Rivalry and competition is a theme included in The Emperor's Club and A Separate Peace. In the novel, Gene competes against Finny to be "better". Gene states that there is only competition in sports, although Finny is a natural athlete and more talented than Gene at sports. Gene tries to make up for his lack of natural athleticism by getting better grades than Finny and studying more. Gene gets so caught up in the rivalry that he injures Finny by pushing him out of a tree, which ruins Finny's chances of ever
Rivalry and competition is a theme included in The Emperor's Club and A Separate Peace. In the novel, Gene competes against Finny to be "better". Gene states that there is only competition in sports, although Finny is a natural athlete and more talented than Gene at sports. Gene tries to make up for his lack of natural athleticism by getting better grades than Finny and studying more. Gene gets so caught up in the rivalry that he injures Finny by pushing him out of a tree, which ruins Finny's chances of ever