Inner Conflict In John Knowles A Separate Peace

An Analysis of Inner Conflict in A Separate Peace In 1942, a group of prep school boys take courses to allow them extra time to prepare for the armed forces. Gene, a conservative intellectual, befriends Finny, a free-spirited adventurer. The two form a club where they must dive from a high tree limb into the Devon River. He becomes anxious that his friend is taking time away from his studies. One evening, as Finny is about to jump from the tree limb, Gene bounces the branch and causes Finny to fall onto the bank, breaking his leg and leaving him unable to participate in athletic activities. Gene is riddled with guilt over what he has done and attempts to confess to Phineas the reasons for his accident; Finny refuses to believe Gene. Boys

Gene feels both love and hate for his best friend, Phineas, worshipping and resenting Phineas’s athletic and moral superiorities. Gene simply cannot handle the fact that Finny is so perfect. As he puts it, "Phineas could get away with anything” (Knowles 18). Gene then creates an internal rivalry with Finny, convincing himself that Finny is deliberately attempting to ruin his schoolwork. Internal conflict Gene deals with reaches its maximum when Finny proposes a “double jump”(19) from the tree. Phineas is a daring young individual that lives for the thrill of these such actions. His intention is not to sabotage his friend, because all he wants is to have an exceptional time. Gene uses this opportunity to let his conscience get the best of him and causes his friend to fall out of the tree. Phineas ventures out on the limb first, and when Gene steps out, his knees bend and he jostles the limb, causing Finny to lose his balance and fall onto the river bank below, shattering his leg. He feels remorse and regret after he causes this to happen, as Finny is not allowed to participate in sports anymore. Gene begins spending increased time alone in his room questioning himself. His remorse becