Finding Peace John Knowles’ A Separate Peace tells a story of one summer and one tragic event that changes the lives of two young boys and helps them mature into men. One of whom is a great leader, but is still a child in many ways and another that has much knowledge, but cannot imagine being on his own, that needs to break free of his dependence on his friend. This Bildungsroman focuses on these boys growing up and maturing, going through downfalls and learning from them. One of them is Gene Forrester, an intellectual child, that knows no more than to follow his best friend, Phineas. Phineas, one that knows no rules, that leads and makes up games, and only sees Gene as his best friend. The tragedy that follows these boys during the summer of 1942, makes them see more of the world and all the knowledge that comes with it. From the beginning to the end of the summer in 1942, Gene Forrester has taken many steps and realized many things that made him into the man he was by the end of the summer. In the beginning, Gene and his best friend, Finny, were just young kids that wanted to have fun. But when a tragic event happens, Gene has to start thinking about his relationship with Finny. Letting the need to be like his best friend, his paranoia and distrust in his friend get in the way, Gene begins taking actions that eventually lead to his downfall. During this time Gene has to take …show more content…
Throughout this piece, Gene has been through many things that made him into the man that he was by the end of the story. During the summer of 1942, he learned more about life than any other time. He learned about friendship, the hardships of life, and how to get through them. He has taken many step to manhood and by the end was ready to take on the world and the knowledge that came with