A Separate Peace
by John Knowles
Corruption
In John Knowles' novel, A Separate Peace, the building jealousy Gene feels towards Finny eventually results in corruption entering the previously carefree relationship. Early in the novel, when Finny is questioned by the faculty, Gene thinks, "This time he wasn't going to get away with it. I could feel myself becoming unexpectedly excited at that" (27). The rivalry between the two best friends is beginning to develop at this point in the novel. Gene secretly wants Finny to receive punishment for his actions, but feels surprised and ashamed by these feelings, revealed by the inclusion of the word "unexpectedly". Gene contradicts himself throughout the novel by calling Finny his best friend while wishing for his downfall. Gene's jealousy is beginning to push through as well, for the slight feeling of "excitement" he describes represents his want for Finny to fall to the same level he is on. His hatred for Finny's easy way around the rules is part of the jealousy and anger he feels. Gene begins to panic when he makes himself believe that Finny is attempting to undermine him. When Finny is training Gene for the Olympics, Gene becomes suspicious of Finny's actions originating from a desire to pull Gene away from his studies and preoccupy him with athletic nonsense, explained as Gene reasons:
I found it. I found a single sustaining thought. The thought was, You and Phineas are even already. You are even in enmity...I felt better. Yes, I sensed it like the sweat of relief when nausea passes away; I felt better. We were even after all, even in enmity. The deadly rival was on both sides after all (54)
Gene is making himself feel better by tricking himself into thinking that Finny feels the same way about their relationship, while in actuality Finny is morally above Gene. He is recognizing the animosity that he holds towards Finny, and the detached tone he uses, pointed out through Knowles' phrasing, makes it seem as if Gene is starting to become unhinged. Gene needs reassurance that their relationship is healthy, and after his reasoning he "felt better". The choice of the adjective "deadly" foreshadows Finny's accident and even his death. Gene's jealousy towards Finny causes an irreparable wedge to be driven between them. This stem of envy leads to the corruption of them both; Finny, from a carefree, social butterfly to an angry, private young man; and Gene, from a peaceful sidekick into an unstable young man without direction.
I found it. I found a single sustaining thought. The thought was, You and Phineas are even already. You are even in enmity...I felt better. Yes, I sensed it like the sweat of relief when nausea passes away; I felt better. We were even after all, even in enmity. The deadly rival was on both sides after all (54)
Gene is making himself feel better by tricking himself into thinking that Finny feels the same way about their relationship, while in actuality Finny is morally above Gene. He is recognizing the animosity that he holds towards Finny, and the detached tone he uses, pointed out through Knowles' phrasing, makes it seem as if Gene is starting to become unhinged. Gene needs reassurance that their relationship is healthy, and after his reasoning he "felt better". The choice of the adjective "deadly" foreshadows Finny's accident and even his death. Gene's jealousy towards Finny causes an irreparable wedge to be driven between them. This stem of envy leads to the corruption of them both; Finny, from a carefree, social butterfly to an angry, private young man; and Gene, from a peaceful sidekick into an unstable young man without direction.
Desire to Find Love
The seemingly easy and trusting relationship between Finny and Gene is an accurate representation of the teenage need for companionship. Finny hides his handicap to most of his peers, and only reveals the hardest of his struggles to Gene. After Finny returns to Devon, Gene muses:
I didn't know why he had chosen me, why it was only to me that he could show the most humbling sides
of his handicap. I didn't care. For the war was no longer eroding the peaceful summertime stillness I had
prized so much at Devon, and although the playing fields were crusted under a foot of congealed snow
and the river was now a hard gray-white lane of ice between gnaut trees, peace had come back to Devon
for me (109)
The image of winter symbolizes the change in Gene's life. The warm and lazy summer is carefree, while the icy and cold winter brings Finny back handicapped. The playing fields are unable to be used, which represents Finny's inability to play on them. Finny is only comfortable showing the "most humbling" parts of his handicap to Gene, which reveals his trust in his friend. The relationship between the two of them is give and take, which demonstrates the teenage need for companionship. Gene says that "peace" returns to Devon along with Finny, which symbolizes Gene's longing for Finny's friendliness and companionship. Peace is only achieved for Gene in Finny's presence. The best friends' comfort and care for each other proves their strong bond, demonstrating fully the teenage want for companionship and friendly love.
I didn't know why he had chosen me, why it was only to me that he could show the most humbling sides
of his handicap. I didn't care. For the war was no longer eroding the peaceful summertime stillness I had
prized so much at Devon, and although the playing fields were crusted under a foot of congealed snow
and the river was now a hard gray-white lane of ice between gnaut trees, peace had come back to Devon
for me (109)
The image of winter symbolizes the change in Gene's life. The warm and lazy summer is carefree, while the icy and cold winter brings Finny back handicapped. The playing fields are unable to be used, which represents Finny's inability to play on them. Finny is only comfortable showing the "most humbling" parts of his handicap to Gene, which reveals his trust in his friend. The relationship between the two of them is give and take, which demonstrates the teenage need for companionship. Gene says that "peace" returns to Devon along with Finny, which symbolizes Gene's longing for Finny's friendliness and companionship. Peace is only achieved for Gene in Finny's presence. The best friends' comfort and care for each other proves their strong bond, demonstrating fully the teenage want for companionship and friendly love.
