A Separate Peace By John Knowles: Character Analysis

Throughout life, people are constantly finding themselves, whether it be physically or mentally. The novel, A Separate Peace by John Knowles, highlights this feature. The main character Gene Forrester is repeatedly overshadowed by his best friend, Finny, this forces him through a state of anger, distrust, and aggravation. Although Gene has several attributes to be proud about, he decides to focus on Finny's actions instead. Through the use of characterization for Gene Forrester, Knowles demonstrates the fact that when one finds their own identity it allows for them to overcome hardships and undergo growth.
Across the entire novel, Gene fluctuates from states of confidence to depression within minutes, this is the result of his views on

himself to be varying. Before he finds his own identity, Gene is continuously forced into being Finny's follower instead of his friend; He does not have any opportunities for development and maturation.

When Gene begins to reminisce, the first memories that enter his mind are that of when him and Finny are jumping off of the tree for the first time. Throughout the majority of the experience Gene questions ¨why did I let Finny talk me into stupid things” which shows his constant recurring regret (Knowles 17). Gene allows Finny to control his decisions which restricts him from thinking on his own. Gene has not yet acknowledged the presence of his identity, so he seems to feed off of Finny's actions as his own. This poor decision results in Gene not having the ability to grow based on his own actions and decisions, because he does not think on his own. Apart from not thinking on his own, Gene struggles continually with the fact that he lacks the ability to follow through on some actions. He attempts to study to pursue dreams of valedictorian, but Finny comes into his room and interrupts him with questions. Gene shrieks at Finny with rage, lecturing him about the importance of studying, but then ¨slammed the chair against the desk¨ following Finny out to the tree (57). Although Gene knows that he should be thinking on his own, he allows Finny's

request to contaminate his thinking. This one interaction may not have ruptured Gene's academic endeavours, but it demonstrates Gene´s inability to do what he wishes to do. Once again, Finny's interruptions work to diverge Gene´s growth and stop him from furthering his mind academically and his autonomy mentally, because he still seems to follow Finny around action for action. On top of all of this, Gene’s fluctuating identity sends him into a state of confusion. After Finny’s fall, Gene does not know what to do with himself at all. He sits in his room hopelessly, until he “decides to put on his clothes” (62). Although there is no need for Gene to be wearing Finny’s clothes, he does it anyways. This demonstrates Gene’s desire to be like Finny; he will take any opportunity he gets to move himself one bit closer to Finny. This shows that he does not know what to do. Prior to him putting on Finny’s clothes, Gene was furious at Finny, but now he is attempting to become more like him. He is attempting to pick up on Finny’s identity over his own. This is hurting him emotionally and making him perplexed, stunting his growth in the process. When Gene eventually starts to locate his own identity, he begins to overcome the hardships he has faced mentally and physically, and he grows from them.
Once the novel further progresses, Gene is able to transform the negative thoughts he once had, into positive energy, because he understands who he is and what he can do on his own. Gene is thinking about himself and Finny, and he begins to discern that what Finny does will not affect him, and he needs to be his own person. Gene realizes that he has more heart then Finny, and all that Finny has is ¨lonely, selfish ambition¨ (Knowles 56). This understanding shows Gene that he is not lower than Finny, even though Finny seems to win more contests. He understands that it is not worth getting all caught up with Finny's motives when he should be focusing on himself. This instance allows for Gene to grow and learn to function without Finny's reign over him. Gene not only gains more of a sense of confidence in himself and his actions, but he also manages to mentally overcome the experiences he has faced at the Devon school due to Finny. Finny tells Gene about his plans of enlisting into the war, and Gene shares his thoughts about that. He tells Finny that he “ wouldn’t be any good in the war” showing his lack of confidence in Finny. This is one of the only times Gene says something that Finny would disagree in. This displays his mental growth. Before this instance, it is nearly impossible for Gene to share his uncensored thoughts with Finny, because he always tried to side with him. Here, when he speaks his mind, he is able to act freely. He is no longer bound to the two-faced figure he once had, due to Finny. On top of being able to act on his own accord, Gene also develops the ability to move forward without any restraints. Towards the end of his experience at Devon, Finny passes away because bone marrow enters his bloodstream. Although Gene was dispirited from this event, he comes to the realization that he has been undergoing an internal war and that he ¨killed my[his] enemy¨ (Knowles 204). He no longer feels the need to constantly be under the pressure he has been under, because he no longer has a reason for it. With his biggest enemy, Finny, out of the picture, Gene has no more barriers stopping him from pursuing whatever he wishes to do. He realizes that the only reason he has been unhappy, and has been overwhelmed is because of Finny, this understanding breaks the bonds that have been holding him back. This physical and mental block gets uplifted from him, allowing him to live freely. Gene undergoes many different transformations throughout the novel, through this experience he learns that being his own person is beneficial.
Through the use of characterization, Knowles displays that Gene only begins to grow and progress in life after he finds his own identity. He experiences several different emotions during his time at the Devon school. The majority of them are inflicted upon him by Finny’s thoughts and actions. Once Gene realizes this, he comes to the conclusion that he must form his own thoughts. This thought opens up several different opportunities for Gene, allowing for him to gradually mature. Through this long, painful process, Gene slowly transforms into the strong, driven person he is.