In John Knowles’ A Separate Peace, the themes insecurity and identity were present throughout the novel. To begin, the protagonist Gene Forrester revealed his insecurities toward the foundation of his relationship with his best friend, Finny. He thought Finny was deliberately making games and wanting to share everything with him as a disguise to destroy his studies, and to be the superior one in the relationship. ( Page 45) After his epiphany, Gene tried harder to become better than Finny, and ultimately became one with Finny. After Finny fell out of the tree, Gene decided to try on the infamous pink shirt. He put the stiff collared shirt on, it gave him a “intense relief,” and he thought he would “ never stumble through the confusions of his