Finny is a very likable character because of his great attitude and optimistic action. His ability to make a game out of anything is a contributing factor his popularity amongst the boys at Devon school. Finny is known as the big athlete to Gene. As stated in one of the essays, Gene tries to be the head of the class because he believes that Finny is trying to be the
Later in the book finny would realize that is a big mistake when he is pushed in the river and breaks a bone .This is the downfall of finny's sports career. Gene is bitter character that is not good at sports like
Through these words, we know that Gene and Finny shared a close bond with each other. A little envy is not enough for someone to cause great harm to his closest
“Envy is ignorance; imitation is suicide” (Emerson 138). In John Knowles’ “A Separate Peace,” Gene becomes so envious of his friend Finny that he starts to act like him; he was jealous of Finny’s capability of getting away with anything, and he also feels bitter because he sees Finny as being better than himself. Although it started as common friendship envy, it grew into a terrible animosity damaging the relationship between these two characters. For starters, Gene and Finny’s friendship is an uncommon one. They are somehow the opposite of each other: Gene is a smart, introverted guy while Finny is the athletic, extroverted one.
Gene’s relationship with his “best friend” Phineas describes how the relationship resulted in the killing of Gene's enemy, his own youth, and innocence. Gene is plainly described in the novel as envious of Finny, he is also depicted as the position of much hatred and dismay by his peers. Therefore, the fact that Gene kills his own youth is likely considering Finny’s success, Gene’s jealousy towards
He is basically, through rhetorical questions, saying that he does not want to do what Finny does, but it’s like he cannot help it. This is affecting who Gene is as a person because he is not thinking for himself. Is Gene really even himself if Finny is doing the thinking for him? If he is not thinking for himself, he is not being true to himself. Another way that Gene is affected is that he allows his imitation of Finny get in the way of his schooling.
They are supposed to be best friends, but Gene envies him and thinks he is trying to make him look bad. After Finny’s accident, Gene struggled with guilt and his life was changed because of it. “I spent as much time as I could alone in our room, trying to empty my mind of every thought, to forget where I was, even who I was. One evening when I was dressing for dinner in this numbed frame of mind, an idea occurred to me, the first with any energy behind it since Finny fell from the tree. I decided to put on his clothes” (Knowles 29).
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
In the story, Gene started to envy Finny for his personality and his ability to do things easily and get away with anything. (QUOTE) . Gene shook the branch of the tree when he was up in the tree with Finny, causing Finny to fall and shatter his leg. When Finny dies in surgery after breaking his leg a second time, Gene felt many emotions.(QUOTE) Gene felt some guilt for the death of his best friend.(QUOTE)
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).
Moments later he explains how “there was no harm in envying your best friend a little” which is obviously incorrect because if you are so close to someone you shouldn't envy there life, because you are one of the biggest parts about it. Finny’s whole life consists of Devon, sports, and Gene. Yet Gene believes that Finny is unblemished and will never make a mistake if he didn't want too. When Gene is playing Blitzball with Finny he is struck with a realization “ in such a nonstop game he also had the natural advantage of a flow of energy which I never saw interrupted.
He still encourages Gene to do the things that Finny no longer can because he wants to see someone else flourish, and most importantly: his friend. After Finny’s death, Gene even declares that “nothing … had broken [Finny’s] harmonious and natural unity” (Knowles 203). Since Gene exclaims this, the reader understands that Finny
Another good example that shows Gene’s anger towards Finny is, “But examinations were at hand. I wasn’t as ready for them as I wanted to be. The Suicide Society continued to meet every evening, and I continued to attend, because I didn’t want Finny to understand me as I understood him” (Knowles 48). This quote shows that Gene thinks Finny is purposely trying to make Gene fail, but really, Gene could’ve not gone with and Finny wouldn’t have thought any less of him because of it.
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.
Therefore, Gene always tried to make Finny jealous and that pushed him to hurt him in the
