In Chapter 1, author John Knowles reveals many of the ideas that will help the reader decide
upon the theme of the novel A Separate Peace. Verify the following ideas by using passages or
quotations from A Separate Peace. Remember to post by the end of the school day on Tuesday and respond to a classmate's response. Enjoy your weekend.
Fear
Friendship
Change
Distrust
This chapter begins with an older version of Gene visiting his old school Devon. He wants to visit in particularly two sites from his past, the tree, and the marble stair case. This is an example of foreshadowing because we know now that something important has happened there. Next in this chapter, the author John Knowles introduces the rivalry between Finny and Gene. It starts with the dare devil Finny persuading Gene and the rest of the group into climbing and jumping off a large tree, "...he was going to inveigle others, us, into trying it with him". This shows the influence and level of power Finny has over the other boys which is one of the main themes in this story, along with levels of distrust the boys have for each other, and the rivalry between the two friends. Another theme in this book is the affect the war has on the boys. Throughout this chapter and the ones to come the boys make comments and metaphors involving the war, "Well," he cried out, "here's my contribution to the war effort!"...". The war is the boys past, present, and future. It is their life for they are constantly training for it, worrying about it, and hearing about it on the radio and in the papers. The overall theme in this book is, the complicated emotions Gene feels towards Phineas, he doesn't know if he should be jealous or angry at Finny, or, if he is actually his friend.
ReplyDeleteFear- "Preserved along with it, like stale air in an unopened room, was the well known fear which had surrounded and filled those days, so much of it that I hadn't even known it was there. Because, unfamiliar with the absence of fear and what that was like, I had not been able to identify its presence." (10) Gene was saying that he had not seen the fear that he had had when he was a boy going to that school.
ReplyDeleteFriendship- "I hope you're having a pretty good time here.I know I kind of dragged you away at the point of a gun, but after all you can't come to the shore with just anybody and you can't come by yourself, and at this teenage period in life the proper person is your best pal." (48) Finny said this to Gene expressing deep friendship towards Gene.
Change- "So the more things remain the same, the more they change after all..." (14) Gene returns to the tree as an adult and the tree appears to have changed because he is adult and is looking at it with a different perspective.
Distrust- On the beginning of page 52, Gene realizes that Finny is trying to sabotage him, or so he thinks. For a while in this chapter he completely distrusts Finny because he thinks Finny wants to stay "one up" compared to Gene.I like how Max points out how the war is and will be the biggest influence on the boy's lives.
All of these ideas play a very important role in A Seperate Peace. The first is fear. The quote that really summarizes fear in this book is on page 10: "There were a couple of places now which I wanted to see. Both were fearful sights, and thats why I wanted to see them." This quote it talking about the marble staircase and the big tree. We know already that a huge accident happened at the tree, one that changed someones life. This is a very fearful place that is discussed and visited quite a few times in the book. The second theme is friendship. "He and I started back across the fields, preceding the others like two seigneurs. We were the best of friends at that moment" (18). This quote, towards the beginning of the book, shows just how close Finny and Gene are after just getting to know each other. The events right afterwards, the wrestling and horseplay, show that there is a mild competitive nature between the two boys. Change is another theme. Gene's ideas of change are quite interesting, and they truly come out on page 41, when he is talking about America during the wartime. He doesn't think that anything has changed, or ever will change. His mind is stuck in this war period, and its sort of taken over his whole adult life. Distrust is the most prominent theme, and it is truly expressed on pages 52-53, when he realizes, or assumes, that Finny has constantly been trying to hold Gene back so he can be the best. I really liked how Austin pointed out that the tree and the staircase haven't really changed, and how they still invoke that same image of fear in Gene.
ReplyDeleteA Separate Peace is full of emotion as Gene wrestles with himself and his feelings.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, fear: "I hated it. I never got inured to the jumping. At every and meeting the limb seemed higher, thinner, the deeper water harder to reach. Every time, when I got myself in position to jump, I felt a flash of disbelief that I was doing anything so perilous." (34) This quote illustrates Gene's fear of jumping from the tree. However at every meeting he still continues to jump, even though it is terrifying. This is because the only fear stronger than jumping is losing Phineas, as he states later in the paragraph. "Otherwise I would've lost face with Phineas, and that would've been unthinkable." (34)
The next theme is Friendship: "I know I kind of dragged you away at the point of a gun, but after all you can't come to theshore with just anybody and you can't come by yourself, and at this teen-age period in life the proper person is your best pal.' he hesitated and then added 'which is what you are'" Here Phineas, who has always seemed so smooth, tough, and cool, becomes more honest and sentimental, telling Gene that he is his best friend. Unfortunately this passage also illustrates a lack of friendship, as Gene is unable to relay the message truthfully.
