674 Knowles, John
whose initiation ritual involves jumping from a tree
branch into a river. Early in the story, Gene begins
to resent Finny’s charm, thinks the latter intends to
sabotage his studies, and, subsequently, causes Finny
to fall from the aforementioned tree limb and break
his leg. The remainder of the story involves the stu-
dents’ dealing with the emotional fallout from this
incident. From these events, Knowles explores the
themes of innocence and experience, coming of
age, guilt, violence, and identity.
The struggles faced by Gene and his friends res-
onate still today with those who are going through
or have gone through the transition from child to
adult. The novel’s timeless themes will likely con-
tinue to do so with future readers.
Ryan Neighbors
cominG oF aGe in A Separate Peace
The journey to adulthood is often filled with strug-
gles, suffering, and lessons learned. John Knowles’s
A Separate Peace is largely about this coming of age,
the journey from adolescence to adulthood. The
novel follows several boys at a New England private
school in the 1940s as they study and prepare to go
to war. This journey is most clearly seen in the pro-
tagonist Gene. The novel begins with an adult Gene
revisiting the school where he spent his adolescent
years. He recounts for the reader his time spent at
the school, centering around one particular summer
and a friendship that changed his life. That friend-
ship with a boy known as Finny helped him discern
certain undesirable characteristics about himself and
grow as a person.
In the beginning of the novel, the adolescent
Gene is a smart, disciplined boy, focused on his stud-
ies. Since he is not the most brilliant student in the
school, he has to work hard to succeed and hopes to
be head of the class. He dislikes breaking the rules
and feels nervous when he does, such as when he
rides to the beach with Finny and jumps with him
from the tree into the river. In short, Gene wants to
conform. His conformity is not the sole aspect of
his personality, however; he also is consumed with
envy of Finny.
Finny, on the other hand, stands out among the
other boys because of his charismatic and mischie-
vous nature. He is a superb athlete, though he does
not seek athletic glory for himself. He is also a natu-
ral leader, forming a secret club with the other boys.
Finny leads what seems like an effortless life and is
the epitome of a non-conforming individual.
Gene, at the same time, admires and loathes
him for this. At times early in the novel, we see
Gene apparently wanting to be Finny. He even tries
on Finny’s clothes at one point while the latter is
away. At other times, Gene believes that he and
Finny are in a contest to see who is the best boy at
Devon—Finny with his athletics or Gene with his
grades. After Gene flunks a math test following a
trip to the beach, he begins to think Finny is not
really his friend at all and is intentionally trying to
hurt his studies. Gene fluctuates from wanting to
be like Finny to despising him for the very thing he
admires, his individuality.
When Finny comments sincerely on how he
wants Gene to succeed, Gene realizes that the
hatred he has held for Finny is unfounded. Appar-
ently, Finny is above hateful competition. The
revelation angers Gene even more. This anger leads
Gene to jostle the limb when Finny is preparing to
jump in the river, causing him to fall and shatter
his leg.
This incident is the first turning point in the
story for Gene. The secret hatred he has felt for
Finny melts away and is replaced with guilt, even
though he will not admit it to himself. Through the
rest of the novel, Gene seemingly becomes more like
his friend. With Finny’s help, he trains to become a
star athlete at Devon, in effect taking the athlete’s
place at the school. However, Gene’s denial of the
part he played in Finny’s accident, as well as his
inability to acknowledge and cope with his guilt,
prevents him from growing into maturity. It is not
until Gene is confronted about the accident that he
truly begins the process of change.
After Gene is recognized as the cause of Finny’s
fall, the two friends are able to talk openly and
honestly in the infirmary before the latter’s surgery,
perhaps for the first time in over a year. Gene apolo-
gizes to his friend, finally freeing himself from his
denial and guilt. Finny forgives him, and Gene is
able to accept his friendship. When Finny dies dur-
ing the surgery on his leg, Gene reacts stoically, real-
izing that his own old self has died with his friend.