Character Analysis Of Jealousy In A Separate Peace By John Knowles
War With Jealousy Gene Forrester is a high school boy who goes through a war with jealousy. Jealousy, according to Wikipedia, is mental uneasiness from suspicion or fear of rivalry, unfaithfulness. Through the the novel "A Separate peace" by John Knowles, Gene meets Phineas who is going to be one of his best friends. This boy will not only start a war that gene will be fighting with himself, he will also stop it and free him of it. Gene starts a love hate relationship with Finny ( short for Phineas) with the hat gearing more toward jealousy. Finny Is good at sports and always gets away with things. Finny was always around gene and his smile never faded, he was good at making Gene feel like a brother to him, if not a great friend.
Gene grows a cluster of emotions towards Finny that he can't necessarily describe. That emotion that he feels is his jealousy towards his very successful friend. Gene is a very sophisticated young boy in high school, who came from the country and was sent to Devon for a brighter education. Think of Gene as being the kid in school who always works hard, and everyone knows it, always getting A's and being congratulated. He must have not thought that there would have been another boy that was more acknowledged than him and practically good at everything Gene was not. …show more content…
Even so, they became friends. Being completely opposites was something that was an advantage and disadvantage. They could help each other out or show off. Slowly Gene was getting tired of Finny getting away from everything and winning all sports he attended "I was beginning to see that Finneans could get away with anything. I couldn't help envying him that a little, which was perfectly normal.." (Knowles 20). Gene was beginning to see how great Finny actually was at all of those things and he was starting to become jealous of him, but he also thought this was "normal".
When you are jealous of someone you might feel happy when they get in trouble. We do know that Gene feels this way about Phineas. One day when Phineas does something that is against the rules that Devon and then confronted about the problem, Gene feels a little bit of excitement over it because this would be the one time when Finny would ever get in trouble. It was a rush of excitement because Finny would finally be losing at something, in this case his goody goody reputation. "this time he wasn't going to get away with it I could feel myself becoming unexpectedly excited at that"(Knowles 30). The little emotion envy that Gene was feeling towards Finny he said was normal had stirred up again. When jealous someone often wants to be bigger than them or better than them. Phineas losing at something maked Gene feel like he could win more because Finny lost.
Gene becomes more and more ashamed of his actions he could see more that Phineas was a really good person and the reason why Gene was jealous of Phineas in the first place was because of his goodness and his goodwill. Gene was envious of Finny because he always did the right thing and was so modest. One day the two boys go out to the school pool, just wandering around. Phineas says that he wants to break the school record out of the blue. Finny beaten the fastest time within one try and told Gene not to tell anyone about it "was he trying to and press me or something? Not tell anybody? When he had broken a school record without a day of practice? I knew he was serious about it so I didn't tell you buddy. Perhaps for that reason his accomplishment took root in my mind and grew rapidly in the darkness where I was forced to hide"(Knowles 62). Gene was confused as to why Phineas did not want to tell anyone about how he broke the record, even though it was a big deal. Because of Phineas being so modest and not really wanting to tell the whole world about his accomplishment it may Jean feel even more envious. He said that because of Phineas being so modest and not really wanting to tell the whole world about his accomplishment, it made him hide in a darkness.
After a while in the story, the two boys went out to a tall tree by the river where they jumped off of it and dive into the clean waters of Devon. They had climbed it multiple times and this time was no different, except this time Finny fell off clumsily and broke his leg. Gene went to the hospital room to talk to Phineas about what had happened, he wanted to tell Phineas the truth and to tell him that he actually made him fall by jousting the limb of the tree. But he couldn't tell him in time so he ended saving the truth for later. When talking to Phineas about what had happened with the fall he start to feel uneasy and unsure about how Finny really took it. Gene was confused if Finny was really an enemy or not. "I flinched violently away from him. 'To drag me down too!'" Finny responds "to get a hold of you, so I wouldn't fall off "(Knowles 57). Gene started to feel bad about pretty much accusing Phineas of doing something bad. After that happened Gene started to be confused, Finny was acting and being nice even though he had a broken leg. While Finny was a faithful friend Gene was an unfaithful mess and would even have suspicions of Finny. Suspicion and unsureness if someone is also a trait of jealousy.
