A Separate Peace By John Knowles Essay

It is human nature to want what one cannot or should not have. Greed and jealousy have the ability to drive people to do extreme and unnecessary actions to receive what they pine over. It can change people and thrust them, quickly, into a different life. In the novel, A Separate Peace by John Knowles, Gene succumbs to temptation and envy- which ultimately pushes him into maturity and changes his life forever. He experiences seducement when he is envious of all of Finny’s attributes then a loss of innocence when he makes Finny fall from the tree and has to deal with the consequences of his actions. Gene’s journey matches that of Adam and Eve in the Tree of Knowledge. Adam and Eve experience enticement to eat the Forbidden Fruit which sequently makes them have a loss of innocence by being cast out of the Garden of Eden. Gene embarks on his hero’s journey, an allegory to Adam and Eve in the Tree of Knowledge, as he enters the oasis school of Devon, he faces temptation and a loss of innocence because of his greed to become Finny. In both, A Separate Peace and The Tree of Knowledge, the main characters live in an oasis setting. The Garden of Eden is a beautiful place. It has all that Adam and Eve could ever want. It is said that God made trees “grow out of the ground- trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food” (Genesis 2:8-9). There was not only a wonderful scenery, but, also, abundant food for Adam and Eve to enjoy without consequence. The Garden of Eden was…