Theme Of Jealousy In John Knowles A Separate Peace

Buddha, founder of one of the world’s most renowned religions, simply and elegantly stated, “We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves” (np). This quote encompasses one of the central themes in the book, A Separate Peace, by John Knowles. This award winning author challenges the idea of inner wars and addresses the notion in a compelling and satisfying method. Although Knowles’ book takes place during wartime, not a single shot is fired, and nobody dies in battle in this story. Instead, he focuses on inner wars within the human heart that we all face: jealousy, loss of self worth, and the transformation from adolescence into adulthood. According to the author,

Finny’s behavior is unlike Gene’s quiet, intellectual ways. As Gene later states, “He could shine at many other things, with people for instance, the others in our dormitory, the faculty; in fact, if you stopped to think about it, Finny could shine with everyone, he attracted everyone he met” (32). This shows how Gene slowly becomes conscious of his resentment and envy towards his best friend. During the summer of 1942, Finny invites Gene to come with him to a beach that is hours away from Devon. After the trip, Gene fails a math test due to his lack of studying, and he believes that Finny had deliberately planned their venture to the beach with the intention of causing him to languish in his studies. Gene later realizes that Finny had no such intentions, thus ending any perceived jealousy between the friends. Jealousy is an inner war we all face, but we must learn to take control of our feelings and actions as Gene

Once Gene realizes that he has made a terrible mistake of accusing Finny for trying to hurt his academic standing, they decide to continue their tradition of jumping off a tree known for its notoriety. Gene accidentally shakes a branch, causing Finny to fall and shatter his leg. Gene feels a loss of self worth and is overcome with guilt pangs. He feels that he should have been in Finny’s place and taken the fall. This can be seen when Gene starts to wear Finny’s clothes in order to be a part of him. In the following quote, Finny states, “‘Listen, pal, if I can’t play sports, you're going to play them for me,”’ and I lost part of myself to him then, and a soaring sense of freedom revealed that this must have been my purpose from the first: to become a part of Phineas” (77). The act of putting on Finny’s clothes, and staring at himself in the mirror longingly symbolizes his desire to become a part of Finny. Another example of Gene losing himself to Finny can be seen when Finny admits that he cannot play sports anymore. Gene must participate on his behalf, thus beginning his training for the 1944 Olympics. Because of Gene’s adoration for Finny, he obliges and yet loses another part of himself to his best friend. An important message that we must all learn from Gene is that we should respect ourselves and not change who we are for