ipl-logo

The Relationship Between Gene And Finny In A Separate Peace By John Knowles

611 Words3 Pages

“Envy is ignorance; imitation is suicide” (Emerson 370). John Knowles’s A Separate Peace takes place at a boarding school, Devon, in New Hampshire during World War II. Gene Forrester, one of the main characters, is a conformist that envies his best friend, Phineas (Finny). Gene is academically inclined and introverted, whereas Finny is athletically gifted and outgoing. A Separate Peace depicts how Gene’s envy and imitation affect him and his relationship with Finny, and how Gen found peace within himself after Finny’s death. Gene’s envy and imitation of Finny affects Gene greatly. Gene’s feelings cause him to be much more aggressive. For instance, on page 191, Finny told Gene, “it wasn’t anything you really felt against me, it wasn’t some

Show More
Related

  • Gene's Character Finny In 'A Separate Peace'

    683 Words  | 3 Pages

    2. Gene says that Finny is not suited for war. Do you disagree or agree with this statement? I disagree with Gene’s statement that Finny is not suited for war. Finny was mentally prepared and seemed to want to enlist in some of the earlier parts of the book.

    Read More

  • Gene's Grievances In John Knowles 'A Separate Peace'

    130 Words  | 1 Pages

    The feeling of neglect, presses like a dagger to Leper. He wishes for people to notice him and appreciate him. Moreover he wants to be closer to Gene and be his best friend. However, Finny is Gene’s best friend, and so he harbors an ounce of envy towards Finny. All the while, he joins the army, yet it cuts a deep wound into him, and he loses his mind, and so he escapes.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis Of Gene And Finny In A Separate Peace By John Knowles

    791 Words  | 4 Pages

    In a private school (Devon), there are two boys who are very close to each other and consider themselves to be best friends. One is Gene, who is very serious and studious, while the other is Finny, who is the exact opposite of Gene. He is very energetic and athletic. The story follows the two boys as one sudden event can change them and their friendship forever. Gene visiting Finny in the hospital caused Gene to realize how much he cared about Finny.

    Read More

  • Summary Of A Separate Peace By John Knowles

    475 Words  | 2 Pages

    A separate peace by John Knowles is book that takes place at a boarding school and a big part of it is looking at how tragedy can change a characters personality. Gene Forrester the protagonist and narrator of the novel is a great example of this. At the beginning of the book he is envious of his best friend Phineas and will do anything to be the best, but as the book goes on and tragedy strikes all he feels is guilt. Before the tragedy of Finny breaking his leg gene is envious of him.

    Read More

  • Strength In A Separate Peace By John Knowles

    998 Words  | 4 Pages

    Once Finny is thoroughly introduced, you begin to gain a better understanding of Gene’s feelings. Finny is perfect on paper he is athletic, naïve, charming, outgoing, the list goes on and on. He is an example of all the things Gene isn’t which makes him “competition”. In chapter 4 Gene says, “We were even after all, even in enmity. The deadly rivalry was on both sides after all” (54).

    Read More

  • Character Development And Setting In John Knowles A Separate Peace

    871 Words  | 4 Pages

    John Knowles, author of A Separate Peace, uses both character development and setting to support his decision in selecting the title. He uses the main characters of Gene and Phineas (Finny) and their troubled yet deeply bonded friendship as a way to illustrate the separate peace that takes place both within the boys themselves and in the friendship that is built between the two. Knowles also uses the setting of the novel to demonstrate the vast difference between the peaceful Devon School grounds and the war raging outside of the school’s walls. The title, A Separate Peace, as chosen by the author is symbolic of the main characters, Finny and Gene’s, struggle to find peace within themselves and with each other while set in a place that significantly contrasts the events of the real world.

    Read More

  • Internal Conflict In A Separate Peace

    700 Words  | 3 Pages

    A Separate Peace, Unit Test Hamza Eldohiri The story “A Separate Peace”, written by John Knowles, was written at the time and takes place during World War II when battles and conflicts amongst nations were evident. Each nation involved struggled and fought their hardest in order to satisfy the good of their nation. Not only is the setting in the story taking place during this time of quarrel, the story also demonstrates areas of self-conflict and an internal battle throughout. The characters in “A Separate Peace”, are described as experiencing this self-conflicting, internal battle. Gene (also the narrator) is specifically depicted as he goes through his battle in life.

