Finny and Gene have remained the best of friends for at least their entire stay at Devon. They have supported each other, stood up for each other, and most importantly, been there for each other at the most crucial of times. This naturally would indicate that one would deny any wrongdoing of the other. Another point of interest that supports this statement is the fact that Finny has a particular belief that everyone is innately good. With this being the case, Finny would automatically excuse any misconduct on the part of his comrades. Finny’s instinct though, later causes him much pain, both mentally and physically.
Towards the end of the novel, Finny decides to confront Gene about what really happened on the night of the accident. Finny insists that Gene acted on a ‘blind impulse’. Finny makes this statement only because he could not bear to think that his own best friend would dare do such a horrific thing to him. Gene did not act on a ‘blind impulse’, but rather on a premeditated impulse; Gene jounced the limb intentionally, so Finny would fall.
Immediately following the accident, Gene makes an attempt at revealing the truth, although he is unable to, for he is interrupted by Dr. Stanpole before he is able to: “‘I don’t care who I sound like, and you won’t think so when I tell you. This is the worst thing in the world, and I’m sorry and I hate to tell you but I’ve got to tell you.’ But I didn’t tell him. Dr. Stanpole came in before I was able to…” (John Knowles, A Separate Peace, 815). Gene knows that the course of action he took was deliberate, although he knows that Finny would never accuse him of such a thing, for Finny believes that all people are naturally good. “I couldn’t say anything to this sincere, drugged apology for having suspected the truth. He was never going to accuse me” (Knowles 815). Gene unquestionably realizes his guilt, although he is convinced that Finny could never accuse him of committing such an act as he did. “‘It must have been that. I did have this idea, this feeling that when you were standing there beside me, y— I don’t know…’” (Knowles 815). Finny too grasps the reality that the jouncing of the limb was intentional, although he refuses to accept it. Finny’s ‘personal Decalogue’ refuses to allow him to accept the truth, only causing further unnecessary hurt. Some may argue that Gene accidentally disturbed the limb, although Gene’s attempt at a confession clearly illustrates that this is besides the case.
Further on in the novel, Brinker Hadley and a few friends of his decide to investigate Finny’s accident, and to uncover the truth and what really occurred on the limb that day. Brinker decides to call in Leper to hear his interpretation of what actually took place.
“I kept quiet. To myself, however, I made a number of swift, automatic calculations: that Leper was no threat, no one would ever believe Leper; Leper was deranged, he was not of sound mind and if people couldn’t make out their own wills when not in sound mind certainly they couldn’t testify in something like this” (Knowles 877).
During this time, Gene is extremely uneasy, because he knows that Leper is really a smart person, with a photographic memory. Gene knows that Leper will tell the truth, and that makes him uncomfortable because Gene knows that it, in truth, it is his fault that Finny fell out of the tree. Brinker vigorously interrogates Leper, and information is revealed, almost to the point of absolute truth. At this point, Leper realizes that he is being used, and he lets the entire room know this. Leper decides to hide the truth from the world because he knows that Gene is guilty of the crime, and that if he said so, then his testimony would be used against him in the future. During Brinker’s deliberation with Leper, Finny gets up unnoticeably, and announces: “I don’t care!” (Knowles 879). After this, Finny decides to walk out of the auditorium. It is plausible to argue that Finny is just thoroughly annoyed with the consideration of his accident that he is receiving, although he is not walking from any such thing, but rather, Finny is walking away from the truth. Finny is not only physically walking out of the auditorium, from the truth, but he is mentally walking away from the truth as well. He refuses to believe that Gene caused his fall intentionally, for according to Finny, everyone is innately good.
