【Book Essay】A Separate Peace

Notice: I originally wrote this essay in November 2015 when I was in Grade 11. In this essay, I share my thoughts about the relationship between Finny and Gene in the book A Separate Peace. 

The Competitive Relationship Between Finny and Gene

       The relationship between two friends may not always harmonious. In the A Separate Peace by John Knowles, Gene and Finny develop an intricate bond with each other. As the story unfolds, their friendships have changed fundamentally. However, it is very obvious that Gene himself is the main cause of this change. Because of the influences of his jealousy, his natural character, and his own insight of friendship, Gene establishes a competitive relationship with Finny.

       First and foremost, the competitiveness between Gene and Finny is established because Gene is jealous toward Finny. This jealousy is extremely evident when Gene and Finny go to the tea meeting held by Mr. Patch-Withers. Gene “[feels] [himself] becoming unexpectedly excited” (Knowles 27) because Finny can always escape from punishment. The fact that Gene wants to see Finny get punished strongly proves that he envies Finny. Moreover, Gene even “[feels] a sudden stab of disappointment” (knowles 28) when he realizes that this time Finny is still safe from punishment. Gene even admits the fact that he “[can`t] help envying [Finny] that a little” (Knowles 25) which also directly shows how Gene struggles to accept and deal with his envious feeling towards Finny. In the later part of the novel, Gene and Finny go to the beach and share a heart-to-heart talk with each other. Finny tells Gene that Gene is his best friend. Gene wants to say the same, but hesitates. He describes this feeling as “deeper than thought, which contains the truth” (Knowles 48). Even Gene himself seems a little confused by this mysterious feeling; it is obvious that this emotion is the feeling of envy. Gene`s own jealousy prevents him from being able to say that Finny is his best friend. This suggests that deep down in Gene`s heart, he regards Finny as a competitor, rather than his best friend. Gene views the relationship between Finny and himself as rival which makes their relationship competitive.

       Moreover, Gene`s competitiveness, as part of his own natural personality, causes the rival relationship between him and Finny. At the beginning of the book, Gene shows some of his unique personalities to the readers. One of them is his eagerness for the best. Gene has always been one of the top students in class. It is clear that he excels at study, but it is also clear that he “[isn`t] really interested and excited by learning itself” (Knowles 54). Gene is a perfect example of the kind of person who can do everything in order to succeed, even though he has no passion for what he is doing. The only reason why he does these things is to become the best. Besides, the readers are not the only ones who realize Gene has a competitive nature, Finny does too. He says that Gene “[wants] to be head of the class, valedictorian” (knowles 51). Even Finny, who is unresponsive toward emotions, can feel Gene`s eagerness to become the best. This proves that Gene`s competitive nature must be so strong that it can influence the competitive relationship between Gene and Finny.

       Finally, Gene has a unique way of comprehending the meaning of friendship that ultimately leads to Gene and Finny`s competitiveness. Gene thinks that “there [are] few relationships among [them] at Devon not based on rivalry” which indicates the fact that from Gene`s perspective, it is very natural for two students to have a competitive relationship (Knowles 45). So when it comes to the relationship between Gene and Finny, it is easy for Gene to feel competitiveness because in his mind their competitiveness is universal. Besides, Gene also has another important understanding of friendship which is equality. He believes if two people are friends, they should be equal in all scenarios. Gene feels relived when he realizes that his own academic achievements can equal Finny`s sports` achievements. This can help them stay on the same level. Gene believes they can “both come out on top” and “be even” (knowles 52). This supports the idea that in Gene`s own opinion, the equality of friendship is essential. Gene`s own ways of interpreting friendship cause the rivalry.

       As the narrator of this book, Gene shows the readers an intricate emotional change. Because he envies Finny, has a natural competitive character and possesses a unique way of understanding the meaning of friendship, Gene builds up an intense and competitive relationship between himself and Finny. Sometimes friends need to compete with each other for the purpose of becoming a better person. There are times when people need to develop their own ability and learn new things while competing with their friends. Being competitive is not a terrible thing, but people should always remember to control their level of competitiveness, so that people will not cause undesirable consequences just like what Gene does in the book.