Friendship is something that has to be worked on in order to thrive. It has its ups and downs and can be defined as a mix of envy, control, respect, and love. In the novel, A Separate Peace, by John Knowles, the struggles and stages of friendship is highlighted. Throughout the novel, Gene constantly feels the need to compete with Finny due to jealousy, Gene is easily persuaded by Finny, and yet Finny sees their friendship as simply friendly, therefore these ideas illustrate the complexity of a friendship.
Competition is a natural aspect of any relationship. It can be seen in sibling rivalries and even among best friends. When Finny was about to get into trouble for the first time, Gene explained, “This time he wasn’t going to get away with it. I could feel myself
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One of the other main points in the novel when rivalry was expressed, was when Gene shook the branch to make Finny fall off the tree. Gene was fed up with Finny succeeding at everything for once. He knew that if Finny were to be injured or hurt by the fall it would allow himself to have an edge on finny. Also, if Finny was crippled, Gene would have nothing to be jealous of anymore because Finny would become jealous of him. This would make Gene feel like the superior one in the relationship. His feelings of jealousy and rivalry are what compelled him to make Finny suffer by falling off the branch in the first place. Gene also admits, “There were few relationships amoung us at Devon not based on rivalry,” (pg.156). This quotation shows that among all friendships at the schools each one of them has to do with competing with others. Gene understands this concept, which is why his relationship with Finny is very competitive. It also confirms the idea that rivalry is a prominent feature in many friendships and relationships, not just the one in the novel. In addition, when Gene is in his room studying, he realizes that when