Examples Of Juxtaposition In A Separate Peace

Throughout A Separate Peace, Knowles uses juxtaposition to develop the characters of Gene and Phineas, also known as Finny. They are always with each other, and Gene even juxtaposes himself against Finny multiple times in the book. Consequently, these contrasts between them help establish their character; who they really are. One example of juxtaposition would be how Gene and Finny performed in school. Each of the boys had something they excelled at. For Finny, it was athletics; for Gene is was academics. Gene states that “Phineas was without question the best athlete” and that he himself “was more and more certainly becoming the best student in school”. But we also know that while Finny was athletic, he was “a poor student”. He believes that he could “study forever and never break a C.” Gene, on the contrary, is a great student and a fair athlete; he is just not as good as Finny. These examples would lead …show more content…
Towards the beginning of the book, Gene and Finny decide to jump out of the tree together to “cement our partnership”. Gene goes out first, and while he is on the branch, he loses his balance and “Finny’s hand shot out and grabbed my arm… my balance restored”. Later in the book, Gene and Finny decide to attempt another double jump. While they are on the branch, Gene feels so infuriated by Finny that, without thinking, he “took a step toward him, and then my knees bent and I jounced the limb.” Since Gene was holding onto the tree trunk, he remained on the branch while Finny lost his balance and tumbled out of the tree. These events show the difference between the boys because while Finny would save his friend from accidental catastrophe, Gene caused Finny to fall out of the tree and break his leg. Their different reactions portray the idea that Finny is a loyal friend, and Gene is impulsive and controlled by his