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Jealousy And Conscious Ignorance In 'A Separate Peace'

836 Words4 Pages

Emma Beesley
Mrs. Mancuso
Honors English II
3 February 2023

Jealousy, Conscious Ignorance, and Abusive Relationships
Exemplified in A Separate Peace
In the novel, A Separate Peace by John Knowles, the author discusses the themes of jealousy and conscious ignorance that are commonly found within toxic relationships. These themes are exemplified through the friendship between Gene and Finny and how their strong feelings as well as their complex contrasting characteristics affect their relationship. Both characters in this relationship are well-developed, unique, and have many layers to their personalities, and unfortunately, their qualities bring out the worst in each other and cause a complex and damaging relationship. The author's intent is not just to tell the story of Gene and Finny, but also to show the inside and the downfall of a relationship built upon these negative characteristics. Finny …show more content…

Finny blindly trusts people, and he often trusts his feelings over facts. For example, when discussing the validity of the news about the war, Finny recounts, “‘That’s what this whole war story is. Medical drug,’” (Page 115). Finny knows the truth but chooses to believe what he wants to be true instead. This is why even when Gene admits to purposefully making him fall from the tree, Finny refuses to believe him. Gene tells Finny, “I deliberately jounced the limb so you could fall’” (page 70). Even with the truth staring FInny in the face, he responds, “‘Of course you didn’t’” (page 70). Finny’s choice to be ignorant and deny the truth allows him to continue being abused by Gene. He enables Gene and allows himself to be the victim in the relationship because of his feelings. This unhealthy trait adds to the complexity and toxicity of the

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