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 considers Finny to be his best friend. In this type of friendship there is an implied vow of trust, loyalty and sense of forever friendship "Finny could shine with everyone, he attracted everyone he met. I was glad of that too. Naturally. He was my roommate and my best friend" (Knowles 40). Gene breaks that vow when he causes Finny's fall that results in life altering injuries “Holding firmly to the trunk, I took a step toward him, and then my knees bent and I jounced the …show more content…
Both of the main characters have inner battles they struggle to make peace with throughout the novel. The boys also must come to terms with how these battles impact their friendship. One boy lets jealousy and resentment guide his decisions and the other is in denial of the reality of the friendship as well as the world around him. Once the walls of the Devon School stop protecting the boys from their personal battles each boy is able to attain some type of peace with whom they have become and the path they chose to reach this
Maybe there was once a time when Gene was Finny’s genuine friend, but at some point, a seed of doubt plants itself in Gene’s brain and spreads like a virus tainting his image of Finny in Chapter 2. His true feelings about Finny are seen right after Finny yet again talks his way out of trouble, and Gene says he “. . .felt a sudden stab of disappointment.” (Knowles 28) Instead of being happy that Finny escaped trouble as a genuine friend would be, he was hoping Finny would get in trouble for his shenanigans. As the story progresses, his envy towards Finny grows and grows until eventually, instead of seeing him as a friend, he begins viewing him as an opponent and villainizes his every action (Knowles 52).
Enemies will betray you, backstab you and can be very difficult to deal with. Destroying your enemy will leave guilt in your heart. In the novel A Separate Peace, John Knowles exhibits peace from reality. Gene cannot handle his emotions so he creates three imaginary friends to avoid his real enemies which were his hatred, insecurity, jealousy, enmity and envy. His imaginary enemies were Finny, Leper, and Quackenbush.
A Separate Peace, Unit Test Hamza Eldohiri The story “A Separate Peace”, written by John Knowles, was written at the time and takes place during World War II when battles and conflicts amongst nations were evident. Each nation involved struggled and fought their hardest in order to satisfy the good of their nation. Not only is the setting in the story taking place during this time of quarrel, the story also demonstrates areas of self-conflict and an internal battle throughout. The characters in “A Separate Peace”, are described as experiencing this self-conflicting, internal battle. Gene (also the narrator) is specifically depicted as he goes through his battle in life.
Finny stated, “ You want to break something else in me! Is that why you’re here!”(Knowles 184) Their relationship was broken when Finny realized Gene caused his accident at the tree during the trial. When Gene came to see Finny after he fell down the stairs their relationship was destroyed. Finny even burst out in anger at Gene and tried to attack him.
From then on Gene started to look at Finny as his enemy and not his best friend. Another way their relationship is affected is when Gene attempts to get rid of Finny to replace him. Gene and Finny were out hanging in the tree when Gene got the urge to shake the branch Finny was standing on causing Finny to fall. Finny ended up breaking his legs all because of Gene. Gene’s jealousy made him do it, he wanted Finny gone, and since he couldn’t be Finny he decided replacing him would be the best option.
The way I believed that you’re-my-best-friend blabber!” (Knowles 45). Gene comes to the conclusion that Finny is trying to sabotage him and his goals in school and life and that makes Gene really mad. He feels betrayed, even though everything that he is thinking and is angry about is all made up in his head. In reality, Finny was actually jealous of how easily school and confidence in your own self came to Gene, but Gene ended up twisting it around to make Finny the bad guy and his enemy.
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”
Beware of Desires “Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else 's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation,” observed Oscar Wilde. In the fictional novel, A Separate Peace by John Knowles two best friends, Gene and Finny, both go to an elite boys ' private school in New Hampshire. Finny is a natural born leader and an athlete that easily succeeds in everything he does. Meanwhile, Gene is a bookworm that tries his best to be as successful as Finny.
The author, John Knowles, in the novel, “A Separate Peace”, conveys the lesson of friendship, or rather the lack of, with his use of diction. The strategy in which the author phrased certain sections of dialogue between Finny and Gene is there to show that Finny cares for Gene despite Gene’s obvious discontent. The friendship is a one-way street, and the author uses diction to represent this unbalance in the relationship, leading to friendship being a key theme throughout the book. There exist many examples of this diction throughout the novel, one of these is during their illegal beach trip. “I hope you’re having a pretty good time here.
In literature, mostly all of the central characters undergo a meaningful change because of a choice he or she made. “Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice.
Finny and Gene’s Friendship Friendship is very important in this story. Friendship is very important for a person’s well-being. In this book titled A Separate Peace by John Knowles the reader learns a lot about friendship in this book.
One way Gene’s jealousy and imitation is an effect on his relationship with Finny is that it caused lots of jealousy towards Finny because of his abilities, appearance, and actions. An example of this is when Gene stated “He had gotten away with everything. I felt a sudden stab of disappointment. That was because I just wanted to see some more excitement; that must have been it. " (Knowles).
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.
Guilt is a funny concept, that has a different affects on different people. Guilt can cause some to confess and it releases the burden, but for those who take long to confess, it can turn into a negative reaction that can cripple your emotions. A Separate Peace is set in a boarding school in New England. Gene, a main character, is an incisive introvert whose best friend, Phineas, is a handsome athlete. When an accident occurs over the Summer, that leaves Gene and Finny hurt in some way, what comes next could take a toll on their friendship.
Moreover, his character is such that, “He sees the best in people and overlooks anything that is contrary to that view”(Edelstein). And so, he fears in learning the truth of what caused him to plummet down the tree. Although deep in his mind, he finds reason that Gene caused it, he cannot bear to accept his conscience. Synchronously, as Finny tumbles to the Earth, all his dreams and aspirations plummet with him. No longer can he participate in sports and compete in the Olympics, or enlist in the army, another one of his goals.