Analysis Of A Separate Peace By John Knowles

A great man once said “ There is time in every man’s education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion” (Emerson). The novel A Separate Peace by John Knowles depict a powerful image that represents the ignorance of the human heart. During the years of World War II, Gene Forrester became good friends with Finny on a summer session in a boys boarding school. Gene quickly realize that he is jealous of Finny’s athletic abilities and cunning personality. He desperately tries to shove all of it deep down, but it was too late. One accident will cause their friendship to turn into a world of competition and hatred. During all of this commotion, the boys will realize that the war is actually reality. Consequently, the main protagonists struggles with the deception of the outside war and the true enemy that resides inside their hearts. In addition, the loss of innocence will make Gene realizes that he could never become as great as Finny; Gene becomes instead a better person or more importantly, an individual with sensible views. The conflict begins when

Gene finally understands that he had killed his “enemy” at Devon: “I never killed anybody and I never developed an intense level of hatred for the enemy. Because my war ended before i ever put on a uniform” (204). Unlike Gene, Finny never saw anyone as his enemy. That’s why Finny was unable to go to war. Iit was not of his broken leg, but because Finny is too kind and forgiven to be on the battlefield. Even Gene admitted that his own enemy is obviously his own thoughts, telling himself that Finny envied him.Later in the story, Gene has an epiphany. Finny is different from everyone else. He has his own laws and his own peace. Finny never saw the bad in anyone, and he never will. It’s just the kind of person he