A Separate Peace by SparkNotes

Author:SparkNotes [SparkNotes]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

Summary

Finny playfully criticizes Gene’s clothes and grumbles about the lack of maid service. Gene responds that it is no great loss, considering the war, and he makes up Finny’s bed for him. The next day, Brinker bursts in, about to ask if Gene is ready to enlist, when he sees Finny. He starts to make a joke about Gene’s “plan”—to kill Finny and get the room for himself—but Gene cuts him off and explains to Finny about Brinker’s suggestion to enlist. Finny’s unenthusiastic reaction leads Gene to realize that Finny doesn’t want him to leave. Gene now tells Brinker, to Finny’s obvious relief, that he no longer wants to enlist. The roommates begin to make jokes, saying that they wouldn’t enlist with Brinker if he were General MacArthur’s son or even Madame Chiang Kai-shek of China. In the midst of these jokes, Finny tags Brinker with a nickname: “Yellow Peril” Hadley, referring to his supposed double-life as Madame Chiang Kai-shek.

As Gene and Finny make their way over patches of ice to their first class, Finny remarks that winter loves him; he knows this, he says, because he loves winter, and it must return his affection. He then suggests that they cut class to give Finny a chance to look at the school after his long absence. They set out immediately across campus for the gym. Gene worries that Finny is planning to stare at his trophies and brood, but instead they go down to the locker room and Finny asks Gene what team he has joined for the year. Gene tells him that he did not try out for any teams, attempting to defend himself by noting the diminished importance of sports during the war. Finny declares that there is no war, that it is all a conspiracy orchestrated by the adult establishment—by fat, rich, old men—to keep young people in their place. When Gene asks why the conspiracy has not been detected by anyone else, Finny replies that he alone can see it because of the extent of his suffering. His answer amazes both boys. An awkward silence follows, and Gene, wanting to break the tension, goes over to an exercise bar and begins doing chin-ups. Finny tells him to do thirty and encourages him with his tone of voice as he counts them aloud for Gene. Finny tells Gene that he wanted to be an Olympic athlete and that now he will have to train Gene to go in his place. Finny convinces Gene to undertake the training despite his objections that the war will preempt the Olympics in 1944. Finny begins to train Gene and Gene tutors Finny in his classes; they are both surprised by their progress.

One morning, as Gene runs a course around the headmaster’s house under Finny’s guidance, he suddenly finds his stride, running better than he ever has before. Mr. Ludsbury comes out to see what the boys are doing and Finny tells him that Gene is training for the Olympics. Ludsbury

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