ASP Quote Significance-11/18

Ch.2) "Rigid, I began climbing the rungs, slightly reassured by having Finny right behind me. 'We'll jump together to cement our partnership,' he said."

Response: This quote may be short, but in this case, a little can go a long way. This quote is important because it demonstrates the importance of "The Tree". The Narrator, from the first chapter, has emphasized on the tree at numerous points in the text, but never really told us why. He's told us that it's smaller than he remembered it, he's told us that the seniors use it for Military Service, but he hasn't told us how it has had such a lasting effect on him that he would revisit his high school simply to see a tree. It stands as a symbol of his and Finny's friendship. In a book about friendship, a symbol of friendship has to be important. Perhaps whatever happens to the two will inolve the tree in some way.

Question: Which of the two do you like more, Finny or Gene, and why?

Ch.3) "'I hope you're having a pretty good time here. I know I kind of dragged you away at the point of a gun, but after all you can't come to the shore with just anybody and you can't come by yourself, and at this teen-age period in life the proper person is your best pal.' He hesitated and then added, 'which is what you are,' and there was a silence on his dune./ It was a courageous thing to say...I should have told him he was my best friend also...But something held me back."

Response: First off, I loved this quote, simply because of what Finny said. As of this point in the text, he's my favorite character. I thought it was very emotional, and to put yourself on the line like that is no small thing. No one likes to say cheesy stuff like that (I in fact despise it) but the feeling behind it is still there. Now, to it's significance. Finny has been depicted so far as a fearless, spontaneous, and quirky athlete. No one would expect the best athlete of an entire all boys school to in fact be nice as well. Some part of that equation just doesn't add up. This quote delves deeper into Finny as a character, showing that there's another side to the devil-may-care Phineas. Also, it demonstrates Gene's lack of reciprocal feelings. I personally don't like Gene that much anymore because something held him back from saying it. Finny takes him to the beach, kept checking on him as he lay on the sand, had dinner with him, and did all these nice things for him over the past few days, and he can't even say a word back!? I don't like Gene.

Question: Would you say this or anything like this to someone you cared about?

Side Note: "'No. You keep your arms crossed like this on your chest, and you just butt the ball carrier. No elbowing allowed either. All right, Gene, start again.'"

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FINALLY! I mean, I know the narrator's name was said on the back of the book, but still. It takes the dude 38 pages to give us his first(no last yet) name!?