Finny is a personable young man whose charm allows him to be carefree and therefore daring. His charisma often gets him out of trouble, such as when he is confronted by Mr. Prud’homme about missing nine meals in two weeks. Finny’s scattered thoughts allow him to sweet talk his teacher and come off better than he had before the conversation. “Mr. Prud’homme was pleased, won over in spite of himself[,...] there might [actually] be a flow of simple unregulated friendliness between them,[...]one of Finny’s reasons for living.” (22) By means of his candid speech allows him to interact with Mr. Prud’homme unimpeded by the power dynamics. Even though his teacher had come to him thinking that he would chastise Finny, he was left feeling that Finny was an equal and not deserving of a punishment. Finny’s ability to ignore consequences allows him to look past danger. While the other students are at lunch, Finny brings a few of his friends to a river with a large tree that they will jump off. As the others look up in apprehension, he clambered up it and sprang into the water without a second glance. Although he notices that the others are scared of completing this feat, and is aware that it is unsafe, he decides that it is fun and disregards the dangers. Finny also is not worried about adults or adult subjects, and is able to be very nonchalant when speaking to the professors about World War II. When speaking to a teacher about bombing that had occurred in Central Europe, he goes further and talks about bombing larger expenses, and does not act like it is a big deal. Even though the war is an important event he goes as far as using it to get out of a punishment, further displaying his disregard for the magnitude of the war. Finny masterfully guides conversations which then allows him to take risks and be extremely carefree.
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Once the story shifts to the summer of 1942, Gene begins his narrative about his summer, the war, the school, his friendships and most specifically his relationship with Finny. Provide three specific examples of characterization about Finny, most specifically what kind of person is he and how do you know this. William
Finny is a personable young man whose charm allows him to be carefree and therefore daring. His charisma often gets him out of trouble, such as when he is confronted by Mr. Prud’homme about missing nine meals in two weeks. Finny’s scattered thoughts allow him to sweet talk his teacher and come off better than he had before the conversation. “Mr. Prud’homme was pleased, won over in spite of himself[,...] there might [actually] be a flow of simple unregulated friendliness between them,[...]one of Finny’s reasons for living.” (22) By means of his candid speech allows him to interact with Mr. Prud’homme unimpeded by the power dynamics. Even though his teacher had come to him thinking that he would chastise Finny, he was left feeling that Finny was an equal and not deserving of a punishment. Finny’s ability to ignore consequences allows him to look past danger. While the other students are at lunch, Finny brings a few of his friends to a river with a large tree that they will jump off. As the others look up in apprehension, he clambered up it and sprang into the water without a second glance. Although he notices that the others are scared of completing this feat, and is aware that it is unsafe, he decides that it is fun and disregards the dangers. Finny also is not worried about adults or adult subjects, and is able to be very nonchalant when speaking to the professors about World War II. When speaking to a teacher about bombing that had occurred in Central Europe, he goes further and talks about bombing larger expenses, and does not act like it is a big deal. Even though the war is an important event he goes as far as using it to get out of a punishment, further displaying his disregard for the magnitude of the war. Finny masterfully guides conversations which then allows him to take risks and be extremely carefree.
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I agree with William's characterization of Finny. Finny is able to see past all of the fear of the war with his carefree attitude. I also believe that "Finny [is] the essence of this careless peace" (Knowles 24). This allows Finny to avoid the teachers' disapproval of the 16-17 year olds and have them show more tolerance towards the students. Finny also expresses pride in himself and his country, as he says, "Well, we've got to do something to 'celebrate'. We haven't got a flag, we can't float Old Glory proudly out the window. So I'm going to wear this, as an emblem" (Knowles, 25). Finny gets away with wearing a bright pink shirt which no one in school could have done.
ReplyDeleteFinny's carefree attitude defines how he acts. William's examples are perfect, and really exhibits Finny's personality. Finny is the example of a normal teenage boy, which is seeming to slowly fade with the draft for the war. The seniors seem forced to grow up to become a soldier and Finny seems to focus on the moment and enjoy his time as a carefree kid. Knowles writes, "we were careless and wild, and I suppose we could be thought of as a sign of the life the war was being fought to preserve" (24). Devon seems almost like a bubble for Gene and Finny, all they worry about is being kids..for now. I think Finny's characterization is an example of what we hope kids can be, easygoing and happy, which is becoming adrift in the war.
ReplyDeleteI agree with William in the way he characterized Finny. He used great examples such as the way he uses his charm to get out of trouble and get away with using his Devon school tie as a belt. Finny's way of using his character shows that he uses everything to his advantage. Finny also takes everything bad as a positive. An example of this is when he puts on his pink shirt during the war. the shirt reflects a lot of happiness and peacefulness although the war is a very dark place.
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