Change: It seemed more sedate than I remembered it, more perpendicular and strait-laced, with narrower windows and shinier woodwork." (1) Here Gene has returned to the school, and is noticing how well kept the school is now. He attended during wartime, and as he notes, things weren't as well kept then. He talks about how he doesn't like this because it "made the school look like a museum" (1) making it a place to look upon the past, a past that is painful to look upon.
Distrust:"I couldn't see . My brain exploded. He minded, despised the possibility of me being head of the school." (52) "He hated you for getting an A in every course but one last term. You would've had an A in that one except for him. Except for him." (53) Here is where Gene creates this rivalry that Finny and he are apparently having. He convinces himself that his supposed friend is horribly jealous of him and is thus trying to sabotage his school work. The realization of this betrayal causes him to have horrible distrust for Finny, but also is somewhat comforting because it means that he is not the only one who is feeling jealous.
I agree with what Max said, about how Finny is the daredevil who has a major influence over Gene as to what he does.
The Main Theme of A Seperate Peace would have to be friendship and how no matter what you do to mess it up, if the person is a good friend they will forgive you in their own way. A classic example from the text is when Finny is refusing to believe that Gene jounced him of the tree. "'I jounced the limb. I caused it.' One more sentence. 'I deliberately jounced the limb so you would fall off.'"(70) Finny's reaction to that is one of utter dibelief. Exactly the kind of reaction that you would expect from a kid that found out that his best friend deliberatly tried to cause him harm. But he instantly forgets the idea bbecause he really likes Gene as a friend and would do anything to keep him as one. Even Gene himself is astonded at what his friend did because he knows that he probably wouldn't have said the same thing that Finny said because in his own opinion what he did is unforgiveable. This brings up the idea that friendship is the main theme of the book because it is somewhat teaching people to be better friends. The other three themes are all in the story but based on my opinion of the text they are not as big as the theme of friendship.
ReplyDeleteClark does bring up a good idea for change though, when Gene is talking about how America is never will change from it's wartime past.
In A Separate Peace, Gene has many conflicting feelings.In the first chapter, an older Gene is walking around Devon, realizing how much fear he encountered at the school. “the well known fear which had surrounded and filled it those days, so much of it that I hadn’t known it was there”(10).
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of the book, Gene describes how he and Phineas were equals, that they had a strong friendship. “We were the best of friends at that moment” (18). Soon, that escalates into a hatred that Gene has for Finny, even though Finny has no idea of it. He continues to express his friendship and loyalty to Gene.
The theme of change is also important to the novel. First of all, there is the change in Gene’s feeling towards Finny. Gene suddenly regards Finny as the enemy, someone that he needs to beat. This feeling goes beyond rivalry, until Gene bounces the tree limb and Phineas falls off. The adult Gene also remarks how the tree had stayed the same, yet he had changed. “it seemed to me standing there to resemble…the giants of your childhood, who you encounter years later and find that they are not merely smaller in relation to your growth, but that they are absolutely smaller” (14). Gene had feared the tree but he finds, 15 years later, that his perception of the tree had changed. He now sees it as feeble and dry, in contrast to “a huge lone spike dominating the riverbank” (13).
Distrust comes into play when Gene believes that Finny drags him places in order to sabotage his studying. “One certainty after another blasted – up like a detonation went the idea of any best friend…up went the hope that there was anyone in this school…whom I could trust” (53). Gene immediately distrusts anything Finny says or does.
Philip has a good point, this book shows how loyal Phineas is to his friends. The fact that Finny refuses to believe that his best friend could have done something like that astonishes Gene. This extreme loyalty also makes Gene feel even guiltier, and in turn he tries to do everything he can to make it up to Finny.
