Finny’s life when he falls off of the tree branch. When Gene finally achieves an inner peace, he says “it wasn’t the cider which made me surpass myself, it was this liberation we had torn from the gray encroachments of 1943, the escape we had concocted, this afternoon of momentary, illusory, special, and separate peace” (128). Following this statement, Gene feels much more gratitude towards Finny, and he appreciates Finny much more. As a reader, I understand why Gene was unable to maintain peace with Finny until he established peace with himself. From personal experience, I understand that when you are in a bad place with yourself, it negatively affects others around you, and it causes you to push people away. However, if you maintain an inner peace, your friendships and relationships with others thrive.
In the novel Finny depends on Gene because of his injury. He tells Gene that he can fill in the gaps for him in athletics because he can't do it. Finny's dream was to be in the olympics and now that he cannot play sports he will not be able to fufill this dream. He tells Gene that he can train him so that he could be in olympics instead of him. This shows that Finny is using the training to live through Gene. Gene depends on Finny because Gene loses himself and ends up being like Finny. At the end of the novel when Finny dies Gene says that he almost feels that he is at his own funeral because he became a part of Finny. If looking at this assertion statement from a Structuralist point of view then it shows that everything that occurs in the novel is related to how they depend on eachother. For example the reason why Gene feels so empty at the end of the novel is because of the way he depended on Finny. When Gene was reflecting on Finny's death he says to himself, “They unrolled aways impervious to me as though I were a roaming ghost, not only tonight but always, as though I had never played on them a hundred times, as though my whole life at Devon had been a dream” (178). This quote shows that now that Finny is gone, he has no one to depend on and he does not know who he is without Finny. He feels as if his whole life at devon was a dream because he was living as a part of Finny. He was trying so hard to become like him that he forgot who he really was. After Finny's death he feels as if he woke up from this dream, and realizes that he really doesn't have a sense of who he is without Finny.
2. Gene is jealous of Finny
Statement through a Formalist lense: The characterization of Gene illustrates his jealousy for Finny. His thoughts, feelings, actions, and what he says all coexist to showcase his jealousy of Finny.
-”I was beginning to see that Phineas could get away with anything. I couldn’t help envying him a little, which was perfectly normal. There was no harm in envying your best friend a little” (18). John Knowles’ characterization of Gene illustrates Gene’s jealously of Finny because Gene openly admits to himself that he envies Finny.
-”This time he wasn’t going to get away with it. I could feel myself unexpectedly excited at that” (20). Gene is excited that Finny may get in trouble. When Finny doesn’t get in trouble, Gene feels a “stab of disappointment” (21). This shows Gene’s jealousy of Finny because Gene wanted to see Finny punished and have to suffer through consequences.
-”Was he trying to impress me or something? Not tell anybody? When he had broken a school record without a day of practice? I knew he was serious about it so I didn’t tell anybody. Perhaps for that reason his accomplishment took root in my mind and grew rapidly in the darkness where I was forced to hide it” (44). Gene’s jealousy of Finny continues to fester because he assumes Finny’s actions and accomplishments are meant to make him jealous. If Gene wasn’t characterized as being jealous of Finny, he would realize that Finny doesn’t want to inform other people about his accomplishment because he doesn’t want attention, and he doesn’t want Gene to feel bad.
Statement through a New Historical lense: A New Historical criticist would argue that Gene purposefully pushed Finny off of the branch and did nothing to save him so Gene could end up on top and have more power, both at school, and in his relationship with Finny. Gene wanted to feel superior to Finny, so by hurting Finny, Finny would no longer be a good athlete, so Gene would become the better athlete in addition to being the more intelligent one.
-”’You always win at sports.’ This ‘you’ was collective… Finny never permitted himself to realize that when you won, they lost” (26). A New Historical criticist would argue the point that because both Finny and Gene are highschool aged boys, and at the time period in which the book was written, power at Devon was based on who was the best at sports and who was the most popular, so Gene wanted to take those things away from Finny so he too could feel powerful.
