In A Separate Peace by John Knowles, the symbol of the tree is mentioned often. Gene narrates how Finny views the tree when he quotes, “‘Afraid to jump out of that tree? I expect it’ll be a very pleasant jump’” (Knowles 31). Phineas always viewed jumping off the tree as a fun, harmless activity, symbolizing his immaturity. However, Gene, being the more mature of the two friends, was reluctant to jump off the tree at first. In fact, Finny had to taunt Gene to get him to jump, which further shows his immaturity. Soon, the constant jumping off the tree led to Finny breaking his leg, preventing him from playing sports ever again. Instead of maturing and changing his lifestyle by becoming more interested in his studies, he forces Gene to become