In A Separate Peace Gene goes through different experiences, including fear, friendship, change, and distrust. Some of these are mixed together in different events. For example when Gene turns to Finny when they are in the tree and he loses his balance “I realized that in turning I had begun to lose my balance. There was a moment of total, impersonal panic” (31). This moment goes away when Finny stabilizes Gene so that he does not fall. Finny stabilizing Gene shows their friendship but Finny had a moment of fear when he was about to fall. Another moment of friendship between them is when Finny says “‘Come out a little way,’ he said, ‘and then we’ll jump side by side” (59). This shows how willing Finny is to things together. Another time is when they are at the beach and Finny tells Gene that he is his best friend. Later Gene has a moment of distrust for his friend when he thinks he realizes what Finny has been trying to do to him “Finny had deliberately set out to wreck my studies” (53). He does not trust Finny anymore and so when Finny tells him “‘No you aren’t, pal, you’re going to study.’ ‘Never mind my studying’” (58-59). This is a moment of change for Finny and Gene because Gene still does not trust Finny and so he lets Finny fall when they are on the tree. Another moment a friendship happens when Gene goes to Finny to apologize for what he did. There are many more places where fear, friendship, change, and distrust are apparent in Gene’s life.
ReplyDeleteI really like how Austin looks at the feelings from the narrators older perspective as well as the younger Gene’s point of view.
In A Separate Peace there are many important themes.
ReplyDeleteFear - When Gene is looking back at his school he immediately thinks of two fearful sights. "There were a couple of places now which I wanted to see. Both were fearful sights, and thats why I wanted to see them" (10). There is a lot of fear at the tree where he caused finny to fall and shatter his leg and at the marble stairs.
Friendship - Finny and Gene are best friends. “We were the best of friends at that moment” (18). Throughout the first couple chapters Their friendship is revealed. They do things for each other and are very loyal friends. When Gene says that he jounced the limb and caused Finny to fall, Finny wouldn't believe him. This shows how loyal Finny is.
Change - When Gene looks back at his old school he realizes that it has changed and doesn't look like he remembered. "It seemed more sedate than I remembered it, more perpendicular and strait-laced, with narrower windows and shinier woodwork" (1). He doesn't like that it now looks like a museum.
Distrust - After Gene comes back from the beach he gets this idea that Finny wants him to do poorly in school so that he will become better than Gene. "...up like a detonation went the idea of any best friend…up went the hope that there was anyone in this school…whom I could trust” (53). By thinking this, Gene creates a rivalry with Finny and starts not trusting him.
Although there are many themes woven throughout "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles, one could argue that the most important and tightly woven are the themes of fear, friendship, change, and distrust. The first theme, fear, can be found earlier on in the book as a giddy, adrenaline-fueled fear, rather than the horrifying, shocking kind of fear Gene will experience later in the book. This joyful fear comes up when the two boys are about to take their ritual jump off the tree into the river, and Gene contemplates the now now mandator task before him. "This tree flooded me with a sensation of alarm all the way to my tingling fingers. My head began to unnaturally light...I must have entered a mild state of shock" (16).
ReplyDeleteThe second theme, friendship, is really the basis of the story, the friendship shared between Finny and Gene (although the true intent and quality of that friendship is called into question later on). A great example of this is found during one of Finny rare serious moments, when his vulnerability is exposed to Gene and Gene alone. "'I hope you're having a pretty good time here. I know I kind of dragged you away... but after all you can't come to the shore with just anybody and you can't come by yourself, and at this teen-age period of life the proper person is your best pal.' He hesitated and then added, 'which you are,' and there was silence on his dune" (48). This sweet moment of unadulterated, unmocked moment of truth astounds Gene move than it moves him, and this inability to express or comprehend emotion will later effect the boys's relationship greatly.
The third motif is one that can be found in almost every literary work that is capable of having motifs found in it. This element, change, is something one does not find readily at Devon, according to Gene in a passage of Chapter Six: "Continuity was the keynote. The same hymns were sung, the same sermon give, the same announcements made" (73). This stagnant agenda not only describes the chapel schedule at Devon, but life there in general, especially as the summer begins to fade and the regular, monotonous old school year begins again.
