Friday, March 11, 2011
Question of the Week (3/11/11)
Write a brief summary and a brief analysis of chapter 10 or 11. Think about the symbols, motifs, and themes prevalent in the chapter. Does the reader find out anything new about a character? If so, what? How does it add to the overall plot line? Use passages and quotes (in proper MLA format) from the text to enliven your work. Remember to comment on another students post for full credit. Enjoy your weekend.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
In chapter 10 Gene meets Leper at the "Christmas Location", or Leper's house in Vermont. There Gene learns that Leper has deserted the army. They have a small fight and then Gene gets mad and kicks down Leper's chair. Then the two go for a walk and Leper tells Gene about how if he had stayed he would have been tagged as insane and he wouldn't have been able to find a job after the war. Then Leper tells Gene about his hallucinations. Gene, highly disturbed, runs away into the fields.
ReplyDeleteAnalysis- I think that Leper's hallucinations represent the fears that every young adolescent at Devon had about the war.
In Chapter 11 Gene arrives back at Devon in the middle of a snowball fight organized by Finny. Finny is playing too, and Gene asks if he should be on his foot. Gene says he can already feel the bones healing. After a while all of the boys at Devon enlist in particularly safe positions in the war. Brinker then talks to Gene about confronting Finny in order to make himself "accept" it. That night, Brinker takes Gene and Finny into the assembly hall in order to investigate the cause of Finny's accident.Finny and Gene agree that Gene was at the bottom of the tree when he fell. But then Finny remembers that he had suggested a "double jump". Gene has a hard time linking the now, two different stories together. After Brinker says that it would be a good idea to find Leper, Finny says he saw him in the principals office. Leper admits to seeing "someone" shaking the branch and the other falling. Then, when Leper refuses to tell what happened, Finny leaves in tears and falls down the stairs.
Analysis- I think that this "trail" was a symbol for the victory of the summer session over the winter session. As if evil has won over good. As is the war to the boys. The war is the evil but it will eventually overcome them all.
~Austin
In Chapter 10, Gene travels to Vermont to chat with Leper about his time in the war. After being with Leper for a few minutes, he realizes that he's crazy. Leper says some stupid things to Gene, which results in a fight between the two. This is broken up awkwardly by Lepers mom. Once things have cooled down, Gene and Leper go for a walk so Gene can get the full story on Lepers wartime. Once Leper goes into detail about his crazy hallucinations, Gene gets very scared and runs away, saying that he's never going to be involved in the army.
ReplyDeleteAnalysis- I think that Lepers hallucinations are affecting Gene so much because he's worried that his guilt for lying about Finnys accident will make him crazy just like the war did to Leper.
In Chapter 11, Gene has returned to school, and engages in a short snowball fight with the other boys. Life passes normally at Devon for a while, until Brinker corners Gene and says that he wants to get to the bottom of this "accident business" once and for all. Late that night, Gene and Finny are dragged to the First Building for a "hearing" about the accident. After a long time of interrogation, including a testimony from Leper, Finny rushes out of the room completely disgusted. On the way down the stairs, people hear him fall for the second time.
Analysis- The latin inscription on the wall is a important symbol, mainly because it relates to the theme of moving from childhood to adulthood. It also represents the events that take place in the first building. It is in there that Gene realizes the adult thing to do would be to admit he intentionally hurt Finny and apologize. The scene where Gene is translating Latin with Finny is a scene that was included in my opinion to show how much their friendship grew, regardless of the deception and hardships. This is sort of the last true scene showing the friendship between the two, and I feel like thats why it was put in there.
Austin, I agree that Lepers hallucinations are related to the war, but your analysis doesn't really show how Gene evolved as a character in these chapters.
In chapter 10, Gene goes to Vermont and meets Leper at his house, arranged as the "christmas location"(137). He talks to Leper, who explains that he is AWOL from the Army after the threat of a Section Eight dishonorable discharge. Leper says that Gene crippled Finny, so Gene knocks him out of his chair and ends up staying for lunch with Leper's mother. Afterwards, Leper shares details of his insanity with Gene, who yells "I don't care what happened to you, Leper"(151) and leaves.
ReplyDeleteThis shows a deepening in Leper's character. At the beginning of the story, Leper was a minor character, an awkward alcove to the boy's group. As Gene said, "With Leper it was always a fight… to avoid making fun of him" (96). But towards the end his character has begun to develop. He is a gentle person, who is appreciative of nature, and was unable to handle the pressures of Army life. He drifted off into insanity, having no calming influence of the forest to keep him anchored. This poor boy could not handle becoming a man; this section expands on one of the greater themes of the story : transition to adulthood. Leper failed the transition, and perhaps this is why Gene was so uneasy: he fears that he will do the same.
