In A Separate Peace by John Knowels, the value of dealing with your feelings and
dealing with your enemies is shown by Gene Forester, a student in Devon during
World War 2 dealing with few human enemies, but his emotions create a
circumstance far greater than any human enemy. “I never killed
anybody,” Gene had commented later in his adulthood, “And I never
developed an intense level of hatred for the enemy Gene had put many enemies
into his own life. Gene had a best friend, his name was Finny, they were
roommates and did many activities together. Finny was never the source, but the
core of most of Gene’s feelings, both good and bad. First, one of the biggest
problems that Gene had, that is jealousy. Gene was jealous of Finny’s confidency,
openness, modesty, superb athletic abilities, his natural leadership skills, his
ability to deal with stress easily, his care free attitude, his people skills
and, of course, his good looks.
Early in the story Finny demonstrated his
openness by when asked for his height, he said 5 foot, 8 inches, while Gene
replies 5 foot, 9 inches. Finny pointed out that they were the same height and
you shouldn’t be ashamed to tell anybody your real height. Later that day, they
skip dinner to go swimming in the river, by Finny’s choice, and are asked where
they were on return. Finny quickly replied that they were swimming in the river,
something that is forbidden, right down to the last detail, and they got away
with it. Gene said that the rules are very bent during the summer session, but
it was actually Finny’s people skills that had kept them out of trouble. Finny
was very bold, as Gene many a time wished he was, on one occasion Finny wore a
bright pink shirt “symbolizing the first U.S. bombing in Europe. Gene
called him a “faerie” but really envied him.
Later Finny wore the
school tie as a belt and when questioned he claimed that it represented
“Devon in the war.” Gene was hopeingly awaiting a scolding for Finny,
but again, he got in no trouble. Another day the two were walking and came
across a plaque near the pool claiming that A. Hopkins Parker held the record
for swimming across the pool the fastest, Finny took one look at and thought he
could beat it, so without any practice at all he plunged into the pool, Gene
timed him and he beat it, just like that. Gene wanted to get an official
scorekeeper so Finny could get a plaque but Finny said “no, in my head I
know that I did it, that’s all that matters,” thus demonstrating that Finny
is very modest and secure.
The next day Gene and Finny went to the beach, which
wasn’t allowed. This was done at Finny’s request, Gene was going to study for a
test, but he felt that he can’t say no to Finny so hey went. At the beach Gene
noticed a lot of people looking at them, he knew they were looking at Finny
because of his well built body and his golden tan but Finny said that they were
looking at Gene. Before they return, Finny calls Gene his “best pal”
and Gene wanted to reply, but he wasn’t sure about it himself and he also has a
hard time expressing his true feelings. Another problem I could detect in Gene,
was his anger. Gene was angry about Finny’s ability not to get in trouble, and
Gene’s unwillingness to say “no” to Finny, but the real war started
when he got the idea that because Finny has low grades, he wanted to lower
Gene’s grades as well so he will better than Gene.
Gene believed that Finny was
trying to wreak his studies with games, an organization they had formed-the
Secret Suicide Society, going to the beach and all this “you’re my best
friend stuff.” Other than that, there is little anger between Finny and
Gene. One day, Finny wanted Gene to come jump off a high limb into the river
with him, as they have been doing for several weeks now, and he claimed that
Leper, the school nerd, would be jumping today as well. Gene burst out angrily
at the idea because he was studying, and thought Finny was trying to wreak his
studies, so he said no. Finny took no offense and went along like nothing
happened, but Gene couldn’t stand saying no to Finny and went anyway. Now he was
enraged on the inside because he knew that Finny was not trying to wreak his
studies and really is perfect.
When at the tree, he was still sore at Finny and
when he was about to jump, Gene shook the limb, Finny Lost balance, fell and
shattered his leg. Never to play sports again. Now Gene had a new enemy: Guilt.
Gene knows that he has broken Finny’s leg, it is all his fault, his best friend
can never play sports again because of him. All his fault. This is really eating
at him and he denies it to everyone except himself. Gene tries to tell Finny
that he jostled the limb and made him fall in the infirmary but the doctor came
in and interrupted. Later, in the fall, Gene visited Finny at his home and told
him that he did actually cause him too fall but Finny doesn’t want to hear any
of those words being spoken from Gene’s lips so he doesn’t let him say anything
else about the tree incident.
