Chapters 7 and 8 Points to Ponder

Chapters 7 and 8 – Points to Ponder

Characterize Brinker Hadley. How does Gene regard him? Why is his character important in these chapters?

Likeable—Blunt—Finny without the charm—smart—focused/persistent/egoistic—hub of the class—patriotic—matter of fact—funny—typical prep school boy—sees the outside world—gives in to fight v. adulthood—opinionated—likes to test people—foil to finny—looks athletic but is not

Importance

Tries to pull gene into adult world with the enlisting thing

Accomplishes the same things as finny but with contrasting ways of doing it

Now characterize Leper. Why is his character important in these chapters?

Oblivious to war—naturalist—spacey—nerd—very nice—timid—picked on—scared—dislikes downhill skiing(enjoy things slowly as they pass)—dowsnt care what others think—consumed in his own world

Importance

Provides contrast to brinker about the war

What is the significance of the scene in the Butt Room? Gene says that he brought the unmixed hatred of the other student upon himself, but it was a small price to pay for his escape. Were you ever involved in, or have you ever observed, that kind of interaction in a group? Explain.

Gene is put on trial—he has to sacrafice the relationship with the other kid to save himself—we see how Brinker operates—gene has a bad guilt

This is a pretty normal operation in groups

Discuss the symbolic significance of the seasons in these chapters. (Note the description of the snow on p. 93. How does the snow function as a metaphor? What does Finny claim to “love winter”? Why doesn’t winter “love him”?)

Summer is innocene youth and happiness

Winter is strict rules, coldness and aloneness, sadness

Snow shows indecisiveness and cloudy vision of the future

Finny loves winter, he wants to be an adult, but as an adult he cannot function

How does the war affect the characters in these chapters? (Reread the passage describing the arrival of the troop train. How do the boys react?)

They want to be primed and proper like the troops, they look like heroes to the boys

Quackenbush wants to finish high school

Gene is on the fence for enlisting—he sees the war as a new start

Brinker wants to enlist

Think about how clothes function as a metaphor. (Remember when Gene put on Finny’s clothing? Why did he do that? When? Where else has clothing been mentioned?) Reread the passages on p. 100 and p. 103 describing Gene’s clothing. What is the significance of these passages? (How do they contribute to the clothing metaphors that we’ve already seen?)

Clothes show a persons inner character on the outside by their choice in clothes, that is why Gene becomes finny when he puts his clothes on

All groups: Discuss the effects of Finny’s return. What do you think Finny means when he says,“What I mean is, when you really love something, then it loves you back, in whatever way it has to love” (p. 111)

If you love something strong enough—it has to at least acknowledge that, and probably be greatful, so there really is no fully unrequited love.

Chapters 7 and 8 – Points to Ponder

Characterize Brinker Hadley. How does Gene regard him? Why is his character important in these chapters?

---He is smart

---He is focused/persistent

---He is self-centered

---He is the “hub of the class” which means he joins the separate groups together

---He comprehends the outside world

---He is eager (tries to be first in some areas, like enlisting) (wants to be an adult)

---He is a politician

---He is likeable

---He is “matter of fact”

---He is suggestive

---Gene regards him as being eager, smart, and focused.

---Gene thinks he is likeable, but not lovable.

---Brinker and Finny are foils. He is Finny without the charm.

---He is an intellectual Finny.

---He is an “official leader,” unlike Finny.

Now characterize Leper. Why is his character important in these chapters?

---Very spacey

---He is not assertive

---He is made fun of

---He cares about nature, and not about the war

---He is a “naturalist”

---He’s a loner

---Doesn’t care much about what others think about him.

---Cautious/scared

---He provides a contrast to Brinker.

What is the significance of the scene in the Butt Room? Gene says that he brought the unmixed hatred of the other student upon himself, but it was a small price to pay for his escape. Were you ever involved in, or have you ever observed, that kind of interaction in a group? Explain.

---Gene is being “put on trial”

---Gene reacts with sarcasm

---Gene is being tested on how he feels about what happened in the tree

---We learn about how Brinker Hadley “operates”

---Well, I hang out with my friends more than anyone, and we wouldn’t try to press on sensitive issues of each other like that, but then again, Brinker didn’t know that it was a sensitive issue. I’ve never been in a situation like that where one of us has had to pull someone down to relieve pressure on himself.

Discuss the symbolic significance of the seasons in these chapters. (Note the description of the snow on p. 93. How does the snow function as a metaphor? Why does Finny claim to “love winter”? Why doesn’t winter “love him”?)

---The snow is blocking his view of the future, paralleling his indecisiveness of what will happen and what he will do

---The fall is the transfer from summer to winter. The leaves are falling from the trees.

