Identity In John Knowles A Separate Peace

Becki Wittman Throughout adolescence, teenagers struggle to find out who they are and how the belong in the world. From Gene’s interactions with his best friend Finny and how he lets Finny’s traumatic accident affect him, Jon Knowles explores identity in his classic novel, A Separate Peace. Between Gene’s guilt from possible causing the previously mentioned accident and his possibly failing friendship with Finny, Gene discovers insight as to who he has let himself become- and if he had any control in the first place. In a novel about discovering one’s sense of self, the characters all have major transitions. One character, Leper, goes from being someone who “looked up in anguish” and “shrank away from the ball” (Knowles 31) to someone who

It’s how one reacts to important situation in their life. After the accident, Gene visits Finny and explains that he caused it. The boys were going to jump off a tree and into a lake, when Gene jounced the branch with his foot, causing Finny to fall (52). At the time, Gene believed that Finny was out to get him, and there was a secret rivalry (46). While Gene didn’t consciously shake the branch, he thought that his anger and wishing made Finny fall. When he tries to explain this to his permanently injured companion, Finny brushes it off and denies it (57). Later, Brinker hosts a trial to deem whether or not Gene’s evil instincts could have hurt Finny (157). Finny once again denies that Gene caused the fall, except Brinker pushes the limits. He continues to argue that Gene was in the tree and has Leper testify against Gene until Finny can’t take it anymore- he marches out of the room and fatally falls down a set of marble stairs (168). A chapter later, Finny dies (183). However, before that happens, Gene realizes that Finny “had thought of [Gene] as an extension of himself” (170). This brings up another thought to ponder- is identity how one perceives oneself or how others view them? While talking to Finny’s doctor, Gene thinks to himself, “I did not cry then or ever about Finny. I did not cry even when I stood watching him being lowered into his family's