3. Assertion: People have difficulty believing in bad events until they experience them first hand.
Formalist: The character’s thoughts, feelings, and beliefs in regards to war clearly indicates that the boys do not actually believe the war is occurring. It is not until they receive a letter from Leper, and Gene visits Leper and sees how traumatized he is that the boys realize the war is a real thing that is negatively impacting those around them. \-Finny says, “‘But they couldn’t trick us forever, so for us in the forties, they’ve cooked up this fake war’” (107). Through Finny’s statements and beliefs, it is evident that he believes the whole idea of war is a hoax, and the whole thing is a joke.
-The boys throw a Winter Carnival celebration right in the middle of the war. A Formalist criticist would argue that the boy’s actions reflect their disbelief of the war because had they realized that war was really going on, they would not be celebrating.
-Leper writes a letter for Gene that reads, “I have escaped and need help. I am at Christmas location. You understand. No need to risk address here, my safety depends on you coming at once” (129). Once Gene visited Leper and saw all of the changes war made him undergo, he realized that the war was not a hoax, and it was actually occurring. Gene experienced the negative impacts of the war first hand by visiting Leper, and it was in this moment his beliefs changed.
New Historical: A New Historical criticist would argue that the boys have not realized the war is actually occurring because they haven’t been exposed to it. Devon is isolated from the rest of the country. A New Historical criticist would also argue that the boys’ ways of thinking at the time influenced their beliefs. The boys were all both young and naive, so they had difficulty coping with the fact that bad things really do happen because for the most part, they haven’t had any experience with these bad things. Also, even after Leper had enlisted in war, the boys made many jokes about Leper, and pretended everything they heard in the news was about Leper, due to the ways of thinking at the time that caused them to believe that war was fake. Once Leper returned to Devon, they saw the scary change that occurred in Leper, and they realized that the war was a real thing.
4. You never know how good you have it until it's gone.
In the novel Gene doesn't realize how fortunate he is to have a friend like Finny until he passes away. In the beginning of the novel he lets his jealousy take over him and he feels like Finny and him have competition. Finny was a good friend and didn't feel jealous the way Gene did. Gene's jealousy causes him to shake the branch of the tree, which makes Finny fall. If looking at this from a Marxist point of view, it was Finny falling out of the tree that ultimatley caused his death. After Finny falls out of the tree he breaks his leg and cannot play sports the way he used to. If Gene saved Finny from falling the way Finny saved Gene from falling then he would not have fallen and broke his leg. If Gene had saved Finny from falling out of the tree, then Brinker and the other boys would not have accused Gene of shaking the branch and making him fall. If Brinker did not accuse Gene of shaking the branch, then they would have held the meeting that made Finny fall down the stairs and injure his leg. If Finny had not fell down the stairs then he would not have had to have surgury which ultimately caused his death. As shown, using Marxist Criticism these events led up to the death of Finny. If Gene had realize how much good Finny did for him, then he would have saved him from falling out of the tree, which would have overall saved his life. Once Finny was gone Gene realized how much good he did for him because Gene had become a part of him. For example when Gene was at Finny's funeral he said that he felt like he was at his own funeral. This shows that Gene had become a part of Finny's life and that he was missing a part of himself without him. He did not realize that he could not find a sense of himself without Finny until he was gone.
5. Humans cannot maintain peace with others
Reader Response Criticism: Throughout the novel, Gene has difficulty achieving an inner peace with himself. It ultimately this conflict that results in him maintaining peace with Finny. Gene is insecure, and wishes to be like Finny. This causes Gene to become extremely jealous of Finny, and have no desire to potentially save Finny’s life when he falls off of the tree branch. When Gene finally achieves an inner peace, he says “it wasn’t the cider which made me surpass myself, it was this liberation we had torn from the gray encroachments of 1943, the escape we had concocted, this afternoon of momentary, illusory, special, and separate peace” (128). Following this statement, Gene feels much more gratitude towards Finny, and he appreciates Finny much more. As a reader, I understand why Gene was unable to maintain peace with Finny until he established peace with himself. From personal experience, I understand that when you are in a bad place with yourself, it negatively affects others around you, and it causes you to push people away. However, if you maintain an inner peace, your friendships and relationships with others thrive.