Disrespect
Finny's clever disregard of the rules set forth by Devon is a prime example of a disrespectful teen. During the summer session, Gene offers:
The Devon faculty had never before experienced a student who combined a calm ignorance of the rules
with a winning urge to be good, who seemed to love the school truly and deeply, and never more than
when he was breaking the regulations, a model boy who was comfortable in the turant's corner. The
faculty threw up its hands over Phineas, and so loosened its grip on all of us (23)
Finny is the definition of an oxymoron. He loves the school through his blatant disregard for authority. Teens have a natural want to please their peers and be accepted, and Finny is regarded as popular because of his disrespect and his daring nature. His peers also like that the faculty "loosened its grip" on the rest of the boys. Finny's happiness while in "the turant's corner" illustrates the joy he receives from ignoring authority. His "calm ignorance" represents his overall carefree attitude; he doesn't know the rules, and he doesn't feel a need to know them. The timing of the summer is significant because the summer season is often associated with lazy days that are not rigid with authority. During the summer session, Gene and Finny form the Super Suicide Society. Gene's explanation reveals, "We met every night, because Finny's life was ruled by inspiration and anarchy, and so he prized a set of rules. His own, not those imposed on him by other people, such as the faculty of the Devon School" (34). The anarchy that is Finny's life foreshadows his future demise. The image of meeting in the "night" contributes to the idea that the rule breaking was done after hours and in secret. The word choice of "his" and "he" proves his ownership of his delinquent lifestyle. Finny's life is "ruled by inspiration", which explains his impulsiveness and lack of regard for the faculty. Finny's lack of concern over rule breaking describes Finny's overall outlook on life: to live in the moment. Finny is not bothered by authority, and his actions and thoughts reflect this notion.
The Devon faculty had never before experienced a student who combined a calm ignorance of the rules
with a winning urge to be good, who seemed to love the school truly and deeply, and never more than
when he was breaking the regulations, a model boy who was comfortable in the turant's corner. The
faculty threw up its hands over Phineas, and so loosened its grip on all of us (23)
Finny is the definition of an oxymoron. He loves the school through his blatant disregard for authority. Teens have a natural want to please their peers and be accepted, and Finny is regarded as popular because of his disrespect and his daring nature. His peers also like that the faculty "loosened its grip" on the rest of the boys. Finny's happiness while in "the turant's corner" illustrates the joy he receives from ignoring authority. His "calm ignorance" represents his overall carefree attitude; he doesn't know the rules, and he doesn't feel a need to know them. The timing of the summer is significant because the summer season is often associated with lazy days that are not rigid with authority. During the summer session, Gene and Finny form the Super Suicide Society. Gene's explanation reveals, "We met every night, because Finny's life was ruled by inspiration and anarchy, and so he prized a set of rules. His own, not those imposed on him by other people, such as the faculty of the Devon School" (34). The anarchy that is Finny's life foreshadows his future demise. The image of meeting in the "night" contributes to the idea that the rule breaking was done after hours and in secret. The word choice of "his" and "he" proves his ownership of his delinquent lifestyle. Finny's life is "ruled by inspiration", which explains his impulsiveness and lack of regard for the faculty. Finny's lack of concern over rule breaking describes Finny's overall outlook on life: to live in the moment. Finny is not bothered by authority, and his actions and thoughts reflect this notion.
Lack of Direction
In A Separate Peace, Gene's lost sense of purpose and direction leads to the decimation of his relationships and the development of minor depression. After Finny returns to Devon post-accident, Gene's initial sense of direction is disappearing, expressed through his reaction to Finny, "'Listen, pal, if I can't play sports, you're going to play them for me,' and I lost part of myself to him then, and a soaring sense of freedom revealed that this must have been my purpose from the first: to become a part of Phineas" (85). Gene is accepting his role as the "new Finny". The sense of "purpose" and "freedom" that Gene gains had been lacking from his life in the past. Finny lost his direction in life while trying to accept his new reality with a handicap. As a result, he is clearly trying to live through Gene. Gene's easy acceptance represents his sense of being lost in life. He starts to "become a part of Phineas", which is unhealthy and just contributes more to the mixed emotions he feels after Finny's accident. Gene denies his own emotion to appease the competitive hole in Finny's life. The friends become extremely codependent, with Finny's need for activity fulfilled and Gene's need for purpose satisfied. During their "Olympic Training", Finny becomes the central focus of Gene's thoughts, demonstrated through Gene's narration, "Next to the house there was a patriarchal elm tree, against the trunk of which Finny leaned and shouted at me as I ran a large circle around him" (119). The image of Gene running "around" Finny represents that his entire world and purpose now revolves around Finny's thoughts and ideas. The fact that Gene is running in a "circle" is significant because his lack of direction is evident, for his refusal to accept the war and Finny's handicap state are causing him to repeat the same actions over and over again. Finny is also shouting at Gene, which symbolizes Finny's huge and loud impact on Gene's actions. A teen's biggest influence in their life is most often their friends and other peers. When a teen is struggling through a tough time, they often don't want to be themselves any longer, so when Gene decides to become a part of Finny, he is coping with his emotional problems. Teens often turn to their friends and other coping mechanisms to make sense of their ever changing lives.
Superficiality
Gene's chronic dissatisfaction with himself leads him to making decisions that he would not normally act upon. When he argues with Quackenbush, Gene reacts, "'Listen you maimed son-of-a-bitch...' I hit him hard across the face. I didn't know why for an instant; it was almost as though I were maimed. Then the realization that there was someone who was flashed over me" (79). Gene's confusion that is associated with his hitting Quackenbush represents his quick defensiveness. He immediately reacts to any criticism about himself first, and then flashes into thinking about Finny, which reveals the true order in which he places their personal importance. Gene momentarily forgets that Finny's handicap is, in fact, Finny's. This demonstrates the way that Gene has given up his personal identity that is self-conscious, to replace it with Finny's, even though Finny's outward appearance is maimed. Gene wishes for Finny's identity, for Finny's confidence is still intact in Gene's mind. Gene would rather be confident in someone else's skin rather than in his own, which develops the superficiality of Gene and the modern teen.