A Comparison Of Self In Great Expectations And A Separate Peace

Quest to Find One’s Self
As one ages, one looks to discover who he will become, and how he will fit in the world. However, one must face many obstacles in his quest to find his identity so that he may satisfy the natural human urge to have a purpose. Without an identity, one would not be able to fulfill their purpose, and would instead live aimlessly. Therefore, people aspire to have a strong minded identity, and they look to others in their aspirations. In the Coming of Age Novels Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, and A Separate Peace by John Knowles, both heroes find themselves on a quest for identity, so that they may become their best future self. Although some may find happiness in doing what has been planned for them by others,

The teachers at the Devon School in New England taught Gene, Finny, and his peers preparations for the war, but still praised their innocence and peace that separated them from the rest of the world in WWI. Few friendships were made solely on peace, as the boy’s identities in the war became competition, even though they still lived sheltered in the peace of their school: “It made Finny seem too unusual for—not friendship, but too unusual for rivalry. And there were few relationships among us at Devon not based on rivalry (Knowles, 45)”. Therefore, as Finny was the perfect candidate both in peace and as a future soldier, Gene aspired to be like him.Throughout the war, the boys were pushed to prepare for their turn as soldiers. Because the pressure caused by the war, the teachers groomed the boys in rivalry and competition to be the best, just as it would be in the war. However the boys found numerous conflicts raging within themselves, as they became the separate peace in the country, but also the future tools of war. Their identities became confused and conflicted as they did not know their place. Gene especially struggled with his newfound identity because of the war. He felt that he needed to become like Finny in order to become the ideal of perfection, and when he succeeded in his mission, he “would never stumble through the confusions of [his] own character again.” Therefore, through the pressures of the war, Gene felt it necessary to become the ideal candidate for the war, as Finny had too become. Although Gene began as an innnocent boy, he assimilated himself into the ideals of wartime in order to become competitive and successful like Finny. Because of his imitations, Gene became able to speak more for himself, and became more strong minded in order to be successful in both peace and