Finny acts like himself and doesn’t really suspect anything of Gene when they are in the infirmary. Finny has been in the infirmary for a while now and hasn’t seen Gene, or for that matter anyone but the nurse since before the incident. So when Gene walks in Finny isn’t thinking about the incident he is just happy to see Gene. However, Gene quickly shifts this conversation and greeting towards what happened at the tree when he says, “Do you remember what made you fall?,”(Knowles 66). Finny responds by saying that he just fell. This is a realistic response because when describing his fall Finny says, “I just remember looking at your face for a second. Awfully funny expression you had. Very shocked, like you are right now,” (Knowles 65). This shows why Finny could have a right to be suspicious as Gene looks somewhat guilty, like he's expecting him to say what happened for him. This is further shown when later in the conversation Finny says,”But I don’t see why you should look so personally shocked. You look like it happened to you or something,” (Knowles 65). This shows that Finny isn’t completely sure of what happened but is starting to figure it out. Later in the chapter he talks about him having a crazy feeling about what happened, but he's just going to forget about it, because he just fell. This feeling of course is that Gene intentionally injured him by pushing him off the tree. But why should he blame Gene? He doesn’t know what just occurred. Gene intentionally injuring him is probably the very last thing Finny would have thought of. Gene and Finny’s relationship has been weakening throughout the book, and when the truth spills out about this incident, it won't be getting any better.
I agree with Maclin that Finny was only really glad to see Gene, and didn't really think about the incident. Even when Gene goes to visit Finny at his home in Boston and admits to intentionally shaking Finny off, he brushes it off and says, "'Of course you didn't do it. You damn fool. Sit down, you damn fool'" (Knowles 70). Even when Gene keeps saying that it was him, Finny still doesn't believe him. Finny seems optimistic, but the way that he keeps pushing back against Gene seems like he doesn't want to believe that Gene betrayed him and still wants to be positive about the situation.
ReplyDeleteI slightly disagree with Tushar. I think Finny was glad to see Gene, but was also focused on the incident. While the two are talking Gene says that Finny, "Kept looking vaguely over {his} face" (65). This shows how Finny thinks that Gene is being a little suspicious and could be hiding something. When Finny says, "It was a crazy idea, I must have been delirious. So I just have to forget it. I just fell" (66). This shows how Finny seems to know that Gene caused his injury, but is trying to make him admit it. He is trying to guilt Gene into telling him, but Gene is too caught up in his emotions and self guilt to reveal the truth.
ReplyDeleteLike many traumatic events, I think the details of Finny’s fall from the tree are blurry for both parties. I think that both Gene and Finny have replayed the fall from the tree over and over again from their own perspective and the perspective of the other before the visit in the infirmary. I believe that their meeting in the infirmary is an opportunity for both of them to feel each other out on the events from that fateful day. Obviously, it was just the two of them in the tree on that day, and it seems that both have both similar and different perspectives on what may or may not have happened on that branch. When Gene visits Finny in the infirmary, it is the first opportunity for the “friends” to see each other since the fall. I believe this encounter is very important in seeing how each boy reacts to the other, as well as how they share the memories of what happened. Do they ask pointed questions of each other? Or do they simply read each other’s thoughts and actions throughout the encounter? This meeting in the infirmary is Gene’s first opportunity to see how hurt Finny is. Does how hurt he is and what Gene sees impact what he tells his friend about his memories of what happened on the branch? Does Finny think his friend was responsible in any way for his fall? I think their suspiciousness of each other is natural given the circumstances. Do they each feel the increased competitiveness and rivalry in their friendship leading up to being in the tree together, or is that only something that Gene felt?
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