After talking with Finny in the hospital, and during, Gene started to speak his feelings about him accusing Finny of rivalry.
Because Gene was so suspicious of his friends being a revival it made him feel guilty and very ashamed of his actions and what he did to someone who honestly didn't deserve it at all. "and I thought we were competitors, it was so ludicrous I wanted to cry" (Knowles 58). Gene knows that Phineas is his friend and Gene also knows that Phineas isn't the kind of person who wouldn't put competition before friendship. Gene knows this so well that he thought it was silly that he ever assumed they were competitors, he wanted to cry about
it.
Gene lost the grip of jealousy that he was holding on for so long and he was finally opening up to the friendship and understanding the friendship is much better than rivalry. He wanted to mend their bond and mended their friendship. Jean wanted to tell Finny the truth and he wanted him to understand the truth, but he also wanted Finny to know that Jean wanted to be his friend "no, I don't know how to show you, how can I show you, Finny? Tell me how to show you. It was just some ignorance inside me, some crazy thing inside me, something blind, that's all it was"(Knowles 182), Gene finally told Finny about the fall and how he really felt and why he did it . He told Finny that it was just because he was jealous that he made him fall off of the tree. Also he said that it was something blind something, that he didn't know until it was already over.
Later that day Finny had died because the marrow of his bone got into his bloodstream, stopping his heart. When Finny died a small part of gene died too, that small part was his jealousy toward his beloved friend and the war that started with that jealously. "I never killed anybody and I never developed an intense level of hatred for the enemy. Because my war ended before I even put on a uniform; I was on active duty all my time at school;I kill the enemy there."(Knowles 193). In this quotation gene said that the war of jealousy had ended with Phineas's death. Jean also said that he killed the enemy there and the enemy is jealousy. Don't get confused with the enemy being Phineas, because it wasn't at all.
Gene had started his own war, that is true but the war that he started was because of his jealousy of Finny. Gene was jealous of Finny because of his goodness, greatness and never showing hate. Gene had always thought that his enemy was his friend and that somehow he had to win aginst Finny, but really he had to win against jealousy . Gene grew up that day when Finny died, he was no longer the jealous kid who injured his friend. When Finny died he didn't lose a friend, and he didn't rejoice in his death; When Finny died he took with him the jealousy and dark things Gene had ever thought about him. With Finny rested the war. Finny's death was crucial to the war of jealousy that Gene was fighting. Without his death the war would have never ended and with his presence, a new Gene was made.
Gene grows a cluster of emotions towards Finny that he can't necessarily describe. That emotion that he feels is his jealousy towards his very successful friend. Gene is a very sophisticated young boy in high school, who came from the country and was sent to Devon for a brighter education. Think of Gene as being the kid in school who always works hard, and everyone knows it, always getting A's and being congratulated. He must have not thought that there would have been another boy that was more acknowledged than him and practically good at everything Gene was not. …show more content…
Even so, they became friends. Being completely opposites was something that was an advantage and disadvantage. They could help each other out or show off. Slowly Gene was getting tired of Finny getting away from everything and winning all sports he attended "I was beginning to see that Finneans could get away with anything. I couldn't help envying him that a little, which was perfectly normal.." (Knowles 20). Gene was beginning to see how great Finny actually was at all of those things and he was starting to become jealous of him, but he also thought this was "normal".
When you are jealous of someone you might feel happy when they get in trouble. We do know that Gene feels this way about Phineas. One day when Phineas does something that is against the rules that Devon and then confronted about the problem, Gene feels a little bit of excitement over it because this would be the one time when Finny would ever get in trouble. It was a rush of excitement because Finny would finally be losing at something, in this case his goody goody reputation. "this time he wasn't going to get away with it I could feel myself becoming unexpectedly excited at that"(Knowles 30). The little emotion envy that Gene was feeling towards Finny he said was normal had stirred up again. When jealous someone often wants to be bigger than them or better than them. Phineas losing at something maked Gene feel like he could win more because Finny lost.
