Ch. 8 "'Don't be a sap,' he gazed with cool self-possession at me, 'there isn't any war.'" (115)

I chose this quote because I believe it represents a change in character of Finny since he has returned to Devon. I think Finny is acting like a real fool here because he actually says that the war is fake. Throughout the book so far I had thought of Finny as one of the most level-headed, down to earth characters since he is always so clever in certain situations. Finny did sometimes use his imagination to create things like blitzball, but that was to help other people kill the time during the summer, which was a very ingenious thing to do. My whole view of Finny is changed when he says this because by saying this, his words have no true meaning to others like they normally do. Everyone knows that his this is false so they have no point in listening to everything he says like they used to.

Did falling out of the tree affect Finny mentally as well as physically?

Ch. 9 "He drew me away from the Butt Room crowd, away from Brinker and Chet and all other friends, into a world inhabited by just himself and me, where there was no war at all, just Phineas and me, where there was no war at all, just Phineas and me alone among all the people of the world, training for the Olympics of 1944."

I chose this quote because I think it shows how much is wrong with both Gene and Finny. First, I cannot believe that Finny is pulling Gene away from all of his friends like that. I think there is definitely something wrong with Finny because he actually thinks that Gene will make it to the Olympics. Taking Gene away from others is not what Finny should be doing right now. Finny should be in the Butt Room with everyone else catching up with all he had missed since he had been away instead of isolating himself from others and making himself lonely. Second, I do not know why Gene is still putting up with Finny. Finny is making Gene train for the Olympics when he is absolutely certain that he is not going to make it, especially when Gene does not even play sports. I do not know why Gene has not stood up to Finny yet, but he still lets him force his will upon Gene. Even after Gene has injured Finny, he is still afraid to be himself around Finny. I think that on the pace he is going, if Gene does not stand up to Finny soon he will start doing things even more illogical than what has already happened.

Is Gene afraid to stand up to Finny?