Assignment #2 Re-read the opening paragraph of chapter 3. Explore and explain the quote “Yes, he had practically saved my life. He had also practically lost it for me” (33). Explain what Gene is saying and why he is saying it at this point. What are the larger implications of what he is saying?

 In the book A Separate Peace, Gene the 16 year old goes swimming with his friend Finny. They come up with this secret team/squad called "Suicide society". They then came up with rules on how to join which was just one "simple" rule, to jump off the tree and into the river. Gene and Finny go and climb the tree, while they are on the branches Gene looses balance and starts to basically fall off, luckily Finny was there to catch him before he fell. Then they both jumped off and the "Suicide Society" officially became a group. On Gene's way to the library by himself he realizes how he could have died if Finny weren't there. At the beginning of chapter three Gene says,  “Yes, he had practically saved my life. He had also practically lost it for me” (33). What Gene means by this is if Finny never made him go jump off the tree than he would have never almost  fallen off and died. So Finny saved his life but really didn't.