The final theme "distrust" comes in a form of paranoia, as Gene convinces himself that Finny is out to get him, and not just 'him', but specifically his academic reputation. This becomes evident just as Gene starts to doubt Finny and his's friendship, when suddenly, "...there was a swift chain of explosions in my brain, one certainty after another blasted - up like a detonation went the idea of any best friend, up went affection and partnership and sticking by someone...up went the hope that there was anyone in this school - in this world - whom I could trust" (53).
These four themes are undoubtedly interconnected and centered around the relationship Finny and Gene have with one another and come into play one by one as the story progresses, some ideas more clearly defined than others by Gene's one-sided point of view. This is true, and I agree with the inference Charly made that Finny's jealously and rivalry with Gene was merely an invention Gene created in his mind in order to justify the envy he felt towards his charismatic counterpart.
-CDC
Fear, friendship, change and distrust definitely play a big part in this book. Fear is introduced early in the book, before the author even begins the flash back. On page 10, the now older Gene says "There were a couple of places now which I wanted to see. Both were fearful sights, and thats why i wanted to see them." This quote fully explains the number of fears in this book. The two sights that he talks about are the marble staircase, which we still don't know what happens here, and the tree, where an awful accident occurs. An accident so bad that it unables one of the characters from playing sports anymore. The other theme that plays a big part is friendship. " '....and at this teen-age period in life the proper person is you best pal.' He hesitated and then added, 'which is what you are.' " (48). This quote shows the friendship and how close Gene and Finny are or at least how Finny feels about Gene. There is also a small competetive relationship between these two friends, which has been told to us early in the book. I believe that there is always some competetive relationship between best friends. Change also plays a big part in the book. In the first 70 pages of the book, Genes feelings towards Finny changes a couple of times. In the beginning they are really close friends but then some pages later, Gene believes Finny to be an enemy, one who competes with him rather than a good friend. This feeling goes too far and it ends up in Finny badly breaking his leg. Also later in the book, Gene tells Finny that he made him fall but then at the end, before he leaves for his school he goes along with Finny and says he didn't do it. " ' I never sleep much on trains. I guess I'm not making too much sense today' " (71). Distrust is really shown in pages 52-53, where Gene belives that Finny is trying to make him do bad in school so that he (Finny) can truly be better than Gene. "....up went the hope that there was anyone in this school–in this world–whom I coulld trust" (53).
ReplyDeleteI agree with Charly who said page 53 is really where Gene "creates this rivalry that Finny and he are apparently having".
D-Haze
Fear- This theme can be plainly seen as an older Gene passes by the tree and the marble stair cases that frightened him so much. This is a good example of foreshadowing because of what happens to Finny later in the book, and how Gene is always scared when he jumps out of the tree.
ReplyDeleteFriendship- This is shown especially when Finny reaches out for Gene as he is about to fall to a possible death. He grabs Gene even though Gene could have been more off balenced and pulled Finny down with him, but Finny took that chance. Also, when Gene was trying to convince Finny that he was the cause of the fall, Finny denied him. "Of course you didn't do it. You damn fool. Sit down, you damn fool." Finny is so loyal to Gene that he denies it. And Gene is so loyal to Finny that because of the trauma of the event that he thinks he jiggled the limb on purpose.
Change- Gene is telling us this story so many years later, and so much has changed. He went to school when a lot of simple things were in short supply. He said that the school looked "as though a coat of varnish had been put over everything for better preservation" (pg9). And because of when Gene went to Devon, he didn't really like this fresh coat of varnish. "...It made the school look like a museum" (pg9).
Distrust- When Gene wakes up on the beach, things start picking up in his head. His adventure with Finny makes him think that Finny is trying to sabotage his run at Valdictorian. He feels like Finny's behind the one B during the previous semester, and the F on his Trigonometry test. He thinks that his charismatic best friend is the devil in disguise, and he tries to separate from the manipulation without him knowing since he still goes to the SSSOTSS meetings.
Charly- I agree with your point about change, and that this past is hard for Gene to look upon. I also agree with your point on Distrust, and how Gene could be making this all up.
Over the course of the book, Gene has many different emotions that are important themes throughout the book. Fear, friendship, change and distrust are some of the more important ones.
