If Finny had survived his operation I think he and Gene could have remained friends. Finny forgave Gene when Gene visited him in the infirmary: “I believe you. It’s okay because I understand and I believe you. You’ve already shown me and I believe you” (191). The scene is tear-filled and emotional, so Finny definitely meant what he said. Though their friendship was, admittedly, broken, Finny had forgiven Gene and Gene wasn’t as burdened by his guilt, so the friendship was not beyond repair. Their friendship had always been very complex, and nowhere near ideal, though Finny never noticed it. They seemed to be the best of pals, but under that facade, Gene envied Finny and thought Finny was trying to compete with him, and Finny never really understood Gene. After that heart-to-heart in the infirmary, they could have devolped scarred, but even more meaningful friendship.
Do you agree?
I agree that if Finny had survived, they would have stayed friends. Obviously, they have been through a lot and their friendship has had a lot of ups and downs, but they have shown themselves that they can't be separated. Finny had been trying to avoid the talk about what happened in the tree because maybe, he was afraid it would do bad things to their relationship. After the truth came out, he realized that although hearing what he did did change how he viewed Gene, he would never change how he felt about him. He believed him and their friendship was too strong for them to just end up strangers again.
ReplyDeleteI believe that their friendship could go either way depending on how Gene handled this situation. If Gene were to come clean with what he did and admit everything, I believe that they could more or less stay friends. However, if Gene continued to be defensive and kept avoiding questions about what happened, I don't think that their friendship would have continued. Finny is a pretty nice and reasonable person, and would be quick to accept an apology that Gene offered. However, if Gene handled this in the same way he handled other problems, things wouldn't turn out very well. Finny already was suspicious of Gene, but gave him benefit of the doubt. After hearing him lie for a second time, he probably wouldn't take the same excuses.
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