Gene's Growth In John Knowles A Separate Peace

As Anne Frank once said, “Parents can only give good advice or direct you on the right paths, but the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands”. Growth is an arduous reality for many people as the are forced to go through the conflicts and struggles it accompanies. In John Knowles’ A Separate Peace, it is lucidly understood through Gene’s dynamic character that independence is a substantial part of growing up. As Gene transforms from having envious feelings, to growing inner emotions of guilt, and finally becoming a humble and remorseful person, he grows in his realization of his own dark psychology. Gene’s growth begins when his envious feelings towards Finny emerge. At the beginning of the novel, Gene thought: “It was
After Finny loses his ability to play sports, he says to Gene, “‘Listen, pal, if I can’t play sports, you’re going to play them for me,’ and I lost part of myself to him then, and a soaring sense of freedom revealed that this must have been my purpose from the first, to become a part of Phineas” (Knowles 85). Gene’s powerful guilt drives him to do something remorseful for Finny to make up for what he had done to him. He transforms himself once again, but this time to be more like the actual Finny- free, loving, and active. Furthermore, as Finny grasps the truth about Gene and his evil nature, Gene’s guilt is overstepped by another situation. Gene explains to Finny: “‘I want to fix your leg up,’ I said crazily but in a perfectly natural tone of voice… ‘I’m sorry’ I said blindly, ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry’” (Knowles 185). Gene’s sudden change of character from doing all his actions out of jealousy to thinking about what the other might feel, allows him to apologize for his wrong doings towards his best friend. As Gene finally admits to what he has done, and no longer resents the truth, he no longer resents growing up, and that contributes to his maturation from childhood to adulthood. Gene’s realization of his envious self, grants him to reconcile not only his friendship but the enemy in his own skin. Moreover, after Finny’s sudden death, Gene begins to develop a different perspective on the world, and his surroundings. In the process of thinking about the next leap in his life, Gene realized: “it seemed clear that wars were not made by generations and their special stupidities, but that wars were made by something ignorant in the human heart” (Knowles 201). After going through his own dark psychology, and his envious way of thinking, Gene finally realizes that Finny is not the enemy, and that all along he has been at war with himself. As Finny dies, so