Clark,
I think you have a valid point about Leper's hallucinations affecting Gene, but I don't think that this is the main reason reacted so strongly. His reaction does come from a fear that he will go crazy like Leper, but it will not be because of guilt. It is a basic insecurity, shared by all of the boys at school, that they will not make the cut.
-James
In chapter 10, Gene was walking through the snow to the location on Leper’s note, the “Christmas location” (137). Gene makes a conclusion that Leper has escaped from spies, but when he gets there, Leper explains that the army was going to give him a section 8 discharge, for the insane people in the army. Leper accuses Gene of pushing Finny out of the tree, and Gene gets mad and kicks a chair over. They then go outside and Leper vents to Gene more. After a while, Gene gets sick of it and leaves.
ReplyDeleteLeper’s hallucinations are a symbol for what the war is doing to the rest of the population, in my opinion. People are not sure what to do or think of the war, just like Leper sees men faces turning into women faces. Some people, like Finny was in the beginning of the story, don’t even think that there is a war going on, because it is too hard to believe because it was overseas. When Leper sees other things turning into severed arms and legs, that sends one of the main themes of the story, war. It makes the idea sink in more.
James, I agree with the things you said, just not the main idea of them. I don’t think that Leper going insane deepens his character in his own mind. It may give him a bigger part in the story, but him going crazy shows his actual personality switching around completely, not deepening.
Ethan
In chapter 11 Gene returns to Devon after being scared off by Leper's description of the war and the effect that it has had on him. Once he gets to the school he is immediately immersed into schoolboy life, as his classmates are involved in a snowball fight. Life goes back to the way it was until Brinker, as curious as ever, brings Gene and Finny out of their beds to the First Building so that they can get to the bottom of Finny's accident once and for all. A horrible investigation ensues, they even bring Leper to testify as the only witness. However all of it is too much for Finny who runs out of the room and tumbles down the marble steps.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter explains why, at the beginning, the marble staircase was included in the two places that Gene was most scared to see. It is the place where Finny gets hurt (again) and where the accident that brings on greater consequences took place. During the investigation we see Gene being overcome with the guilt of jouncing the limb. We also, for the first time, see Finny having some interest in the matter as he was the one who suggested bringing in Leper. Also in the chapter there was a scene where (when life was back to normal) Gene translates Latin about Ceasar and Brutis. I think that this was included because it is parallel to Gene and Finny who are also good friends, one of whom harms the other.
Clark, I agree with what you said about the significance of the Latin inscription above the doors and how it symbolizes a change from boys to men.
In Chapter 11 Gene returns from Leper’s house and immediately gets wound up into a snowball fight. In this part you have two opposing sides, Gene and Finny’s band vs. Brinker and the others. Then Finny ends up betraying his side and joins the other team. Afterwards everyone gains up on Finny. This is a metaphor for Gene and Finny’s relationship, first it’s all fun and games, and then Finny displays competitive characteristics even if they aren’t intended poorly. Things (in real life) begin to get a little dicey with Finny’s fall and we start to question their bond. When everyone gains up on Finny this resembles the scene in the Assembly Hall, everyone attacking him with questions and painful realities that end up with him, defeated.
ReplyDeleteIn the middle of the chapter Gene translates Finny’s school book to him, he talks about Caesar and his history. The fact that Caesar was killed by a man that was so close to him, they were considered brothers, is foreshadowing and re-stating the dark and complicated relationship they have.
Later in the chapter, Brinker comes into Gene and Finny’s room and roughly drags them somewhere “We’re taking you out,”…”You’ll see. Get them” (165). Finny and Gene wind up in a dark and poorly acoustical room and start being questioned about Finny’s fall by Brinker and others. Leper is brought onto the scene because he was a witness when the fall happened and Finny says he saw him today, “After a long time he turned and reluctantly looked at me. I did not return his look or move or speak. Then at last Finny straightened from this prayerful position slowly, as though it was painful for him. “Leper’s here” (172). This was painful for Finny because he had to prove to himself that Gene was innocent, he had to believe that they could still be friends because it was growing to look doubtful. Leper has grown to be slightly crazy and acts like a psycho, “Leper smiled waggishly” (175). Leper doesn’t give the whole story but he tells enough so Finny rushes out of the room crying and ends up falling and re breaking his leg. This is the injury that causes his death.
This Chapter is one of the most important in the book. It is the moment when the truth is revealed to Finny and others at Devon, that Gene is guilty of Finny’s fall. This Chapter is also when Finny realizes that the war is real. He realizes it when he sees Leper hiding and displaying obvious signs of insanity, “then I knew there was a real war on” (164). Overall this Chapter is one of enlightenment and great pain for Finny and Gene.
