A Separate Peace

             In the novel A Separate Peace by John Knowles, a schoolboy and his friend go through a dramatic struggle that demonstrates the idea that when opposites attract there could be dire consequences. Finny an all around athlete and popular kid has a misfortunate accident when he falls from a tree. Gene a thorough student is annoyed at times with Finny's wild attitude. Finny is forced to come back to school in a cast and conquer Devon, a New England boarding school, once again. Gene and Finny both benefit from their differences in sports, schoolwork, and following the rules, but they also lose a piece of them and get lost.
             Finny is naturally talented when it comes to sports, unlike Gene. Gene is in good shape, but he has to train hard to stay fit. Finny, on the other hand, breaks the school swimming record without practicing months beforehand. Gene would have to work hard for months to even begin to think of breaking that swimming record. When Finny has an unfortunate accident, they help each other. Finny is forced to coach Gene to break records when he can't.
             Gene uses Finny as his own personal cheerleader telling him that he is doing a good job. After training, Mr. Ludsbury comments on Gene's excellent performance. Finny tells him, "He's developing into a real athlete... We're aiming for the '44 Olympics." (p. 113) While these two boys are benefiting from this incident, it is tearing them up in the long run because Gene always had a hidden desire to be Finny and Finny is fooling him into thinking he is him. Finny becomes more impatient with his recovery when he watches Gene train.
             Schoolwork also displays their differences helping, but weakening themselves. Gene is a conscientious student and cares a great deal for getting that "A". When faced with the decision of whether or not to cut class to go to the beach, Gene's conscience kicked in. "Going there risked expulsion, de...

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A Separate Peace. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 12:13, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/101235.html