The Idealist and The Realist in A Separate Peace

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!"

Willy believes that personality, not hard work and innovation, is the key to success. In the novel, it clearly demonstrates how Willy is more concerned about if he and his family are well-liked rather than doing what is right. For example, in the novel Biff (his son) states, “I crossed my eyes and talked with a lisp.” And Willy said laughing, “You did? The kids like it?” And Biff replied with, “They nearly died laughing.” (Miller, 118) And that nearly satisfied Willy. Obviously, Willy does not understand what it takes to be a real man, and his clear American Dream is to be wealthy and successful, just like his brother Ben.

A hero was like a god and was put on a pedestal far above the others. A hero brought peace to situations that were deemed impossible and brought joy to many people. In the poem Beowulf, there is a great example of what a hero is about in this time. Beowulf is the great warrior of the Geats and he will do anything necessary to keep peace and to make a better life for his people. That is why he is described as, "The mildest of men and the gentlest, kindest to his people, and most eager for fame" (Norton, 68).

This may seem hard, but Lincoln was always ready for a challenge to overcome. Reading books to educate himself was better for him because he could take things away from the books easier. This is why some say he was one of the smartest presidents ever. Even though Lincoln did become a great president, it was a lo... ... middle of paper ... ... is known by many as the best president ever to live, but many really don’t know what he had to conquer to get to that point. His life was full of obstacles that very few could overcome.

Gene realizes that he is being put on trial, Finny refuses to answer any questions because he trusts his friend, Finny leaves the room agitated, slips on the stairs, and breaks the same leg again. At the hospital, Finny has a changed attitude and asks Gene why he pushed him out of the tree. Gene says the act was a blind impulse. Later that day, Finny dies when some Q~i~ bone marrow gets into his bloodstream. Looking back on the experience, Gene believes that he was never very interested in the war because he was waging his own personal war between the acceptance of the clearly defined prep school values and Finny's laid-back values.

Phineas is the best friend of Gene . In chapter four of the novel Gene pushes Finny out of a tree and Finny breaks his leg. Subconsciously, Finny knows how the accident occurred but is the type of person who wants to believe that all of life is carefree, he hates to acknowledge that a person could actually hurt another. We see a great deal of this attitude when Finny constantly refers to WWII as something created by old fat men in order to keep young boys from having to much fun. After the accident at the tree Gene attempts to tell Finny that it was him who caused the accident, but Finny refuses to believe Gene.

Even though the media made him look bad, he knew that he could not lash out, get frustrated and give up. He kept going. He never gave up and today he is looked back upon to be one of the greatest men in American history due to his efforts in changing America. To end, while many take some time to learn about the truth, several others believe what they hear and spread the lies. The truth can only be found if one seeks it and in order to seek the truth ignorance and blind belief needs to be eliminated.

This was the moment in which Gene lost his innocence and entered a world of turmoil. Gene’s jealousy finally inspired him to push Finny out of a tree, and Finny never saw it coming; he was unable to foresee any sort of betrayal. Moreover, when Finny fell out of the tree, he fell into the clean, waters of the Devon River, which proves that Finny has not been tainted by jealousy or hatred. His innocence allowed him to be betrayed, but in the words of Joseph Joubert, “Innocence is always unsuspicious.” Finny was unsuspicious that his best friend would hurt him which is exactly what caused him to get

Willy believed good looks, material goods, and likeability would guarantee his sons this dream. Willy's perspective will eventually lead to his fall as the protagonist of the story. Willy also lies about many things throughout the story to make his image look better than he really is, "Linda asks how much Willy has sold and although he initially lies about the amount, Linda patiently waits for the truth, which is that he has barely made enough to pay the bills." (Arthur Miller) Willy's American dream is to be known to everyone and financially successful. Willy doesn't believe in hard work and honesty to achieve the highest respect but instead focuses on personal appearance and social judgement.

He is there for me when I don’t want to try anymore and he always keeps me going. Of all the heroes in the world, my dad is at the top of the list. I always think to myself, “What would I do if I didn’t have a father like him?” I think about it and then I say, “I would be in the cracks, not doing anything because there is no one here to keep me going and to keep me motivated.” My dad is an amazing cool person to me because he shows me that no matter what struggles he faces in his life or what happens to him, he always gets out of them and he has me and my mom to help him. My dad is a hero to me because he shows me strength he explains the bad choices he has made in his life so that I can make the good choices. If it wasn’t for my mom and Jesus, my dad wouldn’t be who he is today.