English 10 P3 Shonbom
Soleil Johnson
Authenticity in A Silent Peace
In the novel A Silent Peace by John Knowles, I believe that neither of the boys are entirely genuine because Finny is manipulative, and Gene villanizes Finny and sees him as an opponent instead of a friend; however, Finny is more genuine than Gene because he always believes in him and saw him as a true friend. From the start of the novel, Finny is shown to be popular amongst the staff and students at Devon due to the fact that he is naturally charismatic and charming. He knows how to flatter teachers and students alike and can lie without raising the slightest suspicion. At first glance, he may seem like a genuinely kind boy, but the people closest to him, like Gene, can see through him. For example, in Chapter 2, Finny
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Maybe there was once a time when Gene was Finny’s genuine friend, but at some point, a seed of doubt plants itself in Gene’s brain and spreads like a virus tainting his image of Finny in Chapter 2. His true feelings about Finny are seen right after Finny yet again talks his way out of trouble, and Gene says he “. . .felt a sudden stab of disappointment.” (Knowles 28) Instead of being happy that Finny escaped trouble as a genuine friend would be, he was hoping Finny would get in trouble for his shenanigans. As the story progresses, his envy towards Finny grows and grows until eventually, instead of seeing him as a friend, he begins viewing him as an opponent and villainizes his every action (Knowles 52). On page 53, Gene states, “Finny had deliberately set out to ruin my studies.” (Knowles) Gene’s delusions eventually lead him to jounce the limb of the tree Finny was going to jump off of in Chapter 4, ultimately leading to Finny breaking his leg (Knowles 60). This action, along with Gene’s side of his friendship with Finny, covey just how ingenuine Gene truly