ReplyDeleteFear- Gene is afraid of many things at Devon School. "Every time, when I got myself into position to jump, I felt a flash of disbelief that I was doing anything so perilous. But I always jumped. Otherwise I would lose face with Phineas, and that would have been unthinkable" (34). Gene was afraid of what might happen when he jumped but he was even more afraid of losing his connection with Finny.
Friendship- Finny is so hurt by the thought of his best friend having caused his accident that he tries to deny it. "Of course you didn't do it. You damn fool" (70).Gene sees how much he hurt Finny and does what he can to make it better. He felt guilty for not telling the truth but doesn't want to make what he did worse. This shows the loyalty between the two friends, especially Finny's.
Change- Gene's attitude towards Finny changes dramatically at the beginning of chapter 4, after they return from the beach. He was always sort of jealous of Finny but now he thought that Finny was plotting against him. Gene thought that Finny was purposely distracting him from his studies so that Gene wouldn't have a chance at being the best in that part of life. He though Finny was doing what he could to keep him from being equal with Finny.
Distrust- Gene didn't trust Finny's reasons for going to the beach, missing meals and having to jump off the tree every night.Finny's constant distractions cause Gene to start distusting him. He suspected Finny of deliberately trying ruining his studies. He didn't trust him enough to start ignoring him altogther so gene still went to the meeting so that Finny wouldn't get suspicous.
I also agree with Charly that Finny has a big influence on what Gene does throughout the book.
fear- Fear stands out in a way like no other theme in the novel. The boys are constantly living in fear with the war going and the fact that they could possibly be drafted. In the book the boys seem to get excited by the idea of them getting shipped of to the war but in reality i think the boys are scared of being drafted. Jumping of the tree into the river cannot even compare to the amount of fear brought on by the war itself. I agree that fear is a theme in the novel, but there are two types of fear in the novel, a child's fear and a mans fear.
ReplyDeletefriendship- Friendship is also a important theme in the book, the friendship that really stands out is the one between Gene and Finny. The are the main characters in the book without question and they have a very strong relationship, their friendship almost reminds me of two brothers. friendship is a very important theme in the novel because at the time in the book they are going through very difficult times being involved in a war. Friends are a very important and the relationship between Gene and Finny is like none other.
change- Change, int he book everybody is going through change even the country is going through a change. The most dramatic change so far has been Finny and Genes relationship after Finny incident. They used to be best friends and borderline brothers but after the accident Finny said he would punch Gene if he could.
distrust- lack of trust; doubt; suspicion. This basically is exactly what Gene is feeling towards his best friend Finny. Gene has kind of taking a wrong turn and has started to think that Finny has not been truthful with him. At this point Gene has lost almost his entire relationship with Finny. This is a huge deal because the book is really based around how good of a relationship they have so far.
First of all, there is fear. Fear is a major part of the book and is a very dominant emotion. In most chapters, there is always some form of fear from Gene whether it's about jumping off of the tree or schoolwork or Finny. "Looking back now across fifteen years, I could see with great clarity the fear I had lived in, which must mean that in the interval I had succeeded in a very important undertaking: I must have made my escape from it" (10). The first time Finny wanted Gene to jump off of the tree, he was beyond the point of fear, he was utterly afraid for his life. "This tree flooded me with a sensation of alarm all the way to my tingling fingers" (16). Lastly, the doubts and strong feelings he had towards Finny: " 'What was I doing up here anyway?' 'Why did I let Finny talk me into stupid things like this?' Was he getting some kind of hold over me?' " (17).
ReplyDeleteNext, there is friendship. Of course, almost the entire book is formed around friendship. Would there be any story if Gene didn't have Finny? My answer is no, the strong bond that these to boys have are ultimately so important. " 'Its's you, pal,' Finny said to me at last, 'just you and me.' He and I started back across the fields, preceding the others like two seigneurs. We were the best of friends at that moment" (18). However, it is very hard to understand how Gene feels sometimes especially when he claims to have jounced the branch and caused Finny to fall. Was Finny really that good of a friend to him at that point?
Also, there is change. Both boys seemed to have changed during the course of the book from buddies who jokingly wrestled with each other to one broken-legged boy and the boy who wanted him hurt. What happened between them? It is even hard for me to understand. " 'I don't care who I sound like, and you won't think so when I tell you. This is the worst thing in the world, and I'm sorry and I hate to tell you but I've got to tell you' " (66-67) It is apparent to us as readers that he deeply regrets what he had done. But then why would he have done it in the first place? What changed him?
