The Separate Peace Literary Analysis

Improved Essays
In the book, The Separate Peace by John Knowles, argues about friends and how friendships can have jealousy, hate, trust, and caring. Many friendships have some type of issue, but most of the time all the issues are different and in Gene and Finny’s friendship the was a lot of different types of arguments. In the book Gene and Finny’s friendship has many changes. For example Gene was jealous of Finny because sports came natural to Finny, making Finny really good at sports. Gene thought that Finny was jealous of him because how good he does in school. One day Finny said to him why you studying as he thought that it came natural to Gene but really he didn’t have the smarts he had to work hard for his good grades. In most friendships friends

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Although, their were many hardships faced by the friends they both understand how much one another means to…

    • 563 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    In A Separate Peace by John Knowles, the events are primarily driven by the characters. The book starts off with just a simple friendship. Gene and Phineas are best friends, and they have lots of adventures together. However, Gene mistrusts Phineas for some reason. He decides that Phineas must be trying to sabotage his academic career with all the ventures they take, and vows to himself to be better at school than Phineas is at sports.…

    • 139 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    As this chapter illustrates, Finny enjoys getting himself into tight (and sometimes dangerous) situations, and he relies on his natural charm and often illogical view of the world to extricate himself. While military service overtakes the older students, only the 16-year-old boys remain careless and happy in this peaceful world. For the masters of Devon — and Gene, too — Finny comes to represent the "essence of this careless peace." While Finny likes to defy authority, play games, and jump out of trees — all of these essentially childish activities — Gene, by contrast, wants to become an adult and feels that he should learn how to live in the grown-up world. His basic nature points him in the direction of conventionality and conformity, and…

    • 869 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    During Gene’s time at Devon, he faced many internal conflicts. Most of which consisted in forms of raging envy for Finny’s unconditional talent for any sport, good looks, and popularity. Instead of accepting the fact that Finny was simply a better human and leaning his focus onto self-improvement, he concluded that Finny must be jealous too. Gene wanted to excel at something related to how Finny had exceeded. Wistfully Gene’s plan later resulted in Phineas’ death; therefore, he clearly did not deal with his conflict in an appropriate way, but Finny’s death did end Gene’s war.…

    • 382 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    John Knowles intended his book, A Separate Peace, for a young audience such as a high school level, or a lower college level, and he hopes to convey the theme that one’s actions have consequences but it’s all part of growing up, which is what most people of this age bracket are going though at this time in life. John Knowles exhibites the immaturity of the main character, Gene Forrester, by displaying his flawed reasoning and misconceptions about his grades slipping by blaming it on his friend, Finny. After their outing to the beach which leads to Gene failing his trigonometry test, he has an epiphany in which he believes Finny is sabotaging his studies on purpose because he is jealous; Gene says, “The deadly rivalry was on both sides afterall” (54). These thoughts are the start of a dark road which winds it’s way throughout the story and leads Gene to several mistakes, the consequences of which shape his life later in the story, similar to what one might also experience when growing up.…

    • 481 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Since the beginning of time, humans have been plagued with conflict as they struggle to survive and make their places in the world, to help them live peaceably with each other, they have created laws and rules. Sometimes, their fears get the best of them; however. They become envious of each other and insecure about their own shortcomings. They sometimes make enemies of each other and wage war against them. John Knowles’s book, A Separate Peace, captures these themes of conflict.…

    • 574 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The core of a relationship lives in mutual trust, and when it is gone, it is very difficult to get back. This holds true to Gene and Phineas, or Finny, in John Knowles’ novel A Separate Peace. Throughout the novel, Gene’s trust in Phineas waivers constantly, for no good reason other than his own cynicism and jealousy. He was jealous of Phineas’ athletic ability and charm over the faculty and students at The Devon School. With their relationship, Knowles demonstrates that people’s individual jealousy, insecurities, and perhaps confusion in one’s identity can lead to someone having bitter cynicism.…

    • 535 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    We take it back to the times of world war 2, we see two best friends and a boarding school named Devon, just living life to the fullest. One boy is named Gene the other Phineas(also called Finny), they are your common roommates, Finny being the wild one, and Gene being the studier. Over time though, Gene starts to notice that Finny's popularity to get out of anything and making these activities is to wreck his studies. Genes envy towards Finny gets turned into a huge bulge of anger built up in him that one day gets released. In the novel A Separate Peace, the author, John knowles, reveals a friendship that is slowly broken from envy and anger.…

    • 1033 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Due to the main conflict of the story, Gene’s jealousy of Finny, Gene causes Finny to fall off of their favorite tree shattering Finny’s leg. Even after this fall, Gene loses his best friend to another fall down a marble stairwell when Finny left the mock trial they held to find out the truth about the accident in the tree. Gene views the loss of Finny as a lesson to be learned and Finny as the best teacher he’s ever had. The novel “A Separate Peace” and the movie based on it have key differences, some of which are the beginning of the story, Leper’s character, and the…

    • 817 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A foil in literature is someone that makes another character seem better by contrast. Since A Separate Peace is narrated from Gene's point of view, his insecurities are pitted against Finny's greatest talents. For example, Gene feels insecure because he compares his introverted self and academic achievement with Finny's extroverted personality and athletic abilities. This does not provide the satisfaction he is seeking because it is as if he is comparing the proverbial apples to oranges. As many people do, Gene sees his weaknesses in Finny's strengths.…

    • 550 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A Separate Peace Essay Prompt: Discuss how the setting of the novel helps reveal the character of Finny or the narrator. A Separate Peace by John Knowles is a realistic fiction. The novel takes place at the school of Devon during World War II. It follows two boys, Finny and Gene, as their friendship rises and falls and how it shapes them into the people they are.…

    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The battle someone faces can help in recognizing who he or she truly is. The utilization of the knowledge they discover on their journey will determine the result of their battle. For this battle to even begin, a force of opposition must be present. In John Knowles novel A Separate Peace, he conveys the battle Gene Forrester goes through to discover himself. Gene’s battle occurs at the Devon School, where he discovers the existence of his enemy.…

    • 1408 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Peace may be achieved in many different ways, one is by breaking down an enemy. The only way for Gene to find peace is to break down his enemy who is thought to be his best friend, Finny. Jealousy is a feeling resentment against someone because of that person's rivalry, success, or advantages. Gene slowly becomes jealous of his roommate Finny because of his charisma and his ability to be liked by everyone and get away with anything. Not only is Gene jealous of Finnys personality, but he also envy’s that he is a top athlete at Devon.…

    • 771 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Julien Berry Theme: Jealousy in A Separate Peace Song: Jealousy by Natalie Merchant Thesis Statement: People are often ruled by their emotions and can let those emotions impact their actions; for better or for worse. Jealousy is one such emotion that can cloud judgement and effect behavior. Jealousy is a central theme in the book A Separate Peace written by John Knowles, and drives the actions and behaviors of the characters within the novel. The book is about two friends, Gene and Finny, and their relationship during their school year together at Devon. Throughout the book, jealousy creeps into Gene and Finny’s relationship as their friendship matures and develops.…

    • 760 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Friendship is a large part of many people’s life. It can bring you some of the best times of your life and lots of fun. Although it may seem all rainbows and butterflies, it can also bring many hardships. John Knowles focuses his novel on the friendship of two boys, Gene and Finny. Gene flashes back into his time in Devon to understand his friendship with Finny and reconcile with it.…

    • 965 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays