Assignment #4 (Pg. 61-71) : Briefly explain Gene’s visit to the infirmary. How does Finny act? Why? Does this feel “realistic”? How does Gene’s visit impact Finny? (Graham)

After Gene breaks Finny’s leg in chapter 4, he is overcome with guilt as he knows that he has severely injured his best friend. Sometime after the incident, Dr. Stanpole tells Gene that Finny could see visitors, and tells him to go visit Finny. However, in his encounter with the doctor, Gene learns that Finny’s fall was so bad that he wouldn’t be able to continue playing sports. At this moment, Gene's guilt grows even bigger, as he realized that he had robbed his best friend of his passion. As his guilt hits him, he says, “I grabbed my head, finger digging into my skin, and thinking to be kind, put his hand on my shoulder. At his touch I lost all hope of controlling myself.”(Knowles, 64) After learning of his friend's dire condition, Gene enters Finny's room. Although Finny attempts to make light of the incident, Gene automatically asks questions in an attempt to jog Finny’s memory. He asks questions such as, “What happened there at the tree?” and “How did you fall?” as if he didn’t already know the answer. It’s pretty obvious that he’s trying to see if Finny remembers what happened. For a moment, it seems like Finny had a slight notion that Gene may have been the cause of his fall but he quickly dismisses that idea. This shows how strong the bond between Gene and Finny is, as Finny couldn’t imagine Gene doing something like making him fall off the tree. Another interesting part of their discussion is how they interacted with one another. Although this book is set back in the 1940s, their discussion in the infirmary seemed very realistic for two people our age and I could imagine it going down exactly like this in real life. Although Finny was drugged during the time they were talking, he was still his bright and cheerful self. On the other hand, Gene seemed distressed and defensive, such as someone may act while confronting the person they wronged. Also, Gene ended up not confessing to Finny about what really happened, which I imagine most people around their age would not do. 

Do you think Finny knows that Gene made him fall? How would Finny react if he found out? If you were Gene, would you have had the guts to confess?