【Book Review】A Separate Peace

    

     Gene Forrester returns to his school which he went to fifteen years ago. Walking through the campus, he recalls his past experience and tells a tragic story which happens fifteen years ago. The story takes place in the summer of 1942 at the Devon School in New Hampshire. Gene, a quiet, well-disciplined, and clever student, has a close friend called Finny, who is athletic and charming. Through the progress of the plot, the relationship between these two best friends starts to transform. The gradual increment of this transformation ultimately possesses a tremendous influence on both characters…   

    This modern classic is assigned by our teacher as the reading material for the English class. To be frank, I rarely have satisfying reading experiences especially when it comes to books which are required by our school. But to my surprise, this book is an exception. I find great pleasure reading through this book. As a famous work, A Separate Peace does contain some profound issues that I really want to have a general discussion about.

-Spoiler Alert!!-

    The most common reason for me to enjoy a book is that I love one or several of the characters in the book. However, this assumption is no longer true when it comes to A Separate Peace. I don’t particularly adore any of the characters though many of my classmates have strong affections toward Finny. What I really want to have a deeper discussion of is the character development of Gene. Because I also wrote an essay about this issue as a school assignment, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to closely examine the mental state of Gene throughout the novel.    

    Here is my essay about Gene and Finny's relationship:

 http://ivysbookblog.blogspot.com/2016/01/book-essaya-separate-peace.html

    Gene is a character with great confrontation in his heart. He envies his best friend Finny, but at the same time possesses deep affection toward him which even Gene himself doesn’t realize. Before Finny falls from the tree, Gene always bears these negative speculations. He assumes that Finny has spiteful intention behind his every behaviors. EVERYTHING changes after the fall of Finny. (At this point, I have to doubt whether Gene causes the fall of Finny intentionally or not. I prone to believe it’s just Gene’s unconscious behavior.) Their seemingly peaceful but actually competitive relationship transforms into something much more different. It’s evident in the second half of the novel that Gene and Finny possess a codependent relationship with each other. While Gene wears Finny’s clothes, Finny trains Gene to become an athlete for the purpose of joining the Olympic Games in the future. These actions are all clear indications of their codependence. Gene has such a strong affection towards Finny that he chooses to blur his own identity. The love-hate relationship between Gene and Finny is so intriguing that through my reading process, I have to constantly consider whether or not there are emotions which are more than mere friendship within this book. After doing some researches on the internet, I ascertain that I am not the only person who has the same interrogatory.

    Asides from the characters’ developments, there are other issues that I feel like discussing. First of all, I’d like to briefly share my thoughts about the title. I know that the story takes place during the World War II when teenage boys are assigned to the army. Comparing to the cruelty of the outside world, Devon School where the main characters live and study is just like a protection which not only isolates students but also provides them with peaceful life. The book is called A Separate Peace because on one hand, students live in a separate environment and they are disconnected to the outside world. On the other hand, they are able to maintain peace at the same time. My further thought is that the incidence of Finny falling from the trees represents the maturation, or in other words, the loss of innocence of these teenagers. The summer session in Devon, the period before Finny falls from the tree, is full of enjoyment and laughter. During this period, students have no consideration about the possibility of joining the army, though the teachers may conceal their worries. It’s likely to say that they are innocent in the summer session. Then comes the winter session, the dread period after Finny’s fall, which is cold, dark, and full of strenuous physical labor. At the same time, students start to envision their possible future which is filled with battles and death. The fall of Finny directly indicates this transformation which, from my perspective, is cruel and heartbroken.

    Now I want to discuss something more delightful. My favorite part of the book is obviously the little beach journey that Finny and Gene take at night. I can see their playfulness and intimate communication. This part is probably the last part where these two characters can have the opportunity to solely play and enjoy their time with each other. Every time I think about this, I just want to burst into tears.

    Finally, I have something to say about the rating on Goodreads. It’s quite shocking to me that A Separate Peace only gets 3.55 out 5 on the Goodreads rating. This is a strong reminder to me that I should never only trust the rating, instead, I am supposed to read the book myself then make my own judgment.

【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.