a sepearte peace
... about crippled people, and to Gene it was just as bad. Gene hit Quackenbush in Finny defense. “I found that battle, that first skirmish of a long Campaign for Finny…I had never pictured myself in the role of Finny’s defender.” (Knowles 71-72) This Quote shows that although it seemed weird to him, Gene sees himself as Finny’s defender. By Gene defending Finny when people make fun of him it shows that Gene is sorry for making Finny off the tree and is willing to help him out in any ways possible. Finny needs all the help he can get, weather it is just getting Gene to hand him his crutches or getting Gene to train in the Olympics instead of him. Since Finny is no longer able to live his life and unable to do things he has always wanted to do, he gets Gene to do it for him. Finny openly admits to Gene that he has always dreamed of running in the Olympics, but since he is no longer going to be able to do this he wants Gene to take his place as an Olympic athlete. “Did I ever tell you that I used to be aiming for the Olympics?... now I’m not sure, not a hundred percent sure I’ll be completely, you know, in shape by 1944. So I’m going to coach you for them instead” (Knowles 109) Although Gene does not even really think there is going to be a 1944 Olympics he willingly agrees to start training for the Olympics anyways. Finny makes Gene feel like it is his fault he is crippled and is unable to be in the Olympics so Gene kind of owes it to him. By Gene training for the Olympics it shows how Gene is taking on some of Finny’s dreams because he is not longer able to. Thus Gene is truly sorry and will help Finny with things he is unable to do. Now that Finny is crippled and unable to do things on his own he seeks help from Gene. Gene puts off enlisting in the war because he feels that he has already crippled Finny so Gene can not leave him alone when he probably needs him the most. One night Gene and Brinker got and idea to enlist into the war together because they were inspired by a troop of recruits that past them on a train as they were shoveling snow. The next morning Brinker went to get Gene to go enlist into the war like they had planned but things had changed, Finny had returned. When they told Finny that they were planning on enlisting he freaked out on them...