Lastly, there is distrust. One major part of the story when distrust comes into play is when Gene convinces himself that Finny is trying to lure him into doing activities instead of studying and doing well on his exams."Then a second realization broke as clearly and bleakly as dawn at the beach. Finny had deliberately set out to wreck my studies" (53).
Catherine, I definitely agree with our similar idea that friendship is the basis of the story. Finny and Gene's relationship completes the book.
Of the four main themes in the novel A Separate Peace, the one that is the most dominant is the theme of friendship. Gene's best friend is a boy named Finny, and much of the story is made up of the relationships between them and their various interactions. A quote that is an example of the friendship that goes on between them is when they are both at the beach. Finny says to Gene "'... and at this teen-age period in life the proper person is your best pal.' He hesitated and then added, 'Which is what you are (48)'" This is an example of the friendship between these two boys.
ReplyDeleteDistrust is also a very important theme in the novel. Gene thinks that Finny is trying to undermine him by distracting him from academics, like by taking him to the beach. "Then a second realization broke as clearly and bleakly as dawn at the beach. Finny had deliberately set out to wreck my studies (53)". This shows the distrust that eventually takes place between the two boys.
Change is also a major theme in the book. Many things change as the book progresses, which is natural, but the thing that is changed most radically is the situations of the boys. Gene changes through the summer to become better: "I was becoming more and more the best student at school... (55)." Finny changes for the better and shows one of the key themes of this book, which is change.
Fear is one of the themes in the book that is very prevalent in the time frame that the story occurs in. Finny is talking about what he remembers in the time that this novel takes place and he says that as a result of the fear and war "People in America cry often (41)". This shows the truly hard and fearful time that they lived in and how it was something much on the minds of the citizens.
I agree with Charly that friendship is the basis of the story. It really is the theme that drives the story and the events that happen.
The ideas of fear, friendship, change and distrust are all very prominent themes in a Separate Peace. The most obvious source of fear for Gene is in the tree over the the river. The first time that Gene prepares to jump from the tree he says "This tree flooded me with a sensation of alarm all the way to my tingling fingers. My head began to feel unnaturally light, and the vague rustling sounds from the nearby woods cam e to me as though muffled and filtered" (16). This fear that Gene feels is very physical, simple, and rational. He is afraid of falling (an accident could injure or kill him) so his body goes into tense shock. This fear haunts him each time he climbs the tree, although it is slightly less controlling when Finny is with him. This leads to the next main idea: friendship. Particularly in the beginning of the book, Gene and Finny are best friends. After dinner at the headmaster's Gene comments "We left the party, both of us feeling fine. I laughed along with Finny, my best friend, and also unique, able to get away with anything at all" (28). In this quote, Gene blatantly states that he and Finny are best friends. He later goes on to say that he is envious of Finny's ability to get out of any problem but that doesn't necessarily invalidate their friendship.
ReplyDeleteThe adult Gene (narrating some parts of the story) talks about the change he has undergone since leaving Devon. "Looking back now across fifteen years, I could see with great clarity the fear I had lived in, which must mean that in the interval I had succeeded in a very important undertaking: I must have made my escape from it" (10). The change that Gene says he has undergone, is the loss of his fear. At our point in the story, we don't yet know what makes this change happen, but some sort of event or series of events must have caused it.
Gene also starts to feel distrust towards Finny, thinking that Finny has been plotting the downfall of Gene's academic career, in order to insure that he (Finny) stays superior to Gene. Gene's "realization" is that "Finny had deliberately set out to wreck my studies.... It was all cold trickery, it was all calculated, it was all enmity" (53) This shows how Gene (rather unreasonably) starts to develop distrust for Finny. This is significant because this distrust (and jealousy) leads to Gene making Finny fall out of the tree.
Clark- I disagree with what you said that "We were the best of friends at that moment" showing that they're just getting to know each other. I think that that quote actually shows that they know each other so well, and for so long that there is no akwardness between them. Their horseplay also shows that there is a mutual acceptance of each other, and that they can compete in a friendly way.
