a Seperate peace: The Fatality of Idealism
The tragic flaw: one of Shakespeare's most recognized trait of his characters. They could be the most perfect being, but their tragic flaw would always overcome them in the end. Although he wrote a great many poems and plays, throughout all these writings, one flaw Shakespeare did not address was perfection itself. However, this was addressed by John Knowles in A Separate Peace. A main character, Phineas, or Finny, was one of those boys that was liked by everyone. He was more than talented at sports, and easy to get along with. He could make anything fun; he was an ideal friend. But the summer he was sixteen, his world began to change; with World War II, as well as the difficulties of entering manhood; he was confronted with many new challenges. Through his tribulations, the reader discovers that idealism, which is so positive in childhood, can become a tragic flaw when one matures.What made Phineas appear so ideal and attractive to others was his ability to seemingly make anything positive. The majority has this ability in childhood, but lose it when they mature and become cynical. Finny continued to posses these special abilities (as well as invent a few of his own) throughout adolescence was both entertaining and soothing;
It was this evasion of realism, the very trait that he had been so loved for, that led to his destruction. He finally admits that there is a war, which is very difficult because he cannot be a part of it with his leg in the condition that it was in. " This instance is the first noticeable sign of Finny's flaw. It was acts like this that made Finny who he was: one of the few people that could get away with continuing to deny reality after childhood. From here on it's all downhill for Finny. It overcame him, just as his version of the war had; and all of his other falsehoods. This makes it harder for Gene to face Finny as an equal; more so even than when Gene first thought of them as competitors. This is very hard for Gene, because it ultimately makes Finny a better person than him. Gene excels in academics like Finny excels in sports; so they are both successful in their own ways. It seems to Gene as if Finny feels no one else can be as good, in any other field. Reality can only be suppressed for so long before it takes its toll.
Common topics in this essay:
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War II,
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,
Phineas Finny,
Finny Finny,
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Separate Peace,
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