James I agree with yourpoints on Leper and how he has grown from the shy, natureloving boy, to a slightly crazy boy. I also find you points about why Gene left (because he feared he too would fail the transition to adulthood) to be very interesting. I have never seen it that way and I agree with you.
In chapter 11, Gene comes back to Devon to find Finny having a snowball fight. Later, Gene reads a translation of Caesar to Finny, for Latin class. Brinker comes takes Gene and Finny to the First Building, where there is an inscription in Latin which reads “Here Boys Come to Be Made Men” (165). Gene thinks it is a prank, but it becomes clear that it is a trial. At one point, Brinker says that Leper could have cleared the whole thing up. For the first time, Finny demonstrates that he wants to know the truth. “After a long time he turned and reluctantly looked at me… ‘Leper’s here,’ he said with a voice so quiet, and with such quiet unconscious dignity” (172). Leper is brought in, and recounts the scene. This becomes too much for Finny, and he gets up and starts to leave. Brinker tries to stop him, and this makes Finny so distressed, he leaves crying. He then falls down the marble stairs.
ReplyDeleteIn this chapter, we learn that Finny wanted to know the truth, but was hesitant. Learning that Gene had intentionally knocked him out of the tree would mean that his friend had betrayed him. This goes against Finny’s beliefs. In his world, everything is good, similar to how, in his mind, there are only winners in sports. Gene has also been ignoring the truth about the accident, for Finny’s sake. There is also a similarity between Finny and Caeser, because Caeser had been killed as a result of others being jealous of him. This is similar to how Gene felt about Finny, that he lived in his shadow.
Clark, I agree with you on how the inscription shows the transformation from childhood to adulthood, and I also think that it is where Finny becomes more of an adult, because he wanted to know the truth. Facing the truth would also make him face reality.
After visiting Leper, Gene returns to Devon in chapter 11 and finds a bunch of the seniors, including Finny, involved in a snowball fight. After the fight, Gene tells them what has happened to Leper and then their regular school life takes over and Gene translates Finny's Latin homework about Caesar for him. One night when Finny and Gene are already in bed, Brinker and some of his friends come and force them to go to the First building with them. Above them a Latin inscription reads Here Boys Come to Be Made Men. When they go inside, there is a trial set up. There are gathered to find out the truth about what happened the night of Finny's accident. They interrogate Gene and Finny about it before bringing in Leper who was the only other witness. Leper clears up any confusion when he said, "The one holding on to the trunk sank for a second, up and down like a piston, and then the other one sank and fell"(176). This gave Brinker clear evidence of what happened and that Gene was the one who caused Finny to lose his balance. After hearing this, Finny rushes out of the room and then clumsily falls down the marble stairs.
ReplyDeleteThe latin inscription also incoportates the theme of growing up. Many things in the book so far have revolved around the same theme of the change from being children to adults. This is another way the author incorporates this theme.
Going into the room, Finny was in denial. By the end he has realized the truth and is starting to accept it. This is all part of the process of becoming more mature. This chapter is very important because it reveals the truth to Finny.
I agree with Lena that Finny also shows more maturity when he suggests to have Leper testify in order to find out the truth. He could have stayed in denial to keep his friendship with Gene. Instead, he wants to find away to accept it rather than to ignore it like he did before.
In chapter eleven Brinker brings Finny and Gene to an investigation of Finny’s accident. Finny refuses to tell them that he fell because Gene jounced the limb they were standing on. Instead he calls on Leper. Leper does not give Gene away either. He tells them that he saw two dark shapes on the limb but he does not know which one was which. This shows that both Finny and Leper are trying to back Gene up. They both do not want Brinker knowing that it was Gene who pushed Finny out of the tree. When Leper starts insulting Brinker, Finny runs out saying that he does not care and he falls down the marble stairs. Finny and Leper both turn against Brinker to prevent Gene from getting accused of pushing Finny out of the tree even though they both know the truth. This shows that they would rather have Gene as a friend rather than Brinker. Another important detail is the marble staircase. At the beginning of the book these stairs were one of the two things that Gene wanted to see. These marble stairs show where the investigation ended where Gene was not accused of pushing Finny out of the tree. These stairs also show where Finny fell. They are the two places where he his leg got injured. Both accidents had to do with Gene. The tree is the place where it all started and the stairs are the place where it all ended. These two symbols are important throughout the book. These are the two places where their friendship took a turn for the worse, along with Finny’s leg.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Eileen that the inscription reading Here Boys Come to Be Made Men is important. Finny goes there to find out the truth about what happened on the tree that day. But he does not become a man because he falls down the stairs. I think this shows that Finny was not ready to hear this information.