The theme of this novel A Separate Peace is not one but many. Such themes are fear, friendship, change, and distrust. Right from the first chapter we as the readers learn about the friendships of the protagonist of the book, Gene. These friendships especially with one boy in particular, his roommate Finny strengthens the themes of distrust and and fear. Gene has a deep and nagging competitiveness with Finny that he cannot ignore as much as he tries to deny it. When Finny decides to jump off the tree to be the first of their class to, Gene tells the reader he was terrified. He described the tree to be "... tremendous, an irate, steely black steeple beside the river". He even stalled and continued to fear jumping every time the dreaded activity took place, but he knew he had to because of a distrust he has for Finny. He believes that they, Finny and Gene, are "even after all, even in enmity. The deadly rivalry was on both sides after all" (54). However, as this novel progresses Gene finds out he was wrong about this distrust and the theme continues with how he deals with having taken that distrust to a level that shows no friendship at all, which was the relationship he and Finny shared and continue to share. This is shown with the scene of them walking in the field and tackling each other like good friends will do, and when Finny tells Gene that if he can't play sports, Gene will have to for him.The other prominent theme in the book is change. The first chapter is spent explaining the change in the marble stairs, how everything at Devon looks as if painting and preserved. He sees things he didn't before and looks for the same things as from the time he was at school. During the book, the characters also change a lot along with the scenery. Gene goes through emotional stages of distrust, belief in friendship and changes his mind often about what he wants and perceives of his relationship and position in school and with the boys at the Devon School. I have to agree with Eileen and Charly and many others, these themes depend a lot on Finny as Gene is dependent on him as well. He is Gene's "roll model" to say, and he affects the way the themes play into the book as he has that influence on the main character, and is one himself.
ReplyDeleteFear, friendship, and change are the major parts in A Separate Peace. Fear starts off very early in the book as Dan said. It starts off on page 10 where Gene says " There were a couple of places now which I wanted to see. Both were fearful sights, and thats why I wanted to see them." This quote is showing part of Genes personality. Friendship is between Gene and Finny and that also has change in it. It is friendship because they considered each other best friends but the change comes when Finny starts beating Gene in everything. Change is growing the further we read into the book. Finny and Gene's relationship is changing more and more as the book goes on and that is the biggest part of change that is happening. There is a competitive relationship between Finny and Gene and that can make there relationship have its ups and downs. I agree with Matt when he said After Gene comes back from the beach he gets this idea that Finny wants him to do poorly in school so that he will become better than Gene. "
ReplyDeleteIn a Separate Peace, he expresses fear with the stairs is place associated with fear. “...and stopped at a long flight of stairs...The marble must have been unusually hard... Of course they were the same stairs(11)”. Also, when he talks about the tree, and how every time that he has to jump off it he is more scared. Obviously,we know that something bad must if happened there. Later we learn he almost fell off and seriously hurt his back but, thanks to Finny he doesn’t. Another theme he expresses is Friendship, friendship with Finny “hope your having you’re having a pretty good time here (48). Change is when Gene comes back to his old school things seem different than before, although they are the same. When he comes back to the tree as an adult he thinks it has changed, it’s not the tree thats changed it is him. He shows distrust with Finny when Gene realizes that he is trying to sabotage him, they’re always trying to one up each other (52).
ReplyDeleteI think fear and friendship are the biggest and most imporatnt themes in A Seperate Peace. Fear shows itself early in the book on page 10 where Gene says, "There were a couple places now which I wanted to see. Both were fearful sights, and that was why I wanted to see them." These words are showing how Gene can be feared by situations or places and the theme of fear reoccurs in the book. The biggest and most important friendship in this novel is the protagonist Gene and what seems to be his best friend Finny. They have a kind of rivalry and competitevness that best friends usually have but it seems to become little more than just a competitive friendship. When one of their other friends say that Gene's jump was better than Finny's on page 17 Finny shows how their friendship really is. "Don't start awarding prizes until you've passed this course." This shows how Finny doesn't think Finny is better than him in anything he does, and doesn't back down to people saying they are better than him.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Matt how they are loyal friends and have a normal friendship.
