Analysis Of The Book 'A Separate Peace' By John Knowles

When the main character Finny dies in A Separate Peace, the author John Knowles does not put the burden of the blame on one single character but shows each character's thoughts of the accident. Finny and his best friend Gene go to an all boys school in New Hampshire. Finny is an extroverted star athlete who is friends with everyone, while Gene is more of an introvert who focuses on his academic career. One summer afternoon while Gene and Finny are walking along a river, Finny persuades Gene to climb with him to the top of a tree he spots and jump into the water below. Finny tragically stumbles on a limb on the top of the tree and fall off, shattering his leg.

Boobie Miles Friday Night Lights By H.G. Bissinger Boobie Miles is a very talented individual which results in him being very cocky and arrogant. He also seems to be very self-absorbed, only caring about what happens to him, and what he has to do to succeed. In chapter 3 of Friday Night Lights the author highlights just how cocky Boobie really is by showing what happens when Boobie decides to show off during a scrimmage. Which results in Boobie seriously injuring his knee and being pulled from the game.

In the novel A Separate Peace by John Knowles, Gene Forrester inadvertently causes the death of his best friend, Finny, a tragedy which results in his premature metamorphosis from an envious and insecure teenager into a man who loves himself and therefore others. At the beginning of the novel, during the summer session at Devon School, Gene describes his feelings about Finny’s evading disciplinary action for using a tie as a belt, a dress code violation: “He had gotten away with everything. I felt a sudden stab of disappointment. That was because I just wanted to see some more excitement; that must have been it” (Knowles 28). Gene is tired of Finny’s rule-breaking and is jealous of Finny’s powers of persuasion.

When he took Doodle to Horsehead Landing before the first day of school he fills shame of failure but he doesn't stop trying even when he knows it's fatal. (p.416) This is one of the reasons of how the brother causes Doodles death because he made him work to hard and by having little concern for Doodle and more about his pride from what he

Gene’s first characteristic of evil is jealousy. Throughout the book Gene is showing jealousy towards Finny. He is jealous of Finny because of how good he is at sports. Gene is always trying to be like Finny and tries to find ways that he his better than Finny. Gene even put on Finny’s clothes

Consequently, his fear returns to him instantly. He is so afraid that he puts down this rifle, ‘he [yells] then with fright and [swings] about.’ It can be perceived that he has returned to being a boy, a youth, again. Stephen Crane depicts Henry’s mental condition by using a lot of character shifts to show that his courage and dutifulness do not come from within, but are affected by external forces. Henry continues to be an inconsiderate, childish youth since his escape from the regiment. While running away, he abandons a ‘tattered soldier’ wandering in the field because this man asks him too many questions about his wound, which he does not have.

Helmholtz is the ideal alpha, the perfect human in the other world. He does everything right, goes to social events such as obstacle golf and orgy porgy’s. Bernard’s work towards social order is peculiar. Towards the beginning of the book, he hates the way everyone acts and never wanted to become like them. He enjoyed being himself and always boasted himself.

As Gene engages in new experiences, he soon realizes that he envies Finny’s abilities. Gene comes of age through his understanding of the difficult challenges in his youth. Gene’s jealousy towards Finny’s perfect personality causes him to have childish emotions, such as resentment. Gene Forrester constantly battles within himself clashing emotions, specifically, hate and envy, towards Phineas. Since he strives to be like Finny, Gene does everything in his power to shove down his feelings of hatred and jealousy.

One negative thing about Coach Pennington is that he has a temper when his team loses or does something wrong, considering the fact that he came from a very successful school (Wichita Falls High School/Old High) and succeeded in sports as well. If Coach Pennington wasn 't the way he is now, he would be very rude and unforgiving to his team. Coach Pennington is as supportive as if the players/students were his own, and I believe that he has a strong character.-87

Gene expresses how he is a whole new man when he grows older in his flashback. Also, the reader sees that Gene is mostly forced to grow up and get ready to join the war. Lastly, Gene has to figure out who he is and how to cope with and without Finny along with his guilt. The next time you read a bildungsroman such as this one, remember to look for the major change in the character you can best relate to and see how they come of age, just as Gene