---Summer is freedom and happiness; innocence and childhood.

---Winter is the adult world. In it, there are no leaves on the trees.

---Finny claims to “love winter” because he craves a sense of freedom, like he executes as a child, and he believes he will have more as an adult.

---Winter doesn’t love Finny because, in a present sense, it’s hard for him to function in it because of the crutches and ice and everything, which is related to how the winter is the adult world, and it doesn’t like him because Finny won’t be able to function properly in it because of his “free-spiritedness.”

How does the war affect the characters in these chapters? (Reread the passage describing the arrival of the troop train. How do the boys react?)

---The boys are surprised that it is a troop train

---Quackenbush reacts with determination. He is going to enlist after high school.

---Gene reacts in an indecisive way and is “on the fence” between enlisting and not enlisting, until Finny pulls him over to not enlisting.

---Brinker reacts by acting eager and excited, but is suspect that he just can’t handle waiting, and is actually very afraid, and to deal with this, he acts courageous and will enlist himself without being drafted.

Think about how clothes function as a metaphor. (Remember when Gene put on Finny’s clothing? Why did he do that? When? Where else has clothing been mentioned?) Reread the passages on p. 100 and p. 103 describing Gene’s clothing. What is the significance of these passages? (How do they contribute to the clothing metaphors that we’ve already seen?)

---The clothing represents the feelings of the characters

---Gene puts on Finny’s cloths because he wants to fill that empty gap during his absence

---Clothing is mentioned before and right after the shoveling of snow at the train station

---These passages both show characteristics about Gene and Leper, but also show that Finny wants people not to wear much “clothing,” which means that he wants people to be honest and who they really are

---The return surprises everyone

---There is not as much joy as you might think, probably because of the injury

---His mood doesn’t seem to have changed.

---Gene closer to acceptance of what he did to Finny.

---When Finny says this, he means that no love is unreturned, no matter what way it is returned in.

Chapters 7 and 8 – Points to Ponder

Characterize Brinker Hadley. How does Gene regard him? Why is his character important in these chapters?

Brinker is very smart and intelligent. According to Gene he has a nice butt. He’s an over achiever and is convinced that Gene pushed Phineas off the tree. This makes his role in the chapter very important because he is the first to accuse Gene of pushing Phineas off the tree.

Now characterize Leper. Why is his character important in these chapters?

Leper is very quiet and keeps to himself. He is really weird. He pushes the war away from him as far as he can. He has an optimistic feel and enjoys nature. His choice to not participate in the railroad work upset some of the boys and makes them want to enlist.

What is the significance of the scene in the Butt Room? Gene says that he brought the unmixed hatred of the other student upon himself, but it was a small price to pay for his escape. Were you ever involved in, or have you ever observed, that kind of interaction in a group? Explain.

It shows that he does whatever he can to get out of stressful situations. Brinker’s butt represents his brain and his ego. All three are very large. No.

Discuss the symbolic significance of the seasons in these chapters. (Note the description of the snow on p. 93. How does the snow function as a metaphor? What does Finny claim to “love winter”? Why doesn’t winter “love him”?)

Leper is hiding from the snow and the war. The winter/snow represents war. Finny is summer and says that he loves winter, but winter does not love him back because he is on crutches.

How does the war affect the characters in these chapters? (Reread the passage describing the arrival of the troop train. How do the boys react?)

The war forces Leper into hiding. The war makes Finny mad and he won’t accept that there is a war. The shoveling snow for the troop train makes Brinker want to join the war. Gene, being the follower that he is, follows Brinker but when Finny comes back Gene follows Finny.

Think about how clothes function as a metaphor. (Remember when Gene put on Finny’s clothing? Why did he do that? When? Where else has clothing been mentioned?) Reread the passages on p. 100 and p. 103 describing Gene’s clothing. What is the significance of these passages? (How do they contribute to the clothing metaphors that we’ve already seen?)

The clothes represent the people. When Gene takes Finny’s clothes its like he’s becoming Finny and he feels like he’s Finny. Finny takes control over Gene again when he tells Gene that his clothes are terrible.

All groups:Discuss the effects of Finny’s return. What do you think Finny means when he says,“What I mean is, when you really love something, then it loves you back, in whatever way it has to love” (p. 111)

I think it means that when you’re passionate about something then hopefully it will love the person back as much as they love it. As in whatever u put into something the same comes out. For example, if one strides towards being the best at cycling then the more they like cycling the better they will be and it’ll seem easier and like it is loving you back.

