Quotes From 'A Separate Peace'

One in the Same
The ability to put oneself in someone else's shoes is fundamental to human characteristics. Through friendship, this can be taken to the next level. The University of Virginia put out of study of brain activity. The group scanned twenty-two different people who were warned of receiving a small electrical shock to one of three options: themselves, their best friend, or a stranger. Through this study, scientists have learned that the brain activity of the person in danger, versus the friend, is essentially the same. James Coan, director of the study, stated that,
“People close to us become a part of ourselves, and that is not just metaphor or poetry, it’s very real. Literally we are under threat when a friend is under threat.”
In A Separate Peace, two boys, Gene and
Finny, are best friends. Through going to school together, their relationship becomes stronger; the boys were inseparable.
Each boy has their own personality. Gene is a hardworking and intelegain young man. However, he can become to wrapped in being on top and his thoughts. Finny is carefree, confident, and loved by all; he is the best athlete at the school. Each boy views their relationship in a different way. Finny is focused on being enthusiastic about the goodness of life. Gene is focused on achieving and being on top. Because of the different views of their friendship, and a large rift that begins to form, disaster struck.
From the beginning of the book, it is obvious that Finny is living life to have fun and to entertain himself. With the war going on, people wanted something to lift their spirits. When Finny decided to wear his pink shirt to celebrate the first bombing of Central Europe, he wore it with pride.
“Well, we’ve got to do something to celebrate. We haven’t got a flag, we can’t flout Old
Glory proudly out the window. So I’m going to wear this, as an emblem.” (pg. 25)
No one in the school could have worn the pink shirt better than Finny did. When asked by adults, he politely explained the meaning of the shirt. Gene jealousy watched as Finny easily talked his way out of uncomfortable situations. Throughout the summer session, Finny decide that they needed to have more fun. In this endeavor, he came up with a club: The Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session. The membership requirement was to jump out the large tree. As Finny and Gene, were preparing to jump from the tree, Gene loses his balance.
“There was a moment of total, impersonal pani, and then Finny’s hand shot out and grabbed my arm, and with my balance restored, the panic immediately disappeared.”
(pg. 32)
Finny did not want his best friend to be hurt; so, he did everything he could to save Gene.
Later in during the summer session, Finny and Gene skip school and go to the beach. While they were lying in the sand dunes, Finny tells Gene he was his best pal. This was a mark of true maturity on Finny’s part; he was in touch with his feelings and emotions. The ability to relay this took courage; it brought them closer as friends.
Back at school, Gene and Finny were quietly working on their homework. Suddenly, a thought jumps into Gene’s mind; he asks Finny if he would mind if he was the head of the class. Finny, in his normal jovial self, replies,
“Mind, I would kill myself out of jealous envy.” (pg. 52)
At that very moment, Gene never viewed their relationship the same way. Gene began to believe that they both had this deadly rivalry on both sides; they were out to get each other. One of them had to end up on the top. Gene’s only through was that he should be the one on top; they way for him to achieve this was through academics. There was nothing that Finny could do to stand in the way of Gene getting top of the class. Each boy had their niche; Gene was academically inclined while Finny was naturally athletic. If Gene could find a way to hate Finny more, he would. Later on, Finny suggested doing a double jump from the tree. With great fear and resignation, Gene climbs the tree. While up there, Gene jounced the limb causing Finny to fall. That fall broke Finny’s leg ending any and all sports or athletics. When Gene finds out the news, he is devastated because he could not accept the kindness of Finny. Inside of Gene, there was always something that wanted him to be like Finny; but, he was never able to attain it. As he spoke to Finny after the accident, Finny said that Gene looked very shocked. “But I don’t see why you should look so personally shocked. You look like it happened to you or something.” (pg. 65)
There was something in Finny that always saw the best in people. He could not wrap his mind around Gene intently jouncing the limb even after Gene repedialty told him he had. This was something that Gene felt he could never attain. The Summer Session came to a close, and the Fall Session began. In honor of Finny’s loss of athletics, Gene decided to go out for the assistant crew manager. This had nothing to do with sports because when Dr. Stanpole said that sports were finished for Finny, Gene believed that sports were also finished for himself. Finny’s injury had the same effect on Gene; Gene would not do sports because Finny could not. After Finny heard of Gene’s decision, he told Gene,
“Listen, pal, if I can’t play sports, you’re going to play them for me.” (pg. 85)
Because of their strong relationship, the boys had bonded into practically one. The boys had become a part of each other. The boy’s codomancy, which develops as Finny begins to train Gene for the “1944 Olympics,” soothes both needs of the boys: Finny’s need for athletics and Gene’s want of a new identity. As the year went along, boys from Devan left for the ongoing war. Finny began to tell everyone that there was no war going on; it had all been made up in order to created attention. Finny had created his own fantasy because he knew that he would never be able to join the war; but, if he convinced himself that there was no war, he would have no need to feel guilt for being unable to join. Gene provided to tell him that he would be too good for the war; he would want to switch sides with the opposing sides. Finny would want to make things light hearted; he would make a mess of the war. After Finny death, Gene could not talk about him. At his funeral, Gene said that he could not cry; it was almost as if it were his own funeral. Gene had not let go to his other identity; Finny would always be apart of him. In some of Gene’s final words, he wrote, “I never killed anybody and I never developed an intense level of hatred for the enemy.
Because my war ended before I ever put on a uniform; I was on active duty all my time at school; I killed my enemy there. Only Phineas never was afraid, only Phineas never hated anyone.” (pg. 204)
In this passage, Gene purpose that at every time in one’s life, they must give up their innocence and see the world for what it is: a hostile place where one must fight their enemies. Most of his friends were taught this lesson at war; however, Gene learned this lesson even before he left Devon. Finny’s final mark of moral superiority, or final breaking point, was his ability to see the good in everything. However, this did not allow him to cope with the realities of life. In the end, Gene is tied to Finny. There will always be a part of him that will not be able to let go. Because of their strong bond and codominance towards each other, a part of Gene was forever gone when Finny died. Gene’s seamily minut idea of believing envying your best friend is safe, he was lead down a dark and envious path. Gene and Finny were bond together not only through their friendship, but in their
spirits.