Gene visits two specific places upon his return: the First Academy Building and the tree. Name and explain twospecific things he notices/realizes about these places/things now (as opposed to then) and why Knowles might have done this. (Dylan)
Knowles chooses to begin the novel off with future scene in which Gene returns to his old school, Devon. It is a foggy, rainy day and despite the weather, Gene takes a long walk around the school grounds. On his walk, he visits two specific places: the First Academy Building and the tree. During his visit to the First Academy Building Gene comes across a marble flight of stairs, not noticing anything else. He inspects the stairs, and notices that they haven’t changed much at all since he left the school. He thinks to himself that “although they were old stairs, the worn moons in the middle of each step were not very deep,” (Knowles 11). Compared to Gene, the “unusually hard” stairs have not aged or changed over the years due to years of living fear of the war. The fact that the stairs are so hard lingers in his mind, possibly because of a particularly bad memory of the place. Gene lingers for a while, then he leaves the building and takes a long walk to the river where he looks for the tree. When he arrives at the edge of the river, several similar trees stand before him, and he thinks that it is strange that there were so many other alike trees. He eventually finds the right tree “by means of certain small scars rising along its trunk,” (Knowles 14). Gene takes a moment to study the tree and the area around him, and eventually we see what the tree stands for when he thinks that “it seemed to me standing there to resemble those men, the giants of your childhood, whom you encounter years later and find that they are absolutely smaller,” (Knowles 14). This seems to hint at Gene remembering an old friend or mentor whom stood out that he had years ago at the school whom he lost touch with. He goes on to think that “nothing endures, not a tree, not love, not even a death by violence,” (Knowles 14). This last thought shows that Gene associates a great deal of fear, most likely of war, with this tree, and the school as a whole. Gene goes through a lot during his return trip to Devon from two seemingly small things, and we begin to see that his time at the school was filled with emotion, mainly fear that he has now left behind.
1. Do you think that these places have anything to do with Finny (whom we meet later)
2. Do you think that the tree and the First Academy Building are related? Why or why not?
3. Is this a good way to start the novel? why or why not?
I definitely agree with Dylan, that Knowles begins the novel with the detailed setting descriptions of the school that relate to the fear from the earlier war (and how the fear lingers on). I also think that Knowles chooses to start the novel this way to show the inner/personal conflict in Gene. Gene states that "I could achieve, perhaps unknowingly already has achieved, this growth and harmony myself," (12). Gene knows that he has changed overtime since being at Devon. However Gene is unsure if he has completely recovered from his time at the school. The war has clearly scarred him as it has been 15 years and he still struggles to be sure if he has achieved harmony, or being able to cope. This shows that he's in the stage of manhood in his life, but doesn't have complete inner peace. This may lead to some sort of inner conflict in the book, which Knowles may be foreshadowing.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Dylan's third question, I think that this is a good way to start the novel, because it introduces Gene's retrospective point of view. The comparison of Gene's perspective of the objects versus his old perspective shows that Gene is able to be objective and reflect on what he did when he was younger. He can also show the patterns of the time, and connect to other instances. When just returning, older Gene narrates "Now here it was after all, preserved by some considerate hand with varnish and wax," (Knowles, 10). Coming back to the Devon School, Gene is able to take off the varnish on his memories, and really look at his memories for the first time. The narrator almost goes on the same journey as the reader, which is an interesting approach. I think that this was a good way to begin the book, because it shows that Gene is looking back at his past throughout the story.
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ReplyDeleteI definitely think that these 2 places represent Finny. Finny is clearly someone who Gene looks to and is extremely close with. When in harsh times like these it is not uncommon to compare important people in your life to places you remember. In this case I think that the tree over the riverbank in the book is representing Finny. Gene describes the tree as, " ... Tremendous, an irate, steely black steeple beside the river,"(Knowles 14) also mentioning how it stood out from the other trees. This reminded me of Finny because he is an good person who stands out and wears colorful clothes and has a very outgoing personality. This comparison between Finny and the tree could foreshadow an incident with Finny near the end of the book.