    Read More

  • A Separate Peace: Character Analysis

    622 Words  | 3 Pages

    From then on Gene started to look at Finny as his enemy and not his best friend. Another way their relationship is affected is when Gene attempts to get rid of Finny to replace him. Gene and Finny were out hanging in the tree when Gene got the urge to shake the branch Finny was standing on causing Finny to fall. Finny ended up breaking his legs all because of Gene. Gene’s jealousy made him do it, he wanted Finny gone, and since he couldn’t be Finny he decided replacing him would be the best option.

    Read More

  • Gene's Jealousy In John Knowles A Separate Peace

    741 Words  | 3 Pages

    One way Gene’s jealousy and imitation is an effect on his relationship with Finny is that it caused lots of jealousy towards Finny because of his abilities, appearance, and actions. An example of this is when Gene stated “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).

    Read More

  • Jealousy In A Separate Peace

    1024 Words  | 5 Pages

    Finny not being able to play sports anymore that meant Gene was next in line for the top athlete at Devon. In addition, this incident leads to Finny having several health issues and dying towards the end of the novel. Gene knew that Finny had no admirations towards him and that made him angered. Gene was hurt when Finn died but he still didn’t change once he went to war or when he came back to visit Devon in his elder years. “He had never been jealous of me for a second.

    Read More

  • Greatness In John Knowles A Separate Peace

    521 Words  | 3 Pages

    throughout the whole novel, Gene has envied Finny’s superb athletic ability. Gene’s mind is not in the right place while the boys are both on the limb together. Knowles shows this when Gene takes the step of betrayal. Knowles writes in Genes perspective, “Holding firmly to the trunk, I took a step toward him, and then my knees bent and I jounced the limb” (60). Gene was out for Finny because he thought Finny was trying to be better than everyone else.

    Read More

  • Summary Of A Separate Peace By John Knowles

    502 Words  | 3 Pages

    A Separate Peace by John Knowles is the story of Gene and Finny’s friendship at a boarding school in New England, called Devon, during the early years of World War II. Their friendship is tested when Finny falls out of a tree because Gene jostled the limb. A Separate Peace is a novel of sin and redemption because Gene strives to redeem himself for what he did, Finny’s fall symbolizes the loss of innocence for the characters at Devon. To being with, Finny’s fall marks the end of the summer session, which represents the carefree innocence at Devon.

    Read More

  • Juxtaposition In A Separate Peace

    1613 Words  | 7 Pages

    In the novel, A Separate Peace by John Knowles, Gene is a teenage boy who attends the boarding school called Devon. Devon is a sanctuary for young men before in the midst of World War II. The boys’ lives are surrounded by influences of war and influences on each other. Gene lives with his roommate Phineas (Finny) who he spends the majority of his time with. Being surrounding by each other all the time, all the boys in Devon influence who each other are.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Jealousy In A Separate Peace

    822 Words  | 4 Pages

    He is basically, through rhetorical questions, saying that he does not want to do what Finny does, but it’s like he cannot help it. This is affecting who Gene is as a person because he is not thinking for himself. Is Gene really even himself if Finny is doing the thinking for him? If he is not thinking for himself, he is not being true to himself. Another way that Gene is affected is that he allows his imitation of Finny get in the way of his schooling.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Friendship In A Separate Peace

    1239 Words  | 5 Pages

    They are supposed to be best friends, but Gene envies him and thinks he is trying to make him look bad. After Finny’s accident, Gene struggled with guilt and his life was changed because of it. “I spent as much time as I could alone in our room, trying to empty my mind of every thought, to forget where I was, even who I was. One evening when I was dressing for dinner in this numbed frame of mind, 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 29).

    Read More

More about The Relationship Between Gene And Finny In A Separate Peace By John Knowles

Open Document