Friendship is a very common occurrence throughout life; it is visible in almost every social relationship between people. True, genuine, and unconditional friendship is incredibly rare and even more precious. John Knowles gives the reader a glimpse at what this kind of friendship is throughout his novel masterpiece, A Separate Peace. The character of Phineas exemplifies this kind of friendship with his best friend Gene Forrester, and shows the true rarity of this kind of friendship. Knowles also shows how this kind of dedication and devotion to another can devastate with extreme prejudice. In the book, Knowles shows the reader just how fragile this kind of friendship is through Phineas’ character, the use of conflict, and symbolism. Phineas
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Arguably, the story could have ended in chapter 4, but the book goes on for a very long time afterward. This is Knowles guiding the reader to a realization: the two main characters have been replaced. The book goes on and tries to show that Phineas and Gene are still alive and friends, but neither are true. Gene and Phineas go to school and live their lives; they even try to regain their lost humanity and friendship. It is all futile and has no point; there is no regaining what they have lost. Knowles lets the reader in on the tragedy of it all in chapter 8, “‘What makes you so special? Why should you get it and all the rest of us be in the dark?’ The momentum of the argument abruptly broke from his control. His face froze. ‘Because I’ve suffered,’ he burst out” (Knowles 116). That is the most important line of dialogue in the whole book, “Because I’ve suffered” (Knowles 116). This shows so much in just one short abrasive sentence. This should tell the reader that these two boys and their truest friendship is gone. It is gone and has been replaced with a kind of worldly wisdom no two people should ever
Arguably, the story could have ended in chapter 4, but the book goes on for a very long time afterward. This is Knowles guiding the reader to a realization: the two main characters have been replaced. The book goes on and tries to show that Phineas and Gene are still alive and friends, but neither are true. Gene and Phineas go to school and live their lives; they even try to regain their lost humanity and friendship. It is all futile and has no point; there is no regaining what they have lost. Knowles lets the reader in on the tragedy of it all in chapter 8, “‘What makes you so special? Why should you get it and all the rest of us be in the dark?’ The momentum of the argument abruptly broke from his control. His face froze. ‘Because I’ve suffered,’ he burst out” (Knowles 116). That is the most important line of dialogue in the whole book, “Because I’ve suffered” (Knowles 116). This shows so much in just one short abrasive sentence. This should tell the reader that these two boys and their truest friendship is gone. It is gone and has been replaced with a kind of worldly wisdom no two people should ever