Finnie Walsh

Many people say that you must have plenty in common with someone in order to be their best friend. However, in the novel Finnie Walsh by Steven Galloway, this is not the case. Finnie and Paul have a few things in common, such as their passion for hockey, but they were (for the most part) complete opposites. Paul’s family has a struggle with money throughout the duration of the novel, while Finnie’s family is quite wealthy. After Mr. Woodward’s accident, Finnie is struggling to escape the guilt; meanwhile, Paul is able to let it go.
Finnie is a risk taker along with being very outgoing; but on the contrary, Paul is very timid and takes everything in stride. Paul and Finnie have few things in common; however, that is what makes them such great friends. Everyone in town knows how wealthy the Walsh family is. It is exploited across town through the pulp mill, multiple shops, and their large estate. After the loss of his wife, Mr. Walsh wants to give nothing but the best to his four sons. The downfall to that is Mr. Walsh is so busy and obsessed with the mania of owning things, that he neglects his sons.
Finnie dislikes the impression his family leaves on the town and as a result, he humbly takes less and uses his money for important things. Paul’s family is not the most financially stable family in town; fortunately, they are a stable family. The Woodwards love and support each other and they are astonished when Finnie be-friends Paul. “When I met Finnie Walsh, I was too young to realize that we weren’t supposed to be friends” (pg. 2). Thanks to Finnie’s blessing, Paul’s dream of playing hockey eventually becomes a reality.

The Woodwards accept Finnie as one of their own, and give him the attention he strives for from his over-achieving father. This is one of the reasons Finnie feels more guilt about Mr. Woodward’s accident than Paul. After Paul’s father gets in the terrible accident at the Walsh’s pulp mill, things are never the same. A feeling of overwhelming guilt consumes Finnie. He feels that if he had been a better goalie, Mr. Woodward would not have been kept awake, resulting in him not falling asleep and work and losing his arm. Finnie forces himself to become a much better goalie after that awful day. To Finnie, hockey was about life and death… It was a religion”(pg. 87). The only downfall to Finnie wanting to be a better goalie is that he becomes obsessed. Mr. Woodward does not resent nor blame Finnie for this tradgedy, unfortunately, Finnie can’t lose his guilty conscience. On the other hand, Paul obviously suffers from guilt as well, but the more he matures, the easier it is for him to come to termsthat is not his fault. He decides to join hockey souly for the love of the game and not because of the accident. As much as Paul loves hockey, he does not let it consume his life.
Paul is more understanding than Finnie about the accident, and does not allow it to affect him for the rest of his life. Although Paul does not allow the accident to take over his life, he does change because of it. The accident leaves Paul to be a lot more cautious and more worry-some. Despite his cautious personality, he finds himself trying new things and taking risks because of Finnie. “… Without Finnie Walsh, I probably wouldn’t have had the courage to do half the things I did”(pg. 22). Finnie teaches Paul many important life lessons such as not taking things for granted and not going through life unnoticed.
Finnie is the youngest of the four Walsh brothers. In attempts to stand out and get some attention, he is very outgoing and risky. He gets sick of following in his brothers footsteps and tries everything to be an individual. He shares the passion of hockey with all his brothers and plays with them even though he gets bludgeoned and critisized. Finnie is idolized by Paul due to his spontanious attitude, courage, and ability to understand everyone. Paul learns many things from Finnie that he uses throughout his life.
Having things in common with a best friend is usually important. Finnie Walsh illustrates that occassionally you do not need to be the same as someone to be their best friend. Finnie is a lot more financially stable than Paul; however, his family isn’t very functional. The accident haunts Finnie for the rest of his life, while Paul is able to look past it. Finnie is much more outlandish than Paul but Paul learns many things from him. The pair of boys are able to compliment each other perfectly which portrays the scientifical explaination of “opposites attract”. lsh