Character Analysis: A Separate Peace By John Knowles

Emerson states that “Envy is ignorance; imitation is suicide”(370).In the novel A separate
Peace written by John Knowles which takes place in New hampshire during war.Gene is a
Character with jealousy and a person that would always want to be better than anyone.A
Separate peace demonstrates how Gene’s envy and imitation of finny affects him, affects his relationship with finny,and achieves his peace.

Gene’s envy and imitation of finny affect him.One way gene is affected is that gene cannot be himself so he decides to put on finny clothes.The author states,”...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 62).This quote shows that gene putting on finny clothes

Although gene envy and imitation affects him and his relationship with finny,Gene still achieves his peace.The first reason is when gene reaches his peace only after being away from phineas.For example,”an atmosphere in which I continued now to live,a way of sizing up the world with erratic and entity personal reservation(194)”(Alton).This example shows how gene reaches his peace when being separated away from finny.It describes him as being in a new atomsphere.It also shows how finny life and death taught him a way of living.The second reason is when gene acknowledges that the real enemy is himself and achieves his peace when maturing.For example,”Gene’s acknowledgement that the real enemy is within himself and,indeed,within each of us:we’re all liable to corruption from within by our own envy,anger,and fear”(Alton).This quote shows how gene peace is achieved after fighting within himself of growing up.It also shows how his own envy,anger,and fear all archives his