A Separate Peace Friendship Quotes

A Separate Peace displays how fear and greed challenge, and ultimately destroy, the trust in the friendship between the ever-obedient Gene, and the resistant and curious Finny. “For all the camaraderie between them, these boys are still driven by pious old healthy competition, which at times can end up being, well, less than healthy” (Shmoop.com). This quote demonstrates how friendship is a confederacy of admiration, respect, jealousy and displeasure. It also shows how a friendship will always lead to some deliberation on subjects, potentially altering the very basis of a person’s mental model toward a shared goal. This shared goal, determined by divergent conclusions, will bring conflict, and ultimately, a mutual understanding. This is the

Gene is extremely competitive with a sarcastic sense of humor” (123helpme.com). Gene’s competitive and yet sarcastic nature shows that he wishes to succeed and still fears failing. “Finny lives for moments of pure, unrestrained friendship, and his strong sense of loyalty extends to any group of which he is a member. He strives to be rebellious, making even the sternness proponents indulge in anarchical bliss with him“(123helpme.com). Finny embodies the ambition and ability Gene so desperately seeks to acquire for himself to achieve his goals without fear of failure. “ I was beginning to see that Phineas could get away with anything. I couldn’t help envying him for that a little, which is perfectly normal. There was no harm in envying your best friend a little” (Knowles 9). Gene had convinced himself that there was no harm in envying Finny, at least a little. Gene failed to recognize that he envied Finny for this far more than a little. Gene also failed to realize that his envy would turn into

Finny managed to prove himself to Gene with only the statement “No, you’re the same height I am, five-eight and a half. We’re on the short side” (Knowles 4). His embellishment of such an inconsequential piece of information showed Finny that before everything else, for Gene, image had become everything. Further proved by the conversation they had after the headmaster’s tea. “I mean they’re teachers for God’s sake. … So what, they’re just people like you and me. You mean you always respected your teachers? I had to I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t” (Leeple). Finny felt determined to teach Gene there was more to life than one’s image. Finny managed to show Gene how to appreciate life, without realizing Gene’s jealousy had a greater influence on Gene than Finny could ever hope to have. Gene’s outburst in the tree was completely natural. Gene knew everything he could learn from Finny, to leave Finny alone would stand as a testament, in Gene’s mind, to Gene’s shortcomings. Gene had become lost in the past and in the mind of Finny as shown by Knowles with “"It's you, pal," Finny said to me at last, "just you and me." He and I started back across the fields… We were the best of friends at that moment”