A Separate Peace By John Knowles: Character Analysis

Friendship is a word we are all familiar with, and most of us assume we have friends. But do we? Webster’s Dictionary defines it as, ” the state of being friends: the relationship between friends: a friendly feeling or attitude.” To most people friendship involves certain rights and privileges. That all sounds nice, but it doesn’t cover the fact that a true friendship is a relationship that can survive the test of time and remain unconditional. However, it is those Friendships which are true whom take serious of the duties, obligations, and responsibilities of friendship.

Everyone knows that when you are friends with someone they partake in certain rights and privileges. As a wise man once said “A friend is a single soul dwelling in two bodies.”

What he or she tells you in confidence must remain with you. Which resembles to The central theme of John Knowles' A Separate Peace is mainly based on the friendship between the two main characters, Phineas and Gene. Phineas also known as Finny, is "a handsome, taunting, daredevil athlete," and Gene is a "lonely, introverted intellectual." Friendship, is a distinctively personal relationship that is grounded in a concern on the part of each friend ,for the other's sake, and that involves some degree of compassion for one another. As such, friendship is undoubtedly central to our lives, in part because the special concern we have for our friends must have a place within a broader set of concerns, including moral concepts, and in part because our friends can help shape who we are as persons.". When he or she does not hit a target in life and fails, you have the responsibility to stand with them, in his or her failure, disgrace, and shame. To identify with them, comfort and encourage , and help them get up. And in the end to simply to forgive and love them. Friendship is rarely one-sided though, as it takes two individuals to negotiate the boundaries in a relationship and a friendship will not survive very long if only one person is making the effort to sustain the relationship without any help or recognition from the other person.