Finny’s venture out of the auditorium, and from the truth, proved to be an immense mistake, for he took a devastating tumble down the flight of stairs just outside of the auditorium. Finny’s leg broke again, and he later died in the operation to reset his bone. This event causes Gene to feel that the death of Finny was his fault, since all of Finny’s problems began with his fall from the tree. Gene knows that he was the cause of that fall, and that if he hadn’t have done that, then he wouldn’t have been in the auditorium investigating the accident in the first place, and thus Finny wouldn’t have run out and fallen down the stairs, bringing about his death. “He [Phineas] possessed an extra vigor, a heightened confidence in himself, a serene capacity for affection which saved him. Nothing as he was growing up at home, nothing at Devon, nothing even about the war had broken his harmonious and natural unity. So at last I had” (Knowles 892). Gene did not act on a ‘blind impulse’ when he jounced the limb on which Finny was standing. What Gene did was undoubtedly intentional, and not only does he know that, but Finny knows it as well. When Finny stated that Gene acted on a ‘blind impulse’, he was merely making an excuse for him, as a way of evading the truth for longer, for according to Finny, everyone is innately good.
Showing posts with label finny and gene. Show all posts
Showing posts with label finny and gene. Show all posts
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Deduction Establishes Themes in A Separate Peace
Throughout the entirety of A Separate Peace, numerous themes are presented to the reader. These themes are often presented through symbolism, and other methods of representation. There are two themes in particular though, that closely relate to one another; denial and jealousy. These themes are bound by a common foundation. That foundation in this particular situation is known as deduction. Deduction is a form of argument, wherein if the stated premises are true, then in fact the conclusion is true. Deduction works to establish the themes of denial and jealousy on countless occasions throughout the novel.
To be established first, is the presence of Gene’s immense jealousy for Finny. This is shown through the way in which Gene narrates the novel. He makes several mentions of this jealousy throughout the novel. It is in the earlier portion of the novel when the basis for Gene’s actions becomes clear. For Finny, sports have come naturally, although academics is another anecdote. Finny has never been required to put any effort into sports; he is naturally superior in all aspects of sporting. Because of this, Finny assumes that since Gene is good in school, that he doesn’t have to work hard either to achieve what ‘naturally comes to him’: “‘What’s the matter?’ ‘Studying!’ I snarled. ‘Studying! You know, books. Work. Examinations.’” (John Knowles, A Separate Peace, 809). He informs Gene of his misconception, which infuriates him, and increases his jealousy for Finny; that Finny’s sports come effortlessly to him, yet he has to work extremely hard for his unparalleled grades. The premise that is true for the preceding conclusion to be true, is: Gene’s expressed anger towards Finny. The theme of jealousy, Gene’s primarily, was established by the conclusion reached through deduction.
The second theme being analyzed is denial. The first premise to be noted is that Gene in fact did jounce the limb on which Finny was standing: “Holding firmly to the trunk, I took a step toward him, and then my knees bent and I jounced the limb” (Knowles 810). This caused his plummet to the ground, causing his leg to become severely broken. This is unquestionably a fact, for Gene admits to Finny that the accident was indeed his fault, bringing about the second premise: “‘I jounced the limb. I caused it.’ One more sentence. ‘I deliberately jounced the limb so you would fall off’” (Knowles 818). This is where Gene’s jealousy for Finny is revealed, as he intentionally takes the life of his best friend into his own hands. According to deduction, because the above stated premises are true, that Gene jounced the limb in an attempt at making Finny fall and that he later admitted to this, then the conclusion that Finny knows that Gene acted the way he did intentionally, is also true.
Finny has a belief that everyone is innately good. He believes that people don’t perform dire acts intentionally, but rather on accident. He prefers this belief when it comes to Gene’s situation, because he never could have imagined his own best friend performing such a heinous undertaking. As deduction has shown in the previous paragraph, Finny knows that Gene acted the way he did on purpose. This conflicts with Finny’s belief that everyone is innately good. Finny chooses to default on his beliefs, thus he denies the truth from not only himself, but Gene and the rest of Devon. This denial continues, until towards the end of the novel, Brinker Hadley decides to hold a hearing on the incident, in an attempt at finding the truth. The truth is revealed, although Finny remains yet unable to accept it, causing him to run from it, in denial. This conclusion, reached through deduction, worked to establish the common, recurring theme of denial.