Now well into the winter session, Brinker, a
friend of Genes, comes into his room and Gene gets nervous thinking that Brinker
new that he had caused Finny’s accident, because of that Gene suggested they go
to the butt room, a drab room where smoking was allowed only to be confronted by
a bunch of “the fellas” jokingly trying to get Gene to say that he
caused the accident, Gene panicked, played along but could not bring himself to
say that he actually did push Finny out of the tree. Finny had gone home for a
time because of his shattered leg but soon returned to Devon. The day after he
returned, he wanted Gene to cut class and help him take a “tour” of
Devon; refamiliarizing himself with the place. Although he was not the kind to
cut class, Gene agreed. In a few days we find out that among all the boys at
Devon, the first one to enlist in the army is Leper, the nerd. Leper had
enlisted in the ski troops because he saw a film and it looked quite exciting.
Gene thought that their first contribution to the war would leave in style,
proud and bold, but Leper, he just left.
The next few weeks are all in
preparation for a secret winter carnival, organized by Finny which included a
ski jump (about 3 foot high), music, games with prizes and some very hard cider.
Near the end Gene has received a telegram from Leper stating that he “had
escaped.” Finny had no Idea what he had escaped from. Gene went to the
place specified on the card: Leper’s home. When there Gene found that Leper had
gone crazy. He was “nervous in the service” and had developed quite a
psychotic personality. Gene and Leper start out talking friendly but Leper
suddenly lashes out at Gene calling him “high and mighty, savage,” and
“lord of the manner,” this lead to Leper accusing Gene that he had
caused Finny’s accident which made Gene kick Leper out of his chair. Gene had
gotten very defensive over this. In a few days later in the evening, Brinker,
who has changed quite a bit since earlier in the book, came into Gene and
Finny’s room with some of his friends and took the two to the auditorium in the
first building.
There were several other boys waiting and made the two sit down,
Brinker rambled on a bit and then started to question Gene and Finny on where
Gene was when Finny was about to jump off the limb, at first Gene and Finny
agreed that Gene was on the ground, going up the tree as Finny fell but Finny
remembers that they were going to jump together, and Gene was on the limb with
him. Due to this unclarity, the boys go to get Leper, who was also there, and he
remembers that both Gene and Finny were on the limb and that he say someone
bounce up and down, but he would not reveal who fell that day. Finny has finally
collected all this information and stormed off in a rage out the door and down
the steps to their room but he didn’t make it down the steps safely, he fell and
broke his other leg. They get the wrestling coach, who knew first aid and
eventually the doctor who took him away to the infirmary. They carried Finny out
in a chair which reminded Gene of an “tragic, exalted personage.”
Gene, who was in a very unstable state of mind went to the infirmary and stood
outside Finny’s window while the Doctor and wrestling coach do a little work on
Finny, by now Gene is hysterical, he can’t stop laughing, he just can’t. After
the Doctor leaves and it is just Finny in the room, Gene jumps up to the window
and tries to talk to Finny but Finny reacts in anger saying “come to break
more of my bones,” but Gene has the sense to stay outside and he finally
says “Finny, I’m sorry.” Over and over again: “Finny I’m
Sorry.” Gene makes his way to the stadium and falls asleep under the
bleachers.
The next morning he wakes up and returns to his room to find a note
on the door asking him to bring Finny’s clothes and toilet articles to the
infirmary, so he packs them and brings them to Finny. When he got there a phrase
came to mind: “this is it” very appropriate for the challenge he now
faces. Gene enters and places the suitcase on Finny’s bed, Finny sorts through
his things quietly and than says to gene that he has tried to enlist in every
branch of the army. but because of his leg, no branch will take him. Gene
replies to him that he would be no good in the army because he would confuse
everybody and doesn’t have the heart to kill.
At this point Finny has a 100%
realization that Gene intentionally had caused the accident at the tree and he
tells him “you have already shown me, I believe you.” Those are
Finny’s last words to Gene symbolizing the forgiveness that has taken place.
Gene later returns to the infirmary and the doctor tells him that finny has
died, his heart was stopped by a piece of bone marrow, and that he died
peacefully.
Finny never cried, not then, not at the funeral, because he was an
extension of Finny and “you can’t cry at your own funeral.” Gene did
enter the war, but he never saw any action, and was never in any fighting, but
he realizes, as Brinker pointed out, that when Finny said that the war is just a
joke made up by old men, he was right, it is a game, and their sons are playing
in that game and they are dyeing not for their country, but for the sins of
others. He realized it but didn’t believe it, Gene feels that wars are made by
“something ignorant in the human heart.” Gene was ready for the war
now, he was ready to face new problems, new enemies, Finny took problems a
little at a time, and that’s how Gene has changed-he is taking that same
approach also.
