A Separate Peace Essay

The fictional novel, “A Separate Peace,” by John Knowles portrays the battle between friendship and envy within the minds of two teenage boys. Finny and Gene’s friendship is put to the test throughout their stay at Devon Academy. The setting reveals the characters of Finny and Gene by how the military school appeals to Finny’s talents, how athletic ability at Devon Academy relates to how students are treaded, and how Finny’s athletic successes at Devon Academy fuel Gene’s jealousy. The setting of the story is at a military school in New Jersey, known as the Devon Academy. As quoted from dictionary.com, “a military academy is a school that trains men and women for military careers as army officers, usually as part of a college education.” This
gives Finny benefits, being an exceptional athlete, as stated by Gene. “Nobody can be playing it as it was played by Phineas. He had unconsciously invented a game which brought his own athletic gifts to their highest pitch” (Knowles 39.) Going to a military academy gives Finny the opportunity to excel, due to his great athletic ability. Athletic ability also corresponds with how one is treated, in most cases at Devon Academy. Athletic ability can support how people are treated at Devon.
Finny, being such an exceptional athlete, is usually treated better than the average student, in most scenarios. “I was beginning to see that Phineas could get away with anything” (Knowles 25.) The way that this is stated makes it appear as if Finny is favored by his teachers. Being favorited as a result of remarkable athletic prowess is very reasonable, for Devon Academy being a military academy. This setting can also contribute to the root of Gene’s envy. Finny’s athletic successes at Devon Academy lead to the beginning of Gene’s jealousy. The setting, being a school focused on athletics, amplifies Finny’s athletic accomplishments to the point where they surpass Gene’s academic accomplishments. “After all, he should talk. He had won and been around to win the Galbraith Football Trophy and the Contact Sport Award, and there were two or three other awards he was sure to get this year or the next” (Knowles 51.)
At Devon Academy, it was implied that athletic ability was more valued compared to academic ability. This shows that while Gene had better grades and academic awards, since Finny’s athletics were valued higher than knowledge, he received more praise. The value and honor that Finny constantly received lead to the beginning of Gene’s jealousy of
Phineas. This setting reveals the character of both Finny and Gene by how military academies appeal to athletic talents, how people respond to the value of being an exceptional athlete, and how Finny’s successes were amplified at Devon Academy. Finny gets more praise and honor compared to Gene in the story. Gene, being underrated since he was academic rather than athletic, was exposed to all the praise Finny received the most. This, along with Finny’s multiple awards, lead to Gene’s jealously and betrayal towards Phineas. The setting, in this way, reveals the character of Phineas and Gene.