And Finny's influence buoys Gene up, allowing him to ride the imaginative waves of wartime as easily as Finny rode the waves during their forbidden trip to the beach. At the very mention of enlistment, for example, Finny announces that he is going to the shower, as if to wash away the thought of war and separation. Water imagery again surrounds the drama between the two friends. At first, Finny's irreverence and flippancy about the war shocks Gene, but soon Finny draws Gene back under his influence, and before long, their relationship of leader and follower re-emerges, even in matters of war and peace. Gene has become overly serious - even sanctimonious - about the hardships of wartime, while Finny's frame of mind, his expectations about daily life, remain firmly fixed in peace. The boys join together again, but the weeks apart have clearly changed them. Later, this scorn will turn back on Gene and Finny, though, when Brinker lays a claim on their murky, shared past at the tree. Their scorn for Brinker and his plans for enlistment represent a claim for their own shared future. When they mock Brinker together, they define their own friendship against him, reforging their union by excluding the popular leader. But their caustic wit against Brinker expresses their renewed partnership, despite his "catastrophic joke." From now on, Gene responds to Finny's needs, and enlistment, under such circumstances, seems to be desertion of Finny.īut choosing to stay at Devon rather than enlist means saying no to Brinker, a painful rejection that will have consequences later in the Assembly Room "trial." Brinker's needling about Gene's plot to get rid of his roommate is an obvious attempt to keep Gene and Finny's friendship from re-forming. Finny's presence - especially his obvious injury - takes up Gene's entire reality, even the reality of his own future. Peace has returned to Devon with Finny, and Gene's plans for enlistment vanish, almost without a thought. Ludsbury is thin, and only the fat old men know the secret about the war. Ludsbury by surprise and sends him on his way.įinny wonders why the master believes the lie about the war, and then it comes to him - Mr. Finny responds flatly, "no" - an answer that catches Mr. Ludsbury laughs briefly, but sternly remind them that the war is more important than any games. Ludsbury comes out to ask Gene if he is training to become a commando, Finny proudly declares that they are aiming for the 1944 Olympics. One day, as he runs a challenging course laid out by Finny, Gene finds, to his surprise, that he can push himself beyond exhaustion to a second wind. The boys begin a strict routine, with Gene helping Finny in his studies and Finny training Gene for the Olympics. When Gene brings up the war, Finny reminds him that there is no war. He confides to Gene that he once hoped to compete in the Olympics, but now Gene will have to take his place in the 1944 Games. ![]() ![]() When Gene asks how he knows about this deception, Finny blurts out bitterly that he knows because he has suffered. These old men have faked the food shortage, too, Finny insists, so that all the best food can be shipped to the rich men's exclusive clubs. Gene realizes that Finny's natural athlete's way of walking will never return, and Finny in turn tells Gene that he must become an athlete in his place.įinny also tells Gene there is no war really - only fat old men pretending that it exists to punish young people who might have fun otherwise. Finny decides to miss class and go to the gym instead, a long and exhausting walk for him. ![]() Gene worries that Finny will fall again, because the snow and ice outside and the marble floors inside make it difficult for him to get around campus on crutches. In the teasing that follows, Brinker receives his first nickname at Devon - "Yellow Peril." When Finny is shocked by this, Gene suddenly changes his mind and jokingly refuses to sign up with Brinker. The next morning, as Finny bounds around the room on crutches, Brinker comes by to ask Gene if he is ready to go enlist. When Gene says that the inconvenience is minor, considering the war, Finny murmurs his doubts about whether there really is a war at all. As the chapter opens, Finny teases Gene and complains about the lack of maid service in the dormitories.
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