In Chapter 10 Gene takes a snowy journey to Leper's "Christmas location" in Vermont. When Gene arrives, Leper explains his time in the army and how he escaped before receiving a Section Eight discharge. After, he claims that in fact, Gene was the one who sent Finny to his potential death. Gene reacted strongly to this, knocking Leper out of his chair. Leper's mom runs in and scolds Gene, for which he is apologetic. Despite the incident, Leper insists Gene stay for lunch. Following lunch, Leper tells Gene his sob story of hallucinations and Gene runs off.
ReplyDeleteAnalysis- Gene was terrified after visiting with Leper. I believe his strong reaction towards Leper's accusation was due to built up guilt. Also, he's afraid that by carrying this gray cloud of regret that he will turn into Leper, a psychotic mess. Gene is having trouble facing the truth.
Ethan- I never thought of the chapter in that way. You have some great points! I definitely agree that the effects war are starting to sink in and that "peace" that Gene has with Finny will start to fade again. Nice job!
-Sumner
In chapter 10 Gene journeys out to Vermont to see Leper at his house or the “Christmas location”. When he arrives he sees Leper in the window and proceeds to enter the house and starts to have a conversation with Leper. He soon finds out that what Leper meant be “escaped” in his telegram actually means that he deserted the army. Leper tells him that this was because he was going crazy and was going to be given a section eight discharge, which is reserved for those who are mentally unfit to serve. Leper also accuses Gene of making Finny fall off the tree. This causes Gene to kick the chair that Leper was sitting on over. They later go outside where Leper tells him exactly what he saw in the army that made him go crazy. This proves to be too much for Gene, who runs away because he can’t take any more of it.
ReplyDeleteDuring this chapter much was revealed to Gene about one of the main themes in this book, war. Before Leper enlisted he was always the quiet social outcast; but after his time in the military he is a different person who is crazy. I think that it is in this chapter that Gene understands what war can do: “For if Leper was psycho it was the army that had done it to him, and I and all of us were on the brink of the army” (144). This profound change in Leper is what causes Gene to run away and leave one of his friends after realizing the atrocities of war. One of the many symbols in this chapter is the man coughing next to Leper. I think that this symbolizes the sickness that overcame many people in the military, with this and Leper leaving as evidence of it. This may add later to the plot line because Leper was witness to Finny’s accident.
Sumner- I totally agree with you. It may also be his regret that makes him runaway from Leper, not just the war. This is a new way to see why he ran away; I hadn’t thought of this before.
In chapter 10, Gene travels up to Vermont in response to Lepper's telegram that insisted on help from Gene. Gene goes to Lepper's house and at the beginning they start to talk about the differences between the war and everyday life. Lepper talks about how everything at his camp was so different and out of normal; such as eating meals in different places rather than in the dinning room everyday. Then Lepper starts to say some pointless things to Gene that results in a fight between the two. Lepper's mom comes down the stairs and breaks up the fight, and once the fight had been broken up, they all had lunch together. Lepper's mom suggested that they should take a walk after lunch and agreeing with her idea, they both decided to go on the walk. While on the walk, Lepper tells Gene everything that happened to him at the army and his hallucinations. After listening for a while, Gene gets really upset and screams at Lepper to shut up. After screaming at him, he rans back to Devon.
ReplyDeleteAnalysis- I think that Gene did not want to hear that going to the army will make you crazy. He was really upset to hear about Gene's hallucinations and craziness are affecting Gene because he is scared that Finny's accident will make him go crazy just like the war did to Lepper.
In chapter 11, Gene returns to devon to find Finny and some other kids having a snowball fight. He is happy to be back to something that is normal and his life becomes normal for a while, until Brinker and some of his friends arrange a court scene where they want to get Gene to admit to what he had done; that he caused Finny's accident. Lepper is brought in as a witness to the court scene and he begins to get really close to the truth, but then decided that he did not want to confess anymore because he knows when his information might cause an argument or a fight. Finny gets really upset an rushes out of the room. He ends up falling down the stairs on his way out.
Analysis- While they were entering the building, where the court scene was held, he talks about a message that is inscribed above the door that says something about boys turning into men. I think this is important because if Gene had told the truth he would have been considered mature for having told the truth even though it might of had some consequences.
I agree with Clark about the scene where Gene is translating Latin with Gene is probably the last scene where it shows the true friendship between to two.
