In A Separate Peace, by John Knowles, Finny is innocent in every way imaginable. Those who are pessimistic will look on all his down faults and see only one side. Later on, his innocent character will be destroyed by the evil of the spited world. Only then will he start into the wicked ways of the universe. Finny will be the poster child of corruption from the world’s evil hands.
In the novel, A Separate Peace by John Knolls Gene's and Finny's friendship with one another brings out each character's virtue or true self. Gene is the smartest kid at the Devon school , and Finny is very athletic. Finny's athletic ability is what leads to the rivalry because Gene wants to be able to achieve an athletic ability like Finny. This novel tells the story in Gene's point of view of how he has grown into adulthood during World War II. The author John Knolls does not give a very good view of Finny because the story is through Gene's eyes where Gene envy's Finny.
John Knowles, author of A Separate Peace, uses both character development and setting to support his decision in selecting the title. He uses the main characters of Gene and Phineas (Finny) and their troubled yet deeply bonded friendship as a way to illustrate the separate peace that takes place both within the boys themselves and in the friendship that is built between the two. Knowles also uses the setting of the novel to demonstrate the vast difference between the peaceful Devon School grounds and the war raging outside of the school’s walls. The title, A Separate Peace, as chosen by the author is symbolic of the main characters, Finny and Gene’s, struggle to find peace within themselves and with each other while set in a place that significantly contrasts the events of the real world.
Gene from John Knowles novel, A Separate Peace, a dynamic character changes in accordance to the events of the story. Gene is a very intelligent student. Throughout the novel we see Gene almost become persuaded by the actions of his friend Phineas. Phineas is a bouncy character who loves sports and doesn’t see the value of studying like Gene. Gene frequently tries to balance his academic and social life, but he gets sick of this balancing act when he backlashes at Phineas for interrupting him from his schoolwork, “Okay, we go.
Throughout the novel, Finny denies various painful truths, such as Gene’s betrayal and the war, and focuses on enjoyment rather than competition because it is too difficult for him to confront reality and betray his facade of peace and happiness. When Finny tumbled out of the tree, after Gene jostled the branch, he was unable to accept the truth that Gene pushed him out of the tree, as it was too painful for him. Even after Gene travels to Finny’s house and exclaimed that he had jostled the branch, Finny still could not believe that someone he thought was his best friend could do this. Finny vehemently denied Gene’s claim, even going as far to command him to “Sit down, you damn fool” (Knowles 62).
Gene is the first person to visit Finny while he’s in the hospital since the tree accident, and seeing Finny in that messed-up state makes him emotional. (#64) "At his touch, I lost all hope of controlling myself. I burst out crying into my hands. I cried for Phineas, myself, and for the doctor, who
Since Finny cannot play sports anymore because of his broken leg, he tells Gene that he has to do it for him. Gene realizes that this is his destiny; to become an extension of Phineas. Another way he is affected is that he starts to lose his own ways by copying Finny. When Finny was in the hospital wing of the school, Gene put his clothes on and said “that I would never stumble through the confessions
Finny is trying to live through Gene by forcing him play sports for him. He was known as an athletic person and he has an insecurity of not being related or part of athletics so Phineas uses Gene to still have a connection to it. Finny played many sports and was amazing at ones he just
For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.” This goes a long with the jealousy Gene had for Finny and what his envy caused him to do. He has to live with the fact that he let jealousy overcome him and kill his best
Gene believes that Finny and he hate each other, until he realizes Finny’s pureness, which Gene can not stand. At first, Gene believes that Finny wants to exceed him, and that the two are rivals. Everyone at Devon likes Finny. The teachers adore him, the students look up to him, the athletes aspire
Finny breaks his leg, he then puts himself into Gene, training him for the olympics. This shows Finny depends on Gene for his identity, after learning he can't be the athletic superhuman he was, he wonders who he is next. He then experiences identity into question, forcing his old one to Gene. When his culture of a young teen who sees everything as trustworthy instead of an enemy collides with one who does, the vulnerability takes effect and he responds by refusing to see Gene as an
“Because my war ended before I ever put on a uniform; I was on active duty all my time of school; I killed my enemy there” (Knowles, 204). A Separate Peace, written by John Knowles, was taken place at Devon High in the mid 1940’s, in the New England area during WWII. The main character, Gene, is a very smart, but envious and imitative kid that returns back to his school later in life to find peace within himself and past conflicts. Gene’s envious and imitative actions have had many affects within himself, others, and his future, but has found peace throughout everything. Gene’s envy and imitation of Finny affects him a lot throughout the novel.
Overall Gene is known to be the character that has worries and lets emotional situations get the best of him. Continuously throughout the story Gene allows what happens to Finny and the world around him slowly bring him down. The war acts as another filler for disaster in society and can get the best of the boys who are preparing to fight in it. Therefore Gene’s identity in A Separate Peace defines him as the weaker one the one who is sensitive.
If Finny wants to jump out of a tree, Gene will jump out of a tree. If Finny wants to go to a beach, Gene goes to the beach. Finny is very good at talking around people and getting out of trouble. He does not ever get into much trouble. Their rivalry started when Gene thought that Finny was trying to sabotage his grades and his studies.
Finny not being able to play sports anymore that meant Gene was next in line for the top athlete at Devon. In addition, this incident leads to Finny having several health issues and dying towards the end of the novel. Gene knew that Finny had no admirations towards him and that made him angered. Gene was hurt when Finn died but he still didn’t change once he went to war or when he came back to visit Devon in his elder years. “He had never been jealous of me for a second.