Gene becomes more and more ashamed of his actions he could see more that Phineas was a really good person and the reason why Gene was jealous of Phineas in the first place was because of his goodness and his goodwill. Gene was envious of Finny because he always did the right thing and was so modest. One day the two boys go out to the school pool, just wandering around. Phineas says that he wants to break the school record out of the blue. Finny beaten the fastest time within one try and told Gene not to tell anyone about it "was he trying to and press me or something? Not tell anybody? When he had broken a school record without a day of practice? I knew he was serious about it so I didn't tell you buddy. Perhaps for that reason his accomplishment took root in my mind and grew rapidly in the darkness where I was forced to hide"(Knowles 62). Gene was confused as to why Phineas did not want to tell anyone about how he broke the record, even though it was a big deal. Because of Phineas being so modest and not really wanting to tell the whole world about his accomplishment it may Jean feel even more envious. He said that because of Phineas being so modest and not really wanting to tell the whole world about his accomplishment, it made him hide in a darkness.
After a while in the story, the two boys went out to a tall tree by the river where they jumped off of it and dive into the clean waters of Devon. They had climbed it multiple times and this time was no different, except this time Finny fell off clumsily and broke his leg. Gene went to the hospital room to talk to Phineas about what had happened, he wanted to tell Phineas the truth and to tell him that he actually made him fall by jousting the limb of the tree. But he couldn't tell him in time so he ended saving the truth for later. When talking to Phineas about what had happened with the fall he start to feel uneasy and unsure about how Finny really took it. Gene was confused if Finny was really an enemy or not. "I flinched violently away from him. 'To drag me down too!'" Finny responds "to get a hold of you, so I wouldn't fall off "(Knowles 57). Gene started to feel bad about pretty much accusing Phineas of doing something bad. After that happened Gene started to be confused, Finny was acting and being nice even though he had a broken leg. While Finny was a faithful friend Gene was an unfaithful mess and would even have suspicions of Finny. Suspicion and unsureness if someone is also a trait of jealousy.
After talking with Finny in the hospital, and during, Gene started to speak his feelings about him accusing Finny of rivalry.
Because Gene was so suspicious of his friends being a revival it made him feel guilty and very ashamed of his actions and what he did to someone who honestly didn't deserve it at all. "and I thought we were competitors, it was so ludicrous I wanted to cry" (Knowles 58). Gene knows that Phineas is his friend and Gene also knows that Phineas isn't the kind of person who wouldn't put competition before friendship. Gene knows this so well that he thought it was silly that he ever assumed they were competitors, he wanted to cry about
it.
Gene lost the grip of jealousy that he was holding on for so long and he was finally opening up to the friendship and understanding the friendship is much better than rivalry. He wanted to mend their bond and mended their friendship. Jean wanted to tell Finny the truth and he wanted him to understand the truth, but he also wanted Finny to know that Jean wanted to be his friend "no, I don't know how to show you, how can I show you, Finny? Tell me how to show you. It was just some ignorance inside me, some crazy thing inside me, something blind, that's all it was"(Knowles 182), Gene finally told Finny about the fall and how he really felt and why he did it . He told Finny that it was just because he was jealous that he made him fall off of the tree. Also he said that it was something blind something, that he didn't know until it was already over.
Later that day Finny had died because the marrow of his bone got into his bloodstream, stopping his heart. When Finny died a small part of gene died too, that small part was his jealousy toward his beloved friend and the war that started with that jealously. "I never killed anybody and I never developed an intense level of hatred for the enemy. Because my war ended before I even put on a uniform; I was on active duty all my time at school;I kill the enemy there."(Knowles 193). In this quotation gene said that the war of jealousy had ended with Phineas's death. Jean also said that he killed the enemy there and the enemy is jealousy. Don't get confused with the enemy being Phineas, because it wasn't at all.
Gene had started his own war, that is true but the war that he started was because of his jealousy of Finny. Gene was jealous of Finny because of his goodness, greatness and never showing hate. Gene had always thought that his enemy was his friend and that somehow he had to win aginst Finny, but really he had to win against jealousy . Gene grew up that day when Finny died, he was no longer the jealous kid who injured his friend. When Finny died he didn't lose a friend, and he didn't rejoice in his death; When Finny died he took with him the jealousy and dark things Gene had ever thought about him. With Finny rested the war. Finny's death was crucial to the war of jealousy that Gene was fighting. Without his death the war would have never ended and with his presence, a new Gene was made.