In A seperate Piece, fear, friendship, and changes are very important themes in the novel. Fear in the novel shows itself very early as Gene remebers fearful events that happend to him when he visits the school."There were a couple places now which I wanted to see. Both were fearful sights, and that was why I wanted to see them(10)." Friendship is another big part in the novel because Finney and Gene have a very close bond togather. As we get futher into the novel you can see Finny's and Gene's friendship."... and at this teen-age period in life the proper person is your best pal.' He hesitated and then added, 'Which is what you are (48)." “We were the best of friends at that moment(18)." This shows how Gene and Finney are best friends. The biggest theme in the novel is change. Change is important because it can turn something good to something bad. This change starts after the visit at the beach. Gene starts to get the impression that Finny wants him to do bad academically,so he can become better than him. "...up like a detonation went the idea of any best friend…up went the hope that there was anyone in this school…whom I could trust” (53). This is a big change because this shows that gene does not trust Finny. I agree with Matt because they are now just normal friends not best friends.
ReplyDeleteIn A Seperate Peace there are many different themes. A prominent theme, I believe, is the Codependency of Gene and Finny. In the beginnings of the novel, Gene is shadowed by Finnys' unwavering embodiment of spirit. Finny is much like that of a Greek hero, like Hercules or Achilles, but like them his life is destined to be short lived. "He had never been jealous of me for a second. Now I knew that there never was and never could have been any rivalry between us. I was not of the same quality as he. I couldn’t stand this." This quote near the end of chapter 4, is when Gene realizes that his integrity is inferior to his best friend Finny. Perhaps this is what had made him jounce the limb. From here on after, Gene becomes more and more a physical channel of Phinneus. As the book progresses, the reader comes to see that Gene’s forced equalization of the two boys may have been darkly deliberate. It may have stemmed from a deep desire within Gene to blur his own identity, to lose himself in another.
ReplyDeletematt- i agree on the fact that Finny and Gene can no longer be best friends. Good work.
Fear surrounds the whole setting of the book right from the beginning. "Preserved along with it, like stale air in an unopened room, was the well known fear which had surrounded and filled those days, so much of it that I hadn't even known it was there. Because, unfamiliar with the absence of fear and what that was like, I had not been able to identify its presence." (10) But gene is having too much fun to realize it until later. Friendship is huge in this. Finny and Gene are the best of friends who rely on eachother to push off of and go furhter in live. Whether it be finny in sports or gene in academics, and since they are roommates they are harldy ever apart. But distrust threatens to rip apart this friendship when gene thinks finny is trying to best him in school, so he knocks him out of a tree, ending his sports career. The change from the summer session to the fall session is a big change in this, it changes the setting, the players so to speak, and the general mood of teh book, it mathces the mood between gene and finny, somber and rather dark.
ReplyDeleteValentina- yes at the beginning it seemed that finny might be a role model, but people generally arent too jealous of their role models and push them off trees
Fear, change, friendship and distrust are certainly all present in the first chapter of A Separate Peace. Right away, Knowles introduces the idea of fear–"...like stale air in an unopened room was the well known fear which had surrounded and filled those days, so much of it that I hadn't even known it was there" (10). Most of that page, even in the first chapter, was about fear. He starts out the next two paragraphs with " Looking back now across fifteen years, I could see with great clarity the fear I had lived in", and "I felt fear's echo,". This really sets the idea of fear into the reader's head from the get-go.
ReplyDeleteFor Gene, Devon school had greatly changed. "I went back to the Devon School not long ago. and found it looking oddly newer than when I was a student there fifteen years before" (9). This also sets another idea, change, into the reader's head.
Friendship between Gene and Finny was clearly outlined in the first chapter, like in this quote, showing the familiarity between the boys. "...always made me laugh, as Finny knew, so I had to laugh, which made me feel less sarcastic and less scared" (15). There are other such passages, like when Gene and Finny are play-fighting, that hammer this topic home.
Lastly, distrust is prominent in the first chapter. "With the sensation I was throwing my life away, I jumped into space. Some tips of branches snapped past me and then I crashed into the water" (17). This is showing some distrust in Gene's mind towards Finny, because he wasn't sure he would be fine, even though Finny said it would. He wasn't exactly listening to Finny.
Hayden, I agree with your quote about the jealousy from Gene. This is present in the whole chapter, and probably will be in the whole story. Sometimes it's the small things the author throws in that can be one of the main conflicts, and I think this one has some promise.