How is Gene's guilt portrayed, and how is it ultimately acknowledged?

• A. Gene's guilt is a central emotional engine; he experiences intense self-criticism and rationalizes, but ultimately acknowledges his jealousy and the harm he caused.
• B. Gene treats guilt as a surface feeling that dissipates with time.
• C. Gene's guilt leads him to confess to Finny immediately.
• D. Gene projects guilt onto others and never examines his own role.

Answer: (D)

Gene’s guilt is shown as a lingering, self-deluding force that he doesn’t fully own. He feels the weight of what he did to Finny, but he keeps rationalizing his jealousy and the act itself instead of taking responsibility. The narration—which comes from Gene looking back on those years—repeatedly shifts blame away from himself, casting responsibility on circumstances or on Finny’s charisma and hyped competitive world rather than on his own insecurity. Because of this, the harm he caused isn’t openly admitted by him; he rarely confronts his own role in Finny’s injury, and any acknowledgment that does appear is indirect and hesitant rather than a clear confession. In short, guilt is portrayed as something Gene projects outward and never fully examines, leaving his culpability largely unspoken and unresolved in his memory.