5 para character sketch on A Seperate Peace
Friendship is a bond that is held together by mutual respect and common benevolence. John Knowles explores this realm deeply in his novel, A Separate Peace. Phineas and Gene are best friends, but their friendship is challenged as Gene feels that Finny is superior. Finny, unlike Gene, has no inner conflict, but instead he mentally creates a perfect universe. When Gene finally unleashes his suppressed anger by use of violence, Finny is unable to accept it as intentional in an effort to sustain his perfect world. Unfortunately, he permits this hidden truth to fester until ultimately it destroys his mental paradise along with himself. Finny utilizes his idealistic views of life, genuine caring for others, and charismatic abilities to make people love him in order to preserve his inner utopia. Finny's idealistic views of the real world are optimistic and show the naivete of his character. He has standards of perfection for life, and he is willing to sacrifice the truth to uphold this perfection. This is true even whe
' He hesitated and then added, 'which is what you are,'" (40). So consequently, Finny's charisma ultimately leads to his demise. He has an extraordinary power to make people love him, and it is that love which Gene envies. He sets aside certain rules to live by, of which he strongly believes to "Never say you are five feet nine when you're five feet eight and a half" (26). Furthermore, Finny has a genuine heart, which aids in his friendship with Gene. Finny is also very sincere with his friendship towards Gene, by openly revealing that "'At this teen-age period in life the proper person is your best pal. n the truth is openly admitted, such as when Gene confesses that he "deliberately jounced the limb so you [Finny] would fall off" (Knowles 62). This reveals how true Finny's character is, and the fact that it is a commandment shows how his morals are the basis for his life. This anger becomes the first step in the deterioration of his perfect universe. This perfect world is created by Finny's mind in order to not see the evils of the real world. Whereas Gene is insecure about their friendship, Finny readily admits his true feelings. His sincerity and honesty significantly depicts how uncorrupt his character is. Finny is idealistic in his visions of the world, genuine in his caring for people, and charismatic in his convincing nature, and these qualities make him highly revered by many. His charisma allows him to slip out of difficult situations, such as when Finny wears the Devon School tie as a belt, the substitute Headmaster "seemed pleased or amused in some unknown corner of his mind" (19).
Common topics in this essay:
Phineas Gene,
Furthermore Finny,
Additionally Finny,
Devon School,
Finny Gene,
Whereas Gene,
,
Unfortunately Gene,
John Knowles,
idealistic views,
finny unable accept,
perfect world,
perfect universe,
people love,
genuine caring,
unable accept,
finny unable,
gene envies,
five feet,
anger violence,
|
Acceptance Essays
