A Separate Peace 6
Many times in the world, differences have lead to hate. Think of Martin Luther King, for example, who stood for fighting against one of the largest differences. A Separate Peace, by John Knowles, is one of many examples of differences leading to hate. Gene and Finny, who somehow managed to become friends, have completely different views of each other. Finny wanted to be friends with Gene, but had trouble facing the reality that Gene felt differently. Gene became jealous over Finny's difference to himself. Difference has led to hate, once more, and pain has again resulted, first mentally and emotionally, then finally physically. Knowles creates Gene as one who always is strictly trying to comply with the rules and regulations, always obeying his superiors; completely different then that of Finny's personality. "Over your head? Pink! It makes you look like a fairy!" (909). Considering such, he envies Finny, because Finny can 'get away with murder' if he wanted to, and can stay out of trouble doing so. "Phineas could get away with anything. I couldn't help envying him...a little" (909). Knowles shows how much jealousy Gene had over Finny' s ability to stay out of trouble, no matt
Gene is a person who thinks before he acts. "What was I doing up here anyway? Why did I let Finny talk me into stupid things like this?" (906). He is an individualist with distinct and well-thought characteristics. "As we walked rapidly along I abruptly resented the bell and my West Point stride and hurrying and conforming." (907). Furthermore, Gene is at this point still friends with Finny, and tries to think of a clever way to appease him. "I threw my hip against his, catching him by surprise, and he was instantly down, definitely pleased." (907). When Phineas proposes the idea of jumping off a tall tree into the river, Gene hesitates to follow. "The tree was tremendous...I was darned if I'd climb it...No one but Phineas could think up such a crazy idea...He saw nothing intimidating about it...He wouldn't admit it if he had. Not Phineas." (904,905). Finny, on the other hand, acts before he thinks; for example, in that same place in the story where Gene thinks about jumping the tree, Finny gets a sudden urge to jump from the tree, and so he does. Although Gene may think his actions clearly, he does not like to express his emotions directly. 1. Knowles, John. A Separate Peace. Elements of Literature: Fourth Course. Austin: Holt, Rinehert, 1993. 901-982. In another scene of the story, Knowles has Finny say that Gene and he are best friends, as an example, and Gene has trouble expressing his true emotions on the matter. "I should have told him then that he was my best friend also and rounded off what he had said. I started to; I nearly did. But so
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Approximate Word count = 1064
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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