Summary:
This is a Compare-Contrast essay over the two main characters Phineas and Gene in A Seperate Peace by John Knowles
Disparity vs. Equality
A Separate Peace, by John Knowles, takes place in a New England boarding school during World War 2. The two main characters, best friends Phineas and Gene, go through trials and times of adversity, showing their true selves. Throughout the novel their personalities both compliment and offset each other.
The old cliché "opposites attract" rings true with this pair. Phineas establishes himself as not only the outspoken one, but also the leader. With his dominant personality, Finny fancied his own rule and way. When Finny disproved badminton, he came up with his own game: Blitz ball. He enjoyed the power of control and the sense of leadership. Phineas constantly found himself heading up another society or planning fun filled get-together. However, where leaders appear, followers emerge as well. Gene found himself constantly in Finny's footsteps. Phineas had some sort of invisible hold over Gene and Gene even admits it by saying: "Why did I let Finny talk me into stupid things like this"" (Page 17) Nevertheless, Gene did as Finny told him, both consciously and by habit. Secondly, Phineas finds himself to as an optimist. His outlook on life veers towards a carefree and whimsical attitude. Many trials and tribulations come his way, yet his positive outlook remains the same. On the other hand, Gene proves himself as a pessimist. He views the glass as half empty in a majority of his situations. For example, Finny and Gene stand in the tree about to jump when Gene loses his balance. Phineas grabs his arm, preventing him from falling. Later Gene thinks to himself: "Yes, he had practically saved my life. He has also practically lost it for me. I wouldn't have been on that damn limb except for him...I didn't need to feel any tremendous rush of gratitude toward Phineas." (Page 33) While Gene keeps his thoughts to himself and accepts punishment for his actions, Finny, outspoken and opinionated, constantly finds himself weaseling his way out of trouble. This confirms Phineas as verbally adroit. "He pressed his advantage because he saw that Mr. Prud'homme was pleased, won over in spite of himself. The Master was slipping from his official position momentarily." (Page 22) In addition to Phineas' outspoken nature, he clearly displays a look of confidence. He shows this by proudly wearing the pink shirt his mother sent him. "No one else in school could have done so without some risk of having it torn from his back," says Gene after seeing Finny admiring his shirt in the mirror. (Page 25) On the contrary, Phineas' best friend Gene shows his most revealing characteristic as his insecurity. "It was only long after that I recognized sarcasm as the protest of people who are weak," declares Gene after a conversation with Finny.
Though the two characters offset each other, they also show signs of resemblance. Aside from their obvious likeness in age, height, school, and best friend relationship, the two share a codependent quality. After Gene makes his plunge into the water, Phineas states "You were very good...once I shamed you into it...I'm good for you that way." (Page 18) Gene also states on a more serious note, "I lost a part of myself to him then, and a soaring sense of freedom revealed that this must have been my purpose from the first: to become a part of Phineas." (Page 85) The war, one of the most crucial issues in the novel, served as an unreal aspect to the boys, both of them denying its existence. Finny reveals in the end, he ignored the reality of the war only because he could not participate in it. He states "I'll hate it everywhere if I'm not in his war! Why do you think I kept saying there wasn't any war all winter"" (Page 190) In addition to their denial of the war, both Phineas and Gene deny each other. Finny denies that his best friend causes his handicap as well as the reality of his injury. Gene, at one point, denies Finny's friendship, thinking he purposely attempts to keep him from his true potential. Later, this leads to Gene's distrust in his best friend and major internal conflict.
Both characters in A Separate Peace display qualities that compliment and offset each other. The best friends show similar and codependent yet contradictory personalities throughout their years at Devon. In conclusion, the strong bonds of friendship go way beyond disparity and adversity.
This is the complete article, containing 737 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page).
