What defines a psycho? The way a person behaves or how that person thinks? A psycho is a mentally crazy person. Psychos are usually the people that stand out from others because they act differently and weirdly. In A Separate Peace, the main character Gene is displayed as a troubled character who fits the personality of a psycho because he is affected by his emotions negatively, he is emotionally unstable and he fears becoming a psycho in the future. On the outside Gene does not seem like someone who would be classified as a psycho, however on the inside he is disturbed. Gene is the last person people would suspect of being a psycho as he is a smart and athletic boy that is set on entering the military; in addition he has a handful of friends at Devon and is known to be kind. In addition, he is competitive especially with his best friend Finny. Nonetheless, Gene holds plenty within himself and he always lets his feelings in the way, leading to inability control himself. When Gene becomes emotional he turns into a psycho and …show more content…
When Gene visits Leper he becomes scared of Leper because of what the army has done to him, “Fear seized my stomach like a cramp. I didn’t care what I said to him now; it was myself I was worried about. For if Leper was psycho it was the army which had done it to him, and I and all of us were on the brink of the army” (Knowles 144). It's at this moment that Gene realizes that he himself is a psycho and that the army is going to drive him crazy just like Leper. While at Leper’s house Gene gets angry because he realizes that what Leper is saying about Gene being a psycho and a savage is true. At this point in the book Gene truly realizes that he has a problem and that the army is going to fully expose Gene and break him. Gene gets angry at Leper because he realizes that he is going to become just like Leper: crazy, psycho, kicked out of the army and
John Knowles wrote a fantastic novel entitled A Separate Peace. Some important character in the novel were Gene, Finny, Leper, and Brinker. Gene and Finny were best friends; Leper was the outcast; Brinker was the “hub of the class” This was a novel about friendship, betrayal, war, peace, and jealousy. Although Gene and Finny were similar in many ways, they also had numerous differences.
In the film, American Psycho, Patrick Bateman was a wealthy investment banker who also happened to be a serial killer. He was highly intelligent and was charming which attracted many of the women who came his way. Unlike most people in the world, he lived in constant pain. He was rarely happy with himself, and also hated everyone around him. He felt that he needed to inflict his pain on others in violent ways. He always had something disgusting to say such as, “I like to dissect girls; I am utterly insane.” It is outside of the norm to speak in this way, therefore he would be considered deviant. He displayed feelings of distress as he became frustrated very easily with himself and others. Everything
Which personality is more successful in life, an optimist or a realist? It depends on how a person defines being successful. Optimists utilize the luxury of looking on the bright side and they are often blissfully ignorant, whereas realists take the slightly grimmer and serious path. John Knowles highlights these ideas in A Separate Peace with two of his characters, Gene Forrester and Phineas (Finny). Knowles describes Gene as an introvert and intellectual whereas Phineas is an extrovert and athletic. The two characters have different perspectives and the one is more likely to prevail. In Knowles' novel, A Separate Peace, Gene's realistic viewpoint is better suited to be successful in this world than Phineas' naïve outlook because Gene's way
The literary analysis essay for A Separate Peace entitled Chapter 7: After the Fall notes that Gene’s brawl with Cliff Quackenbush occurs for two reasons: the first reason being that Gene was fighting to defend Finny, and the second reason being that Quackenbush is the antithesis of Finny. Cliff Quackenbush calls Gene a “maimed son-of-a-bitch”, since Gene holds a position on the team that is usually reserved for physically disabled students, and Gene reacts by hitting him in the face (Knowles, 79). At first, Gene remarks that he didn’t know why he reacted this way, then he says, “it was almost as though I were maimed. Then the realization that there was someone who was flashed over me”, referring to Finny (Knowles, 79). Quackenbush is “the adult world of punitive authority personified”, his voice mature, his convictions militaristic (Chapter, 76). Quackenbush reminds Gene of the adult world and all of the things that Finny and Devon protected him from, such as war.
The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry is a book by Jon Ronson, where he investigates the idea of psychopathy and the many individuals involved. Psychopathy is defined as “a person who is mentally ill, who does not care about other people, and who is usually dangerous or violent.” Ronson visited mental health professionals and psychopaths in order to determine the right way to control the diagnosis of mental health disorders. Throughout the novel, Ronson focuses on three main themes, which are the definition of madness, unnecessary mental diagnoses and the problem with confirmation bias.
Psychopaths come in big and small packages with many different forms of personalities. Most of the time these psychopaths pop up in the middle of the darkness when people are least expecting it, like at Columbine. There are many types like Eric and Dylan, who hide their emotions. Then, there are people who are open to their craziness and enjoy their lives as a psychopath, like Hannibal Lector or Norman Bates. Always remember, never judge a book by its
To begin with, Gene Forrester acted artificially. There are several instances throughout the novel where Gene disguises himself or is influenced by artificial things. Towards the beginning of the novel Gene tells the reader that he was a half inch taller than Finny ("I had been claiming five feet nine inches before he became my roommate..." (Gene Pg. 8) and that Finny weighed ten pounds more than he did. "He weighed a hundred and fifty pounds, a galling ten pounds more than I did..." (Gene Pg. 8) Because Gene mentioned those facts, the reader can tell that even having a slight height and weight advantage or disadvantage to Finny were important to him. What people, especially Finny, thought about him worried him. "...I would have lost face with Phineas, and that would have been unthinkable." (Gene Pg. 26) Later in the novel, when Finny wanted to wear a pink shirt to school, Gene told him it would make him look like a "fairy". "Pink! It makes you look like a fairy!' (Gene Pg. 17) Gene knew that people might question Finny's masculinity and ridicule him so he spoke up. Gene would have never taken such a risk as wearing a pink shirt because it was not socially acceptable at Devon School. This again points out Gene's obsession with what people thought of him. Gene had a cautious, competitive nature and let grades and trying to outdo Finny run his life. When Finny broke the school's swimming record, Gene did not understand why he did not want people to know about it. "The worst thing is that there weren't any witnesses. Tomorrow. We'll get the coach here, and all the official timekeepers, and I'll call up the Devonian and send a reporter and a photographer-...Not say anything about it! When you broke the school record!" (Gene Pg.
