After Gene asks Finny what he would do if he wound up on the top of the class, Finny says, “I’d kill myself out of jealous envy” (Knowles 52). Gene draws the conclusion that Finny envies him in Academics just as much as Gene envies Finny in athletics. Gene loves the fact that Finny looks up to him on this front because it equals the playing field for both of them. In Gene’s mind, Finny no longer has the upper hand in the relationship.
Gene is so in love with this moment because he views Finny (who he calls his best friend) as a competitor or enemy. For example Gene says to himself, “You and Phineas are even already. You are even in enmity.” (Knowles 53). Firstly Gene uses the term “ already” as if he’s been waiting for a while to get on Finny’s level. Secondly, he describes their relationship as an “enmity” as if he and Finny have some sort of animosity toward each other, despite them being best friends and roommates. Gene then goes on to say “You did hate him for breaking that school swimming record, but so what? He hated you for getting an A in every course but one last term.” (Knowles 53). He feels as if Finny resents him for getting an A in every course, however I do not think was serious when he said he’d “kill himself”. He was indeed joking.
Gene isn’t accurate in the fact that Finny hates him for “getting an A in every course” (Knowles 52). A couple pages after Gene’s epiphany, Finny and Gene get into a small argument. Gene wants to stay in his room and study, whereas Finny wants him to come with him to watch Leper jump off of the tree limb. At the end of the argument Finny says “Don’t go. What the hell, it’s only a game” (Knowles 57). Finny later goes on to say “I didn’t know you needed to study.” (Knowles 58). However Gene goes to watch Leper jump. If Finny really didn’t want Gene to be better at academics, then why wouldn’t Finny force Gene to stop studying?. Finny is not jealous of Gene, Gene is wrong. Gene simply draws this conclusion because he is thinking immorally and competitively. The fact that Gene would stop studying is also quite symbolic. He would stop doing something that is very important to him and makes him better than Finny, in order to be at a social event and establish himself. Even when Finny is giving him a free pass to keep studying. Gene is blinded by his own envy. By calling Finny jealous he justifies his own unrightful jealousy.
I agree with Rahul said, Gene sees Finny and his relationship in a different way. I believe that Gene has become obsessed with bating Finny and he would do anything in his power to be better than him. “ You and Phineas are already even” (Knowles 53) Gene realizes this idea that they are equal, that Finny hated him for getting A’s, and he would do anything to make him fail. This new idea of being equal fixates Gene, he no longer see he as a friend, but as an enemy who is just trying to take his spot from the top. As Gene allows Phinny to fall from the tree in the end of the chapter, symbolizing to me Gene seeing himself finally at the top, better than Finny.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Chloe and Rahul. Gene is ready to pounce on anything that Finny says. When Finny says "I'd kill myself out of jealous envy," (Knowles, 52), Gene has a huge epiphany that Finny is indeed actually extremely jealous of Gene, and sees him as his number one competitor. Finny only said seven sarcastic words, and Gene created an elaborate scenario that Finny had been manipulating him all along, and that it was a huge scheme that Finny had brewed up so he could be the best. This shows that Gene is even more intimidated by Finny than he lets on. It also shows that he is becoming steadily more angry and hateful towards Finny because he is so jealous of him, yet too proud to admit it to anyone, including himself. When Gene says "You did hate him for breaking that school swimming record," (Knowles, 53), he only admits this to himself because he believes in that moment that he and Finny are "equal", that Finny is just as embarrassingly jealous of Gene as Gene is of Finny. Gene's inability to accept the fact that Finny is better than him at most things causes Gene to panic, and to ultimately hate Finny.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Rahul, Chloe, and Anya that, in this section of the reading, Gene realizes that Finny is just as jealous of his academic endeavors just as Gene is envious of Finny's athletic one. Another element that makes this part of the book so crucial in their relationship is how it further characterizes Finny. John Knowles built him up from Gene's perspective in the beginning, but now having him admit jealousy makes him seem more like a real teenage boy as opposed to charismatic leader he usually is. Seening this more honest side to Finny seems to shock Gene, as it probably did to the reader. The way the protagonist continued to react was even more surprising. When reflecting on his best friend's actions, Gene was rather unforgiving and over analytical. "It was all cold trickery, it was all calculated, it was all emnity." (Knowles 53). What happened to the level headed, quiet genius we had come to adore? This chapter also exposed a new side to Gene, except instead of deepening his morality as it did with Finny, it showed a more innocent one. Gene is being immature and young, a rare quality to be found amidst a war time.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Hadley on the fact that this scene shows a new side of Gene. However, Gene’s new side does not appear to be new at all. Finny views anyone, even his friends, as enemies in sports. "'There aren't any teams in blitzball,'.... 'We're all enemies,’" (Knowles 38). His views of war and enemies have started to rub off on Gene. Now, instead of the harmless comparison between his talents and Finny’s, he now views the whole acquaintance as a cutthroat competition. As Anya said, he has made up this elaborate theory that Finny was attempting to trick him by saying, "I'd kill myself out of jealous envy," (Knowles, 52). In his earlier attempts to be similar to Finny, Gene has appropriated one of his less likeable traits which, has changed his outlook on the world and on their friendship for the worst.
ReplyDelete