Subjects:
his other friend, Phineas, based on competitiveness. There are many themes presented in
the novel. Some of these are maturing from adolescence, destruction from
competitiveness, and separating fantasy and reality. One of the novel’s major themes is
that relationships provide moral values, which molds a person into what they become in
the future. This idea is shown through the pessimistic to optimistic views of life,
naturalist behavior to independent behavior, poor decision maker to an astute decision
maker, and knowledge analyzing capabilities gains from a child to an adult.
The pessimistic views as a child improves to optimistic views as an adult. Gene
states that there is no rivalry between Phineas and him (51), right before he realizes there
is one on top of the tree. He believes that Phineas was a threat, who wants him to fail at
being valedictorian, therefore Gene jounces the limb to get rid of him. Rather than
looking at Phineas as a leader, who wants to lead him to victory, he looks at him
pessimistically and believes he is a threat. Then in the end of the novel, Gene con
. . .
analyzing capabilities is a good example of the theme.
The first time Gene jumps out of the tree, he did it just because Phineas asks him to
(24). And also in the
end of the novel, he realizes that during his time in the navy, he never kills anyone and
never has hatred for the enemy, because he kills his enemy long before he put on his
uniform, he kills his enemy during his time at school (196). fesses
how Phineas is molded into his personality (194). Then in the end of the novel, Gene states to Mr. The older son who
didn’t become disloyal and leave his father became angry, at the fact that he didn’t betray
him and there is a festival for the son who did. Hadley that he has joined the navy
(191). Gene realizes how Phineas was a
positive person to look up to, rather than a negative threat to look down upon.
The theme is a very truthful judgment of how peoples’ experiences cause them to
mature from children to adults. The novel titled A Separate Peace provides many moral values
coming from the mistakes of Gene toward Phineas. He doesn’t realize the pain Phineas will feel, and the guilt he would
feel. The first time Gene jumps off the tree, he almost
fell, but Phineas helps him (24).
The poor decision making without knowing the consequences as a child changes
to precise decision making as an adult. He also makes a poor decision of jouncing the limb, to allow
Phineas to fall (52).
Essay's Topics
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