Chapters 7 and 8 – Points to Ponder

Characterize Brinker Hadley. How does Gene regard him? Why is his character important in these chapters?
Everyone likes him including Gene
Funny
The hub of the class
Typical preparatory school boy
Facial features all straight lines
6 feet tall
Busy with politics
Sees outside world and gives into fight against adulthood
Accuses Gene, half jokingly, of getting rid of Finny to have the room to himself
Egocentric (Butt Room scene)--guilt; how serious is he?
Defined not over exaggerated butt (salient buttocks) ego?
Like Finny, but without charm (foils with Finny)
Looks athletic but is not (vs. Finny)
More aware of the wars presence
Likes to test people

Now characterize Leper. Why is his character important in these chapters?

Oblivious to whatever comes
untouched with outside world/society
opposite of Brinker
doesn’t follow the crowd (didn’t sign up for shoveling snow like everyone else)
likes to draw
different from everyone else
loves nature
consumed with his own thoughts
naturalist
innocent
Doesn’t care about war?
Contrasts Brinker
Enjoy surroundings/life
Timid
Weak?
Doesn’t care about what others think (or doesn’t realize what others think)
Observes nature
skiis

What is the significance of the scene in the Butt Room? Gene says that he brought the unmixed hatred of the other student upon himself, but it was a small price to pay for his escape. Were you ever involved in, or have you ever observed, that kind of interaction in a group? Explain.
“Mary told me that I was wearing an ugly shirt, and then everyone laughed at me. Laney chimed dissing me and my shirt. Then I came back made fun of Laney and her ugly shirt and so everyone stopped laughing at me and laughed at Laney.”—I hurt my relationship with Laney to escape the embarrassment that was put on me by Mary.

Discuss the symbolic significance of the seasons in these chapters. (Note the description of the snow on p. 93. How does the snow function as a metaphor? Why does Finny claim to “like winter”? Why doesn’t winter “love him”?)
Summer- Finny represents summer because it is the carefree season where the boys have fun.
Winter- On page 93 Gene reflects on how the snow first came only to melt away the next day. However the next time it snowed, it doesn’t melt. Snow comes again the next day on top of the previous layer and creates a smooth blanket over the earth.
Finny says that he likes winter maybe because he is happy to be back at Devon and he comes back right before winter. Gene says that winter does not love Finny because there are always ice patches on the ground which could easily make Finny fall.

How does the war affect the characters in these chapters? (Reread the passage describing the arrival of the troop train. How do the boys react?)
The war affects the characters because there are limits on what they have to eat. Some of the food they used to have is very rare because of the war and so they are not able to have it anymore. They are also paid to do hard work like shoveling snow and other jobs they weren’t used to doing. The maids were also gone. The boys were required to make their own beds and do their own chores that the maids usually did.
When the troop train came, the characters were surprised. They saw all of the boys who weren’t much older than them and they didn’t know what to say. The troops looked like an elite with their clean uniforms. The boys might have gotten the wrong idea of what the troops were getting themselves into.

Think about how clothes function as a metaphor. (Remember when Gene put on Finny’s clothing? Why did he do that? When? Where else has clothing been mentioned?) Reread the passages on p. 100 and p. 103 describing Gene’s clothing. What is the significance of these passages? (How do they contribute to the clothing metaphors that we’ve already seen?)
Gene tried on Finny’s clothes when Finny was still gone because he tries to get the feel of Finny again. He attempts to feel normal or at least feel something like Finny when he tries on the clothes.
When Gene relates his clothing to enlisting in the war, he points out that enlisting in the war is like leaving all of your past behind and changing everything you know about life. Gene talks about how he would be leaving the conventional blue and white behind just like he would leave his life at Devon behind and lead a new, very different life at war.
Finny criticizes Gene’s clothes when he first arrives at Devon. Gene was wearing some dirty, boring-colored clothes that he had just been working in. I think this can relate to when Gene is talking about enlisting and he says that he will leave the conventional colors behind and be left with the boring khaki. I think the khaki color can somehow represent war/enlisting. When Gene walked into the room, he was wearing boring-colored clothes. Since Finny doesn’t believe in a war, maybe he didn’t like the colors that Gene was wearing because they related with the war.

When Finny returns, Gene says that peace has returned to Devon. Somehow, things have returned to normal with Finny there. Even though everything has changed, there is still a sense of familiarity when Finny is there at Devon. Gene feels much more comfortable and at home when Finny comes.
When Finny says that, he is talking about winter. Everyone shows their love in different ways, so even though a person who loves you doesn’t seem like they love you, they may just be showing their love in different ways than you would imagine. Some people also have a hard time showing their love, so they might express it in ways that may appear that they hate you when its actually the complete opposite.

Chapters 7 and 8 – Points to Ponder