In chapter 10, Gene travels to Leper’s house in Vermont, after receiving a message from him asking Gene to met him at the “Christmas location”, which means Leper’s house. When he is telling this part of the story, Gene also explains how this related to the rest of his war experiences and how he was always walking around and never actually fighting. This can symbolize how Gene feels right now, because currently he feels confused and lost, and doesn’t know exactly where is is going. He gets to Leper’s house and finds him in the dining home. They get in a fight over what exactly Leper meant when he said he had escaped. Leper explained that he was going to get a Section 8 Discharge and wanted to escape before that happened. Then Leper accuses Gene for pushing Finny out of the tree, which makes Gene mad enough to kick Leper out of his chair. His mother gets mad, although after dinner she lets them go on a walk together. Here Leper explained how when he was in the army he kept on imagining things, and didn’t want to go and fight. Gene says he doesn’t care and runs away. This chapter proves Leper to be somewhat similar to Gene. Both of them find themselves in situation in which they can not control themselves, and end up doing or imaging things that they don’t want to. This chapter may foreshadow future problems and incidents for both of the boys, especially now since Gene has realized that someone else might now what he did to Finny. Gene is probably getting very worried by now about joining the army and figuring out what to do about Finny.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lena that in chapter 11 Gene ignoring the truth about what he did to Finny is not a good thing. Now he can’t let it go and neither will others, such as Brinker. If Gene told the truth from the start, worse things may not have happened.
In chapter 10 Gene goes to Lepers house in Vermont because he got a letter saying that "I HAVE ESCAPED AND NEED HELP. I AM AT MY CHRISTMAS LOCATION. (137) The christmas location refers to his house. On the way to Lepers house Gene talks about his experiences in the army and how that they all seemed to start that one day when he went to Lepers house. Gene's experiences included a lot of marching through unknown places around the world. His march to Lepers house is also a long march through unknown territory. These both can relate to his feeling of being lost and unaware of whats going on around him. When he gets to Lepers house, Leper is waiting for him looking out the window, when Gene comes inside they go into the dinning room and talk about army stuff. Leper says that he couldn't stand the army and says that they called him a "psycho" this is a word that Gene has never heard before and instantly doesn't like it. He doesn't like it because it seems that it isn't a nice word and they should just say screw lose or another nicer word. Leper and Gene also talk about Gene jouncing Finny out of the tree, Gene gets angry at him and yells at him. Leper says that inside Gene is a savage but his mom says that inside he is a nice boy, but Gene says to himself "Leper was closer to the truth."(146) He is thinking to himself I actually am a bad person underneath, but I have the entire world fooled, except for Leper. He can't deal with hiding everything from everyone it is starting to tear him apart and he hates that feeling of Hatred.
ReplyDeleteI agree with James about the fact that Leper has grown up. All the characters have gown up especially Leper and Gene.
In chapter ten, Gene goes to visit Leper at the "Christmas location" (137). While in Lepers house Leper explains that he ran away from the army because they were going to give him a section eight discharge. The two of them go for a walk and Leper starts talking about hallucinations that he had while in the army. "he changed into a woman, I was looking at him as close as I'm looking at you and his face changed into a woman's face and I started to yell for everyone would see it too" (150). This is what Leper was explaining to Gene. Gene turned around and left because he didn't want to hear any of what Leper was saying.
ReplyDeleteI think that this is very important because it shows that the was is real and that it can has a devastating affect on people. Leper was himself when he left the Devon Academy, but when he returned he was completely different. The war is very serious and can have a major impact on you.
I agree with Annalee that both Leper and Gene find themselves in situations that they cannot control themselves in. It is a good point that Gene is probably very worried that other people know that it was him that caused Finny to fall from the tree. Good Job.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 10 Gene unexpectedly receives a note from Leper saying he escaped and to meet him at the "Christmas location". Gene procedes to travel all the way to Leper's house in the middle of nowhere. When Gene arrives at Leper's house he sees that Leper is a complete mess. "What's she got to be pleased about! I'm pleasing myself!" he cried fervently, and I saw tears trembling in his eyes. (142) The reader finds a lot of things new about Leper. We see how he is not himself mentally and the war got the best of him. A key theme to the story (fear) reoccurs itself in chapter 10. Leper now has a scarring fear of the war and now and in chapter 11 we can see Gene has fear if the war himself. After Gene sees that Leper has gone crazy he runs away from him at the end of the chapter.
ReplyDeleteAnalysis- I think Gene from hearing Leper speak got an impression of the war he would of never liked to hear. He thought it was all about being a hero and didn't see the bad side of the war.
I agree with Miles how it might add later to the plotline because Leper was also a witness to Finny's accident.
