Summary Of John Knowles 'A Separate Peace'

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Gene is able to adapt to the war after his war is finally over. Gene’s fear is finally gone after Finny has been hurt. “ … every trace of my fear of this forgotten” (Knowles 60). After Gene gets rid of his Finny he can now move on. His fear is gone and it allows him to adapt unlike Finny. In a scholarly journal it further explains how Gene is able to adapt so well compared to Finny. “Gene realizes that he’s ready for the war because he no longer feels any hatred. His war “ended before I ever put on a uniform; I was on active duty all my time at school; I killed my enemy there.” He believes the real enemy is something he and the others have created out of their own fear” (Knowles 4). Gene finishes his war at Devon allowing him to move on to the real war. Other like Finny he can not adapt to the conditions and he can not get rid of his fear like Gene. Finny’s incapability to get rid of his fear leads to his death. …show more content…

Gene does not feel any sympathy for Finny. “I did not cry then or ever about Finny” (Knowles 194). Gene is satisfied that he kills Finny and it allows him now to fight on the front and put Finny in his past. “A Separate Peace”,a scholarly journal, further supports this action made by Gene. “Gene realizes toward the conclusion of A Separate Peace” that wars were not made by generations and their special stupidities, but that wars were made instead by something ignorant in the human heart” (“A Separate Peace” Novels for Students 10). Gene is ignorant and has to pick a fight with Finny instead of becoming a friend. Gene does not care enough about Finny so instead this war that is created kills Finny and Gene does not care at all. By not caring he can now fight at the front and kill his enemies over there as

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