A Separate Peace by John Knowles tells a story about two young boys Gene and Finny. Gene Forrester the main character returns to his old school Devon School as a young man in his early thirties. He visits a stairwell in the school and a tree near the river. The tree prompts him to tell the reader the tale of his friendship with Phineas and how it changed his life. The reason of the tree is revealed right away. The reason of the stairwell is not revealed until the novel’s climax. For now, Gene recalls how he and Finny would climb the tree and leap into the river. Finny shows no fear, since his balance is better than anyone’s. Gene, on the other hand, is frightened to take the dive. At one point he is saved from falling by Finny, who steadies
The definition of a psychopath is a person suffering from chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behavior. The label “psychopath” cannot be placed on a child who is developing emotionally, mentally, or physically. A child’s brain is finished developing way past their teenage years. Most of the time when a child would be considered a psychopath is parents did not teach their children proper respect and they lacked parenting skills. The child just repeated what they saw and knew and continued to do wrong things throughout their life because they didn’t know until it was too late.
An idea that pervades the contemporary realm of international political thought is the ‘liberal democratic peace’ (LDP) theory. This theory is based upon the major tenet that democratic states do not engage in warfare with one another, and for thus reason generates and sustains a harmonious political environment. The democratic peace theory certainly has its merits – provisioning strong evidence in defense to its many critiques (Kegley & Raymond 1994; Layne 1994; Rosato 2003). However, it is also not a theory without minor flaws that undermine its hypothesis (Dafoe, Oneal & Russett 2013; International Studies Association 2005; Kumar 1994). In spite of these otherwise excusable flaws, the process of democratization should be considered a plausible mechanism for the promotion of peace and security throughout the global order.
John Knowles writes a compelling realistic fiction about the lives of two teenage boys throughout the start of World War II in his novel A Separate Peace. Peter Yates the director of the movie plays the story out in a well organized theatrical manner. There are similarities and differences in these two works of art. However; there are also similarities.
When one hears the word “psychopath”, they probably picture someone in an insane asylum locked away with crazy hair and ripped clothes. However, this is simply not always the case. Sometimes the true psychopath is the person one would least expect because he or she seems rational, stable and possibly even fairly caring. A true psychopath is defined as someone who “displays a number of behavioural traits which range from being cunning and devious to manipulative and charming” (Guy pars 3). Psychopaths are not always easily pointed out in a group of people until close examination of their behavior, past history, and neurological reactions to certain situations. One may not immediately identify someone with a psychopathic personality. It takes
“Psychopaths wear The Mask of Sanity”, once said by Michael Welner. It can easily describe a psychopath. Most have a stereotypical view that serial killers are loners, antisocial and unable to maintain a relationship. But many psychopaths live a double live because they are manipulative and cunning. Experts say serial killers can look extraordinary ordinary on the outside. The word psychopath was first introduced by the founding father of psychiatry, Philippe Pinel. (Keihl, Kent, and Julia Lushing.) He was the first to also describe psychopathy traits. One common way of identifying a psychopath is The Hare Psychopathy Checklist created by Robert Hare. It is used to diagnose individuals for clinical, legal or research purposes.
The film American Psycho and philosopher Freud brings attention to examples in which the further we try to get from living like animals the more savage we become. In American Psycho, businessman Patrick Bateman is in a constant struggle to suppress his dark fantasies and put on a mask of sanity, which only leads to more frequent and elaborate fantasies. Freud also refers to many instances where his patients struggle with anxiety due to attempting to conceal past traumas instead of confronting it. The definition of a psychopath is a person with a personality disorder who lacks emotions (specifically shame, guilt and embarrassment), and one who will manipulate others for selfish means and have a very low frustration level which often leads to acts of aggression or violence. Throughout the American Psycho, key philosophical ideas valued by Freud arise. These being; the need for human emotion, the revelation that the American dream is artificial, and the authenticity ...
Contrary to the movie industry’s portrayal of psychopaths, rarely do psychopaths come out in the open and kill their victims with chainsaws or wear disturbing masks. Nor do they act menacing or evil out in public. Rather, most psychopaths attempt to blend into society. A psychopath can be defined as one who uses superficial charm and manipulation to achieve his or her goals, even if it involves committing crimes. They can act quickly and feel neither remorse for committing the crime nor empathy for their unsuspecting victim. As much as they attempt to blend in, psychopaths are unable to fully function in society because they lack some qualities of a “normal” person. In the medical field, psychopathy is not recognized as a disorder. In fact, Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary defines psychopathy as an “obsolete term” (Venes and Taber 1372). In an effort to define psychopathy, multiple psychiatrists attempted to describe i...