To begin, in chapter 10 Gene goes to Vermont to see Leper at the "Christmas Location." When he first sees Leper, he is sitting by the window in the dining room. When the boys begin to talk to each other, Gene finds out that Leper had run away from the war; he thought that he was going to get the section eight discharge which meant they thought he was crazy. However, he didn't believe it and he didn't want anyone to find out, so he left before they could. I'm sure that on the inside, he thought something was wrong but he wouldn't admit it to Gene. After talking about the topic of his mental health, Leper slowly began transitioning into the accident with Finny. He started to accuse Gene of knocking him off the tree on purpose and that made Gene extremely angry. Although, he didn't try much of a rebuttal before he kicked over Leper's chair and left him lying on the floor. His mother came and started questioning him but all he did was say that he should leave. However, he stayed for lunch. Leper ended up telling Gene what was wrong, but he didn't care. Leper was picturing men's heads on the top of women's bodies and it was happening all the time. In chapter 11, Gene returns to Devon and the first thing he sees there is a snowball fight. Finny was one of the boys involved. He doesn’t think Finny should be involved in such activities. Another important scene to this chapter was when Brinker comes into Finny and Gene’s room and takes them away. They proceed to a court in which Brinker had set up. The reason for this court was to find out if Gene was guilty of knocking Finny off of the branch on purpose. However, they don’t have enough information to decide so they go to find Leper, for he was the only witness. Although Gene knows that he can tell the boys that Leper’s insane, he doesn’t. Leper ends up telling them everything he could see. Both of the boys are scared to here the truth but they knew what was coming. They feared what might happen to their relationship. After hearing everything, Finny announces that he doesn’t care and flees out of the room. To end the chapter, Finny fell down the marble staircase.
ReplyDeleteShawn- I agree with your point about the themes of these chapters. I also think that the one's most dominant are fear and war.
In chapter 11 Gene comes back to Devon from his trip to Leper's house. He is greeted by a snowball fight with Finny and some seniors. Later on in the day Gene tells how Leper has changed because of the war,and reads Finny's Latin translation about Cesar.Then one night Brinker and some friends come in their room and force them to the first building. When they are in the room, it looks like a court case. It turns out that Brinker and other students have put a trial case to see what happened that night Finny fell of the branch. As they interrogate Gene and Finny they make it seem like they forgot about what happened that night. Then Leper comes in and tells them what actually happened. "The one holding on to the trunk sank for a second, up and down like a piston, and then the other one sank and fell"(176). Then after all the evidence Finny gets emotional about what happened and rushes out and falls down on the marble stairs.
ReplyDeleteThemes in the chapter were the Latin inscription this and other themes show how they are evolving from children to adult. Another example is how Finny is now having to accept the truth of Gene purposely pushing him. Finny is becoming more mature because he is now not avoiding what happened and facing the truth and accepting what happened. Also in the earlier in the book Gene see the tree and the marble stairs as a bad sign, and now they have all done something bad to one person and that was Finny.I agree with Lena and how she said that the Latin translation has a similarity to Gene and Finny because one was the leader and the other was in the shadow of that leader, and in the end that side-kick ends up killing that friend.
Summary: At the beginning of chapter 10 Gene travels to what Leper calls "Christmas Location" (137). Leper was talking about his house in Vermont. Gene treks through the snow to Lepers house and find him sitting in the dining room. Leper mentions how useful the dining room is, and how food always come three times a day. Gene is a bit worried. Leper goes on to talk about the section 8 discharge, or psycho discharge, and Gene starts freaking out because Leper's gone nuts. They later go for a walk where Leper tells Gene about his hallucinations, and Gene screams at Leper and runs away, back to Devon.
ReplyDeleteAnalysis: Leper said he "escaped" (137) from the army, and that he needs aid in his note to Gene. That shows that it's not a visit home before being sent overseas or something like that. The theme of secrecy and fear in the note shows how much Leper doesn't want anyone to know he's here. That becomes clear when he talks about the section 8 discharge. The reason for the discharge is that Leper is having ridiculous hallucinations and needs medical help that he doesn't want to try. Gene is very frightened by this because he doesn't want to same thing to happen to him.
Shawn: I agree that Gene didn't want to see this bad side of the war. Gene just wanted to be a hero. But I think you could go somewhere a bit more with that. How Gene is afraid to end up like Leper perhaps.
~~Alexandra
In Chapter 10, Gene goes to meet Leper at Leper's house in Vermont. After a long journey to get there, Gene finally reaches Leper's house. Leper tells him that he was going to get a discharge from the army for being mentally unstable so he ran away. Gene gets mad in their tense discussions and kicks Leper out of his chair. After lunch they go for a walk and Leper tells Gene about his strange hallucinations and problems during his time in the army. Gene is completely disturbed by these images, so he runs away leaving Leper alone in the woods.
ReplyDeleteOne very important them of the book that is highlighted in this chapter is loneliness. Besides being mentally scarred by Leper's descriptions, Gene also runs away because he feels incredibly alone and wants to return to FInny. He is isolated in Vermont and the new, strange version of Leper is very foreign to him. The revolting experiences Leper shares just enhance Gene's loneliness because he realizes their is nobody there to comfort him. Gene says about the sound of snow crunching beneath their feet "The two sharp groups of noises sounded to my ears like rifles being fired in the distance" (151). This solemn observation shows how for Gene, the only sounds are the sounds of nature, and how man has nothing to offer him. This is what loneliness is.
