Character Analysis: A Separate Peace By John Knowles

Theodora Dini

Dr. Kogon

Elements of Literature

September 15, 2015

Gene vs. Finny: Modern World Edition

In the novel, A Separate Peace, the characters Finny and Gene are pretty much complete opposites, yet they are great friends. In general, Finny has the upper hand, because of his ability to socialize and work well with other people. Gene even says, “He possessed an extra vigor, a heightened confidence in himself, a serene capacity for affection which saved him. Nothing as he was growing up at home, nothing at Devon, nothing even about the war had broken his harmonious and natural unity. So at last I had.” (John Knowles, page 194-195) Gene clearly states that Finny is “unlike other young man, and that nothing could cause a disturbance in

his bright and sunny outlook”; except for Gene, of course. Both boys have their strengths, but they also have their low points, which leads some people into thinking, “Which one of them would survive the modern world? Who is the weaker link?” In the modern world, people are always working together, socializing, and are mostly able to make decisions on their own, which is why Gene is considered the weaker link, as he is very introverted and easily influenced by others.
While Gene is considered introverted, bitter, jealous, and ultimately guilty, he has knowledge and determination, which is why he is described as a studious and intelligent individual.

Even though he is the weaker character, there are still some strengths that he possesses. Gene prefers to study in his free time, as he knows this is going to help him get a better job in the future. He prefers to focus on logic and rules in life, rather than to go with his “gut feeling”. He is very determined to getting good grades when it comes to school, but these few examples are the only few strengths that Gene has. His list of weaknesses, however, is longer than his list of strengths. Gene is very introverted, and he prefers to work alone. His reason for focusing on his studies is mostly because he wants a good job, but also because he is not very social. If Gene were to work in a group in the modern world, he would not be very cooperative because he is unable to voice his opinion. If, perhaps, someone like Finny were to work with Gene, Gene would just do the work, and Finny would be the one to voice his opinions. Even if Gene disagreed, he would not say anything, as he is too easily influenced. In addition, Gene is a strict rule follower. He does not even think to try and bend the rules, unlike Finny. Katharine Hepburn once said “If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun,”, which may explain why Finny has a lot more fun at Devon than Gene does. All in all, even if Gene is

smarter and more focused that Finny, he is still a weak character.
Finny, on the other hand, is pretty much the complete opposite, being as he is charismatic, a natural born leader, strong, and an overall better person than Gene was.

Finny has no problem talking to people, even if it seemed as though he was going to get into trouble. For example, when Gene and Finny bump into the headmaster, he asks Finny why he is wearing pink shirt. Without breaking a sweat, Finny plunges straight into his response, not stopping to think or to stutter on words. He explains that he’s wearing the shirt as “an emblem” because he learned that the Allied Powers "bombed Central Europe for the first time the other day". Finny said he needed to do something to celebrate. Mr. Patch-Withers did nothing but laugh at what Finny had said, and he did not even punish him. Gene was upset, as he wanted Finny to get in trouble so “something interesting would happen”. In short, Finny can get out of any situation by simply talking. As the author said, “He rambled on, his voice soaring and plunging in its vibrant sound box, his eyes now and then widening to fire a flash of green across the room.”

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While Finny is clearly the stronger character, he does have some weaknesses of his own. Finny is known for having a bright outlook on the world, but sometimes that may not be such a good thing. Many people argue that he is too innocent, and that even though he can see all the good in the world, he cannot see the bad. This means that he is unable to see the world as it was in the book; dangerous and cruel.
In addition, Finny is a bit careless and unfocused, which is why he doesn’t have the grades that Gene does. So instead of trying to focus, Finny tries to distract Gene from studying, by either talking to him to convince him he doesn’t need to, or persuading him to jump out of the tree with him. Finny has no problem jumping out of the tree in order to keep Gene from studying. He is a bit careless, as he does not realize the dangers of jumping out of the tree. Nonetheless, he continues to risk his life in order to keep Gene away from studying and getting even smarter than he already is.
Although Gene and Finny both have their faults, Gene is overall the weaker character because he is not nearly as confident, good-spirited, and headstrong as Finny, making him unable to work very well with other people in the modern world, since he would not be able to voice his opinion. If Finny and Gene were to live in the present, it would be obvious that Finny is be much more at ease and successful than Gene. The fact of the matter is that in the modern world, nobody is working alone. Everybody is part of a team, no matter what job they have. Finny would blend in easily with today’s workers, as he would just start talking and getting to know his fellow employees. Gene, however, would have a harder time trying to work with other employees. He is not be able to express his thoughts, because he is easily influenced by what the other people would say. Overall, Finny is much more at ease when it comes to working with others than Gene is.
While they are both main characters, Finny is obviously the stronger character, because of his social skills. However, even though he is the stronger character, he is the one who dies in the book, not Gene. Many readers are upset with the outcome of the book, and ask, “Why do the best people always die?” Someone once asked this question, and another person responded with, “When you’re in a garden, which flowers do you pick?” The answer? “The prettiest ones.”

Works Cited
Flower Quote. Emily's Quotes: Your Daily Inspiration. EmilysQuotes.com, 2015. Web. 17 Sept. 2015. .
"Katharine Hepburn." BrainyQuote.com. Xplore Inc, 2015. 17 September 2015.
Knowles, John. A Separate Book. New York: Secker & Warburg, 1959. Print.