Chapter 8 Summary and Analysis

There is a clear divide between Finny and Gene now after their time away from each other. Gene calls Finny as Phineas to indicate the very same. While Finny is unhappy that his bed is unmade, Gene uses the excuse of a war to say that nobody had time to make his bed. Still, it not Finny that makes his bed after the exchange, but Gene. Gene also realizes that now that Finny is back, his patience and a lot of other qualities are going to be tested.

The next morning Brinker bursts into the room to inform about the enlistment, still excited about the process. When Gene informs Finny about his plan to enlist, Finny ignores it dismissively, yet making it clear that he is not in support of Gene’s decision. Gene does admit that he is glad to skip the war enlistment, and compares it to how one ducks under an incoming wave, unaware of the fact that other waves will soon follow.

The new sense of peace that Gene now felt after Finny’s arrival makes him go back to calling him “Finny.” The old Finny seemed to crop up when he suggested that Gene and him skip class, which they do. Unfortunately, things no longer feel the same as Finny does not have the same energy and excitement in him. They walk around the school and finally the gymnasium. Gene admits that he has not been playing any sports due to lack of time and due to how irrelevant it seemed in the face of an ongoing war. Finny lashes out that the war itself is a lie, and expresses how he does not believe in it. This is similar to how he refused to believe Gene’s confession. Finny seems to have trouble accepting the darker sides of the world and life, and would much rather live in a world where he can make war and betrayal nonexistent just by merely not believing in them. It is also clear that Finny has some frustration that he can no longer join the war efforts, which was the very reason and foundation behind their secret society and ritual with the tree. When question by Gene over what makes him different from the others that make him understand the situation, Finny responds that he has suffered. This also indicates that Finny has taken refuge in self-pity.

Unable to respond to Finny’s assertion, Gene starts doing chin-ups while Finny counts reluctantly. But with every count, Finny gathers more resolve and becomes determined to train Gene so that he may participate in the 1944 Olympics. Gene agrees with the goal and plays along. Mr. Ludsbury, realizing their goal, tries to bring Finny to reality, but fails. The Finny before the accident trained for the war, but now trains Gene for sport. Mr. Ludsbury represents the Finny of the past and wants to instill the reality of war, but Gene, instead of acknowledging Mr. Ludsbury’s views, pities him instead for his realism. This chapter shows how Devon, Finny and Gene have changed drastically from their initial days and their goals and motives have shifted due to trauma and war, both without and within.