An important symbol/metaphor of this chapter is how Gene's journey to Leper's house represents his journey and experience in the war. He even says this himself: "I reached it in the early morning after this night which presaged my war; a bleak, draughty train ride..."(139). In fact this glum experience is exactly how the war goes for Gene. This is significant because it foreshadow that Gene's life will be exactly how he doesn't want it to be, standard, monotonous, and lonely.
Eileen- I agree with you that the latin inscription relates directly to the theme of growing up. It shows that the main focus of the school is to direct this transformation into adults, and I think that is one of the main focuses of the book as well. For Gene this transformation leaves him with many scarring experience that he will never forget.
In chapter 10 the book starts to resolve the foreboding feeling that was rising as the story led to this point. Gene goes to Leper’s house in Vermont responding to the telegram he got instructing him to go to the christmas location. There, he learns that Leper ran away before he received a formal discharge from the army for being mentally unstable. Leper no longer is the patient and quiet boy we heard about at Devon and he accuses Gene of having pushed Finny out of the tree, Gene reacts violently and kicks Leper’s chair so he tumbles. Gene stays out of guilt for lunch and afterwards Leper tells Gene about his hallucinations and the events that led to the discharge. Meanwhile, Gene is battling his own problems because he is finally realizing a new side of him, that perhaps unlike Leper’s mom thought, he doesn’t have a nice heart. He is just a savage underneath and that was what appeared when he jounced the limb, behind every jealous and cruel thought, and recently kicking Leper who is clearly asking for help. The nightmarish visions of Leper cut to him he he is trying to convince himself that Lepers psychotic visions and craziness has no relation to him and he runs back to Devon saying “I don’t care! I don’t care what happened to you Leper... This has nothing to do with me! Nothing at all! I don’t care!” (151). Gene is slowly making a connection between Leper’s visions of things turning into body parts and unrealistic things to the transformations that he and his classmates face, and his attempts to become Finny and lose himself in Finny’s identity. Leper’s hallucinations reflect the fears of adolescence where the boys transform into men, and in their time into soldiers. When Gene returns to school, he finds his classmates in a big snowball fight. These boys are finding company within each other to try and lose the anxiety and inner turmoil they are feeling about changing and growing up. I agree with Camille, that is a main focus of the school and of the book, and I think of the time as well. I also agree with you Camille that by meeting Leper and sharing this experience Gene has started realizing the loneliness of the world and how lonely he is because there is no one he can find comfort in. Finny is who he turns to because he thinks that for Finny, the only conflict is between athletes. However, he never finds true solace, as deep within him is the growing seed of the hate and competition he felt with Finny and that barrier of the accident that limits his ability to become such a good friend with him. I think the events in chapter 11 then finally resolve this barrier and for the remaining days, Gene is found someone he could be comforted by.
ReplyDeleteDuring chapter 10 Gene goes to visit Leper at the "Christmas Location." The Christmas Location is finally revealed as Leper's house in Vermont. When Gene finally arrives at Leper tells him that he is being discharged from the army for being mentally unstable.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Eileen and Camille about how the latin inscription relates to growing up from childhood to adulthood.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteChapter 10 begins with Gene traveling to Leper's house in Vermont. During this journey, the author uses a flashforward and reveals that the next of Gene's life, he will be doing the same thing, only as an eighteen year old man in the army. When Gene finally arrives at Leper's, they engage in a little small talk, when suddenly and shockingly, Leper confesses that he actually did escape from the army, rather than facing the consequences of a Section Eight discharge, which means you are removed due to a mental illness. Gene's unwillingness to understand that Leper is mentally disturbed leads to Leper spitefully calling Gene "a savage", which sets off Gene's temper as he kicks Leper's chair out from under him. Leper's mother, hearing the commotion, comes down and reprimands Gene. He apologizes and attempts to leave, but his guilt forces him to stay for lunch. After lunch, he and Leper comply with Mrs. Lepellier's suggestion and go out for a walk in the snow. They walk along in what seems to be relatively good spirits, until a harmless comment causes Leper to have another 'crazy' thought, which is followed by a complete breakdown by Leper. He describes to Gene the hallucinations he had during his time in the army. Gene, repulsed at Leper's disorder, screams at Leper that he doesn't care and doesn't want to listen to his story, and then runs away, leaving Leper alone in the field.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter, although it might seem like it, is not about Leper. Instead, it attempts to convey Gene's problems to the reader; his paranoia and his tendency to lash out when so threatened, either directly or indirectly. Gene, not being able to handle the truth about Leper's escape, instead convinces himself that he simply doesn't care about Leper at all, and asserts this to Leper in an effort to assure himself of this fact. The same thing happened in Chapter 4, when Gene, paranoid about Finny's unusually amicable behavior, thinks himself into believing that Finny's various activites, outings, and increased academic effort is an attempt to sabotage his grade. "Finny had deliberately set out to wreck my studies...The way I believed that you're-my-best-friend blabber!...It was all cold trickery, it was all calculated, it was all enmity" (53). This false suspicion was the cause of the accident on the tree, without which the relationship between Gene, Finny, and how they see the world would have been totally different.
