Gene does not like war at all. On page 101 Gene talks about how deadly things always wind up in his life some how. "The war would be 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, as for example Phineas, then I put it there myself". Deadliness and despair have been recurring factors throughout the story. This quote shows that Gene doesn't like war, the bloodiness, the deaths, and the despair. This is why he had gone to Devon School in the first place, to try and escape all of that. The peaceful surroundings and the careless peace of the Devon summer. But now the war is coming toward him. The deadliness and despair follows him. The war, in my opinion, is the climax. All the other events, such as Blitzball and the incident at the tree, were all leading up to this war. Finny has been Genes rock, his foundation holding him together. With his injury, and how Gene has been pondering it non stop, combined with the despair of war, is going to drive Gene crazy. If the war gets the best of Gene I fear bad things will soon come to happen to him.
I agree that at first Gene does not like the war, but I think that the war just seems so surreal to him. He doesn't think about the fact that it could be him fighting. However, as he starts maturing, he embraces the war. Almost turning eighteen, he begins to think about his choices and realizes the war is close. cHe even almost enlists (Knowles 108). Gene and Finny even use the war as an excuse (Knowles 8). Gene even defends the war when Finny thinks of the war as a conspiracy theory (Knowles 61).
ReplyDeleteI feel that Gene sees the war as the inevitable. He has been training for battle in a way through jumping off the tree, and finds a link to a skirmish in his everyday actions. Gene states “A tennis ball might turn into a bullet” (Knowles 84). As the highschooler approaches the war he starts to warm-up to the idea of fighting for his country. When Gene was shoveling and saw the troops go by, he stated “They seemed to be having a wonderful time” (Knowles 96). Gene even decides that he is going to enlist, until he sees that Finny has returned. Would Gene have enrolled in the army if Finny had not returned?
ReplyDeleteI feel that Gene sees the war as the inevitable. He has been training for battle in a way through jumping off the tree, and finds a link to a skirmish in his everyday actions. Gene states “A tennis ball might turn into a bullet” (Knowles 84). As the highschooler approaches the war he starts to warm-up to the idea of fighting for his country. When Gene was shoveling and saw the troops go by, he stated “They seemed to be having a wonderful time” (Knowles 96). Gene even decides that he is going to enlist, until he sees that Finny has returned. Would Gene have enrolled in the army if Finny had not returned?
ReplyDeleteI feel that Gene sees the war as the inevitable. He has been training for battle in a way through jumping off the tree, and finds a link to a skirmish in his everyday actions. Gene states “A tennis ball might turn into a bullet” (Knowles 84). As the highschooler approaches the war he starts to warm-up to the idea of fighting for his country. When Gene was shoveling and saw the troops go by, he stated “They seemed to be having a wonderful time” (Knowles 96). Gene even decides that he is going to enlist, until he sees that Finny has returned. Would Gene have enrolled in the army if Finny had not returned?
ReplyDelete