Question 5: 5) Why does Finny react the way he does? What is really going on with him?

Finny acts the way he does because he had a feeling that Gene was the one who really pushed him out of the tree, yet Gene denied it ever since the incident in Boston. When Leper came out and proved that this is true, Finny was hurt that Gene wouldn't tell him the truth even though he tried to back in Boston. On page 172, it says, ".... and then the two of us started to climb....he broke off" (Knowles 172). This quote shows how Finny was questioning his own memory. He had the feeling that he was with Gene on the limb when he fell, but he thought that Gene would never do that to him. When Leper shows up and clears the facts, Finny isn't just upset, but he is hurt and sad. He is sad because his "best friend" had told him that he didn't push him out of the tree, and that they were both just confused (Gene said this to Finny back at Finny's home in Boston). Gene had openly lied to Finny's face and once Finny realized this, he was crushed.


Do you think that Gene should have tried to tell Finny the truth, even if Finny didn't want to believe it? Why do you think Brinker is so obsessed in finding out what really happened to Finny?