Phineas and Gene's Relationship in "A Separate Peace"
Summary:
The novel "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles explores the pressures on them to be soldiers in World War II.
In the novel A Separate Peace by, John Knowles, takes place during the time of World War Two at a place called Devon High School. The characters in this novel are pressured to go into the war. The main characters in this novel are seniors at Devon and are around the age of seventeen and eighteen. The two main characters are Gene and Phineas. Gene is a very insecure person. Gene relies on Phineas to lead the way for him. Gene lives through Phineas and is trying to compete with Phineas but, Phineas is not competing with Gene. Phineas is a very competitive person in sports. He is a great athlete but, is not very competitive and prominent with his grades and studies. In this novel every thing is goin steady and fine until Gene and Phineas are on a limb of a tree and are about to jump into a river close to their school. While they are up on the limb gene jounces the limb and Phineas falls to the bank of the river. Phineas shatters his bones in his leg. This break later leads to the death of Phineas. While Phineas' leg is almost healed he breaks it going down marble stairs. While Phineas is having his operation to fix his leg bone the marrow of his bone gets in his blood stream and Phineas dies. When Phineas dies gene feels that he himself has died gene said ( " I could not escape that this was my own funeral. Page 186) . At his funeral Gene doesn't cry because he said that it was like it was his own funeral. For the topic of my paper I am going to discuss who or what is being referred to as "the enemy." I will explain how this relates to Gene and Phineas and their friendship.
My idea of what Gene relates to as "the enemy" is himself and his insecurity. I think that himself and his insecurity is his enemy because he was insecure with himself because he wanted to be Phineas. The want to be Phineas and the obsession of that he was and was a part of phineas was part of his hate for himself. It was a part of hate toward himself because he could never really be as good a person as Phineas and that he would never be as good as him. This is how " the enemy" came to be in Gene.
Genes enemy relates to their friendship in a way because the enemy came from their friendship. If Gene and Phineas would of not had a friendship "the enemy would of never been created in Genes mind. The enemy come from their friendship because phineas was a better person and Gene became aware of this caused him to have the want to be like Phineas and to be a part of him. Genes insecurity came from this want and need to be like phineas. His insecurity came to be because he kept thinking he wasn't good enough and wasn't like Phineas. This is why Phineas is part of "the enemy."
Genes enemy did many things to His and Phineas' friendship. Genes enemy, his insecurity and hatred toward himself caused Phineas' leg break and soon lead to his death. All this cause phineas' leg to break because while they were on the limb of the tree Genes hatred and anger had built up so much that he shook the limb and phineas fell to the ground. Genes' hatred and insecurity toward himself caused Phineas' death because if Phineas hadn't broken his leg he wouldn't be so vulnerable to another break. Phineas' second break caused him to have a operation and that is when his bone marrow got into his blood stream and cuased him to die.
Gene thinks that his enemy is defeated because Phineas is dead. He is not saying that his enemy was Phineas. I think that Gene says his enemy is defeated because Phineas is not around to cause himself his insecurity that he is not like Phineas. Gene doesn't have to size himself up or compare himself with Phineas to cause any insecurity or hatred in himself because Phineas is dead and gone forever. Gene even said, ( " My war ended before I ever put on a uniform; I was on active duty all my time at school; I killed my enemy there." Page 196).
The effects that the war have on the boys at Devon are very serious and dangerous. The boys feel that they are left out and are thought of as kids. The war has a great effect on the boys at Devon mentally. An example of this is when Leper went to war and it changed him mentally forever, the war "scared" him. The war even though the buys are not in the war yet can have a physical effect on the boys at Devon. An example of this happening is when the boys jump out of the tree into the river to prepare for naval rescues and such and when phineas falls to the bank of the river and breaks his leg. His break later leads to his death from his break. The effects of the war in those days was very unhealthy for the young men of that time and especially the young men at Devon High School.
This is the complete article, containing 895 words
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