Mr. Hadley feels that war memories, and character developed during the war will be integral to the rest of Gene and Brinker’s lives, especially their ‘manhood’. At the end of the book, just before graduation, Mr. Hadley comes to visit Brinker, and has a talk with him and Gene. He stresses the importance of dedicated participation in the war. Mr. Hadley says “It’s your greatest moment, greatest privilege, to serve your country,” (Knowles, 200). Hadley believes that war is the most important time for a boy to become a man and show his courage and character. He has an almost stereotypical idea of manhood, which is especially easy for him to have, because the war poses no danger to him. At the beginning of the conversation, Mr. Hadley thinks out loud: “I can’t imagine any man in my time settling for duty on a sewing machine. I can’t picture that at all,” (Knowles, 198). His idea of war is close to romanticized, and he sees any non-traditional male tasks, such as sewing, as detrimental to the war effort. Manhood for Mr. Hadley is war, trenches, and violent fighting, and he sees only this as valuable to winning World War II - not less active, more domestic tasks. He also believes that other men share his perspective. Hadley tells Brinker and Gene that the moments they have in the war will define them for the people they meet. “Your war memories will be with you forever… people will get their respect for you from that… that will mean a whole lot to you in years to come,” (Knowles, 199). He believes that to be respected, the boys have to be in the front lines, because that will show people that they have faced danger. Gene and Brinker have chosen positions that while not safe, are not ‘dirty’ places. Mr. Hadley believes that this is evading the war, and not meeting it head on. He thinks that boys should be proud to go into the war, and want to fight for their country, because of the honor and experience it brings them. While this is logical, he overlooks the fact that war can be, and often is, dangerous and traumatic. Gene and Brinker are already somewhat aware of this, from their experiences with death at Devon, and they are trying to avoid that. However, Mr. Hadley thinks that this is unacceptable, and that a true man dreams of war. Since it is somewhat clear that Brinker does not share his ideals, he finds Brinker to be less than his ideal son, and wants to change his mind. Mr. Hadley thinks that the war will be a very important piece of Gene and Brinker’s lives, and that to journey into manhood, they should go into it feeling a sense of pride and duty.
I agree with Julia, and also I think that Mr. Hadley feels that the Parachute Riggers' School is not "manly" enough for war, even though it could become very important. This is evidenced in many places, as referenced in Julia's blog post. One moment which I would like to point out is when Mr. Hadley first mentions the G.I.'s and says, "'And how about their artillery? "Sewing machines!'" (Knowles 198). The tone that Mr. Hadley used when he said this suggests that he believes that sewing machines should have nothing to do with the war, even though in some cases, it could be the complete opposite. For instance, the whole idea of having the Parachute Riggers' School is a parallel to Finny's fall. The goal of parachutes is to make falling safe, essentially. Their role is further emphasized by Finny's injury from the fall, and how his entire war career was ended. Mr. Hadley thinks that the Parachute Riggers' School should have no place in the war as it isn't a courageous and "manly" exploit, but in reality, it can be a crucial aspect in times of war and conflict.
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