The saying, "our greatest enemy is ourselves," is shown in A Separate Peace, by John Knowles. The novel takes place during a time of war, but at Devon, an exclusive New England prep school, two friends face a greater war of their own. Gene Forrester is sort of an outcast, much unlike his best friend and roommate Phineas, who he is perilously jealous of. Finny is friendly, loving, and popular. Throughout the novel Finny is portrayed as Gene's enemy; however, Gene's real enemy is himself.

Why would an enemy constantly praise and help someone they detest? Phineas is nothing but a loyal friend to Gene. By definition, an enemy is one who feels hatred toward, intends injury to, or opposes the interests of another; however Finny is none of these. In fact, Phineas is the complete opposite. Finny expresses only love and friendship towards Gene...