Gene presents his relationship with Finny as one of simple
friendship, but subtle hints in the text signal the presence of
darker currents below the surface. Indeed, the discrepancy between appearance
and reality here does not arise only in Gene’s account of events
but persists within the story itself. Thus, not only does the narrator
Gene declare himself and Finny to be on heartily good terms, attempting
to give the reader a happy impression, but also the character Gene
works to keep up this appearance to the other boys at the school.
However, the dynamics between the roommates are far from simple.
First, power in the relationship is clearly skewed toward Finny,
who easily makes Gene do things that he doesn’t want to—like leaping
from the tree branch and being involved in a wrestling match that
makes them miss dinner. More important, it is evident that Gene
resents Finny, although he doesn’t explicitly admit it. Instead,
he portrays Finny’s perceived superiorities as mere annoyances:
he says that he finds it “galling” that Finny weighs ten pounds more
than he does. But the frequency of his allusions to Finny’s handsome
physique and grace (his harmonious movement, ability to “flow” rather
than walk, perfect coordination) indicate that Gene possesses a
much deeper envy. Although he later denies that Finny “shamed” him
into jumping, he thinks to himself at the time, “Why did I let Finny
talk me into stupid things like this?”
However, the description of Gene and Finny’s high-school
world suggests a much lighter mood than that of the scene that opens
the novel. Gene’s subtle resentment of his friend does not yet take
on sinister overtones; at this point, the reader can easily dismiss
it as a typical expression of natural adolescent competitiveness.
The description of the sunny and carefree atmosphere at Devon during the
summer session creates the sense of an idyllic life among the fields
and trees; only later in the novel does the text establish a contrast
between the beauty of nature and the darkness of the human heart.
The only pressing sign of trouble at this point is the presence of
the war. The text does, however, make a significant connection between
war and the leap from the tree: the leap is normally undertaken
by older boys, specifically as practice for jumps that they might
have to make from torpedoed boats or troop vessels. Nevertheless,
war in this passage is associated with boyish conceptions of bravery
and adventure, not with brutality and hate.