I agree with Sumner when she said that "... [Gene]'s afraid that by carrying this gray cloud of regret that he will turn into Leper, a psychotic mess. Gene is having trouble facing the truth." This goes back to Gene's limited emotional capacity. By denying Leper, he thinks he is protecting himself from what he will become, but instead, he is just making Leper's condition worse and himself even more paranoid.
-Catherine
Chapter ten starts out with Gene traveling to Leper’s house in Vermont “I am at a Christmas location (139).”When he gets there Gene tells him how he has ‘escaped’ from the army, He was discharged. He had “a section Eight discharge for the nuts in the service, the psychos (144),” Gene thinks that Leper is crazy. They go for a walk, Leper tells him about his hallucinations, gets scared by this, screams and runs away back to Devon.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Catherine, Gene runs away because he is having a hard time facing the truth.
After Gene receives the telegram at the end of Chapter 9, he goes to Leper's house and learns that Leper ran away from the army because he didn't want a discharge that meant he was mentally unstable. While they're talking, Leper brings up that Gene "knocked Finny out of the tree" (145). Gene reacts by knocking Leper's chair over. He accuses Gene of being "a savage underneath" (145). After lunch, they go out to a field, and Leper explains the problems he had in the army. He saw a man's face turn to a girl's face, a broom turn into a human leg, and other hallucinations he had. Gene yells at him and runs away.
ReplyDeleteWe learn that Leper has a kind of post-traumatic stress disorder. One of the themes is fear. Leper is not a person who is ready to fight in a war. He is so afraid, he couldn't sleep in his bed or eat in the dining hall. He is at his lowest and needs help. The fact that Gene runs away shows that he really is just a savage. He betrays people (like Finny and Leper) without realizing it until it's already over and done.
I agree with Sumner about the fact that Gene was scared after talking with Leper, but I don't think it's from him feeling guilty. I think it's from being scared of a lot of things at once. He's scared of what the war did to Leper, and he's scared that what Leper said about him might be true.
Summary: Gene immediately leaves Devon school and sets out for Lepers "Christmas Location," his house in Vermont. He takes a train and then boards a bus through a beautiful yet barren New England. Gene arrives in Lepers town early the next morning. Strangely, on his way there, he keeps trying to convince himself that Leper "escaped" instead of him being a deserter of the army. When Gene reaches Lepers house, Leper beckons him in through a window, and than into the kitchen. He tells him that he has in fact deserted the army. He did so because he was going to be let go with a section 8 discharge for insanity; this would stop him from getting jobs and leading a normal life. After Gene makes a few uncertain comments Leper losers his temper and insults Gene. He accuses him of knocking Finny from the tree. Gene kicks Lepers chair over and his mother comes rushing into the room, asking why he would assault a sick person. Reluctantly, Leper invites Gene to stay for lunch, which he does out of guilt from the accusation. After lunch Gene and Leper go for a walk, and suddenly Leper begins to sob, spilling out his hallucinations at training camp. Officers faces turning into woman's faces, soldiers carrying detached limbs, and so forth. Gene cannot bear to listen to Leper anymore and runs off into the snowy fields.
ReplyDeleteAnalysis: Leper's account of his madness, which take place against a backdrop of Vermont trees and snow, constitutes one of the books darkest moments. Gene tries to not believe him, that Leper cant be mad or psycho; but he is deluding himself. Many of Leper's hallucinations involve a transformation. In a sense his visions are representing the fear and angst of adolescence, in which boys turn to men, and in war time, of boys into soldiers. When Gene runs, he shows just how close to the bone Lepers insanity has cut him. Which can also show the dark transformation of Gene into Phinneaus, to don Finny's clothes and lose himself in Finny's identity.
in chapters 10 and 11 we see that Gene leaves the Devon school in search of Leper at his "Christmas Location" (Lepers house). Gene finds out that Leper was given a discharge from the military for insanity. Leper said that he had escaped the army before he received the discharge. He did this so that this would not be on his record as an insane person. Leper the accuses Gene of pushing Finny out of the tree and Gene gets extremely frustrated by this and kicks Lepers chair out from under him. surprisingly after that Leper invites Gene to stay for lunch which he does because he feels bad. After they had lunch Gene and Leper go on a walk in which Lepers breaks down and starts to cry uncontrollably. He tells Gene about his camp and Gene cant bear this and runs off.
ReplyDelete