Through the passage of time, one can look back and reflect on the mistakes of the past, filled with misjudgment and pride. Because of these mistakes, man takes an undulated path of untold horrors and tragic flaws such as that of WWII. WWII is a tragedy in a sense that it was caused by man's inability to cooperate and live harmoniously. In "A Separate Peace," this is no different. A man looks in stupefaction at his past and abominable actions after this Great War. It is clear to envision why these things happen. It is because man is innately evil and prone to make mistakes or think in misbegotten ways. It is these thoughts that lead to conflict and strife, Such that two great friends (Gene and Finny) would turn against each other and cause great harm against one another. The author tries to tie the war with this friend-to-friend tragedy in the hopes of further understanding man's evil nature and its consequences.
             In "A Separate Peace," the book precisely mimics the personal feelings of a real human being, displaying man's natural and evil desires in the main character (Gene). He let "Finny talk him into stupid things like [jumping off a tree]" when he clearly knew it was stupid and ignorant (784b). He also has a sense of indignation for he proudly declared that he "never backed away from anything in [his] life" but instead of leaving it at that, he adds a "You're Goofy!" insult to dignify himself above such "injustice" and constructive criticism (785a). It is also clear that when Finny got away with trouble, Gene "couldn't help envying him" because it was "perfectly normal" (789b). Gene also felt "unexpectedly excited" when he thought Finny, his very best friend, would get in deep trouble (790b). Gene was grateful for being saved by Finny when he nearly fell out of the tree, but his human nature caused him to inevitably blame him for...