There are a number of instances throughout the entirety of A Separate Peace, in which deduction works to establish the themes of jealousy and denial. The juxtaposition of a select few of these instances provides premises on which a conclusion can be reached. This leads to, as in this particular case, the establishment of a theme. The following conclusions were able to be reached: sports coming easy to Finny and academics coming as a challenge to Gene, present the reason for Gene’s jealousy toward Finny; and the fact that Finny knows that what Gene did in the tree was intentional. Both of these conclusions, each stating essentially a different theme of the novel, could only have been established through the premises on which they were based; hence deduction.
To be established first, is the presence of Gene’s immense jealousy for Finny. This is shown through the way in which Gene narrates the novel. He makes several mentions of this jealousy throughout the novel. It is in the earlier portion of the novel when the basis for Gene’s actions becomes clear. For Finny, sports have come naturally, although academics is another anecdote. Finny has never been required to put any effort into sports; he is naturally superior in all aspects of sporting. Because of this, Finny assumes that since Gene is good in school, that he doesn’t have to work hard either to achieve what ‘naturally comes to him’: “‘What’s the matter?’ ‘Studying!’ I snarled. ‘Studying! You know, books. Work. Examinations.’” (John Knowles, A Separate Peace, 809). He informs Gene of his misconception, which infuriates him, and increases his jealousy for Finny; that Finny’s sports come effortlessly to him, yet he has to work extremely hard for his unparalleled grades. The premise that is true for the preceding conclusion to be true, is: Gene’s expressed anger towards Finny. The theme of jealousy, Gene’s primarily, was established by the conclusion reached through deduction.
The second theme being analyzed is denial. The first premise to be noted is that Gene in fact did jounce the limb on which Finny was standing: “Holding firmly to the trunk, I took a step toward him, and then my knees bent and I jounced the limb” (Knowles 810). This caused his plummet to the ground, causing his leg to become severely broken. This is unquestionably a fact, for Gene admits to Finny that the accident was indeed his fault, bringing about the second premise: “‘I jounced the limb. I caused it.’ One more sentence. ‘I deliberately jounced the limb so you would fall off’” (Knowles 818). This is where Gene’s jealousy for Finny is revealed, as he intentionally takes the life of his best friend into his own hands. According to deduction, because the above stated premises are true, that Gene jounced the limb in an attempt at making Finny fall and that he later admitted to this, then the conclusion that Finny knows that Gene acted the way he did intentionally, is also true.
Finny has a belief that everyone is innately good. He believes that people don’t perform dire acts intentionally, but rather on accident. He prefers this belief when it comes to Gene’s situation, because he never could have imagined his own best friend performing such a heinous undertaking. As deduction has shown in the previous paragraph, Finny knows that Gene acted the way he did on purpose. This conflicts with Finny’s belief that everyone is innately good. Finny chooses to default on his beliefs, thus he denies the truth from not only himself, but Gene and the rest of Devon. This denial continues, until towards the end of the novel, Brinker Hadley decides to hold a hearing on the incident, in an attempt at finding the truth. The truth is revealed, although Finny remains yet unable to accept it, causing him to run from it, in denial. This conclusion, reached through deduction, worked to establish the common, recurring theme of denial.
There are a number of instances throughout the entirety of A Separate Peace, in which deduction works to establish the themes of jealousy and denial. The juxtaposition of a select few of these instances provides premises on which a conclusion can be reached. This leads to, as in this particular case, the establishment of a theme. The following conclusions were able to be reached: sports coming easy to Finny and academics coming as a challenge to Gene, present the reason for Gene’s jealousy toward Finny; and the fact that Finny knows that what Gene did in the tree was intentional. Both of these conclusions, each stating essentially a different theme of the novel, could only have been established through the premises on which they were based; hence deduction.
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