What is Setting of the first chapter? (month, weather, state)
November; grey, wet, cold; New Hampshire.
100
Where did the narrator return to? How long had passed since he had been there last?
Devon school (prep academy), 15 years
100
What two places does the narrator go to visit? Why?
Marble staircase at First academy building and tree; associates with fear
100
What happens at the traditional tea?
Ms. Patch-Withers notices that Finny is wearing the school tie as a belt. Gene waits tensely in expectation of Finny’s reprobation, but Finny manages to talk his way out of the display of disrespect, accomplishing the impossible feat of making the stern Mr. Patch-Withers laugh.
100
What happens when the two boys go out on the branch together? What society do they form? Ch 2
Then Finny decides they should both jump off the tree to mark initiation into what he's calling "The Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session." While they're in the tree together and moving shakily out onto the branch, the narrator starts to slip. A moment of panic follows, but then Finny reaches out, grabs hold of and steadies him.
200
What summer does most of the action take place? What do they call it?
1942; Summer session before junior year, age 16; Sarcastic summer
200
What did Phineas want to do? Why?
Finny tries to persuade them to jump off a branch of the tree into the river—a feat that no student of their age has ever tried before. The jump is done by the older boys in the school as part of their physical training prior to their graduation and departure for the war.
200
Who completed the activity in the flash back in the first chapter? Who doesn't?
Finny, Gene (reluctantly); Leper, Chet, and Bobby don't
200
What happens with Phineas and Mr. Prud’homme?
Gene and Finny get in trouble for having missed dinner the night before. Finny talks him out of it. He explains charismatically how they were swimming in the river and jumping out of the tree and how on such a beautiful day they just had to do stuff.
200
What is Phineas’ emblem? What is it for?
Pink polo shirt; US bombed Cental Europe for the first time.
300
Describe the relationship between the narrator and Phineas.
Best friends; Finny is more outgoing, he pushes Gene to do things. Competitive (frenemies). Gene gets jealous of Finny.
300
Why is the faculty more indulgent with these boys?
Finny is ignorant of the rules, yet is fiercely loyal to and deeply loves the school. These boys remind the masters of what peace is like. They're sixteen, after all, with no draft cards; they're not yet part of the war (that would be World War II).
300
How often does the society meet? How do all meetings begin?
They meet every night. Finny invents a list of rather arbitrary rules, including one that requires him and Gene to start each meeting by jumping out of the tree. Gene hates this rule and never loses his fear of the jump.
300
What happens when Finny and Gene do the double jump?
Finny proposes a double jump with Gene, and they strip and ascend the tree. Finny goes out onto the limb first, and when Gene steps out, his knees bend and he jostles the limb, causing Finny to lose his balance and fall with a sickening thud to the bank. Gene then moves out to the end of the limb and dives into the water, suddenly fearless.
300
In Ch 5, while Finny is in the infirmary, what does Gene do in their room?
One day, he decides to put on Finny’s shoes, pants, and pink shirt. When he looks in the mirror, he sees himself as Finny, and a wave of relief comes over him.
400
What happens at the pool? What does the narrator want to do about that? How does Finny react?
Finny decides he can swim the 100 yard freestyle faster than the current record-holder, has Gene time him, and breaks the 53.0 second record by .7 seconds. Gene is excited; he wants to get the coach and have Finny try again. But Phineas doesn't want anyone to know about this – he just wanted to see if he could break the record.
400
In Ch 4, what does Gene "realize" about Finny and his actions toward Gene? Why?
Gene fails a test and wants to be valedictorian, Finny says he will kill himself out of envy. Gene thihks that Finny has been sabotaging him, feels better because he's been so competitive and jealous of Finny.
400
What does Finny tell Gene he remembers from his accident? And what made him fall?
He says he just fell. He remembers looking at Gene and seeing a shocked expression on his face. He says he had a feeling about somethig that made him fall, but stops and then apologizes to Gee for having that feeling.
400
Who moves in to Leper's old room?
Brinker Hadley.
400
Why do Quakenbush and Gene fight?
Gene wants to be crew manager. Quakenbush makes fun of Gene because Q's usually the one to be mocked.
500
What does Finny tell the narrator while on the beach? Ch 3
Before they fall asleep, Finny tells Gene that he's his "best pal." And Gene, though he feels he should return the statement, doesn't. "Perhaps I was stopped by that level of feeling," he says, "deeper than thought, which contains the truth" (3.73).
500
When Leper decides to jump, what does Gene realize?
Gene doesn't want to go because he needs to study. So Phineas tells him not to go, he thought it came naturally to him. Gene realizes that Finny is actually a great person and much better than Gene.
500
What does Gene believe his purpose is at the end of ch 6? Why?
Gene wanted nothing more to do with sports, since Finny couldn't do it. Phineas feels differently. "If I can't play sports," he says, "you're going to play them for me."
This is when Gene realizes that his purpose is now to "become part of Phineas."
500
What French adage does Gene say at Ch 1 when he finds the tree?
"The more things stay the same, the more they change after all."
500
What is Blitzball?
Blitzball is a game Phineas made up. The boys run with a ball, and whoever has the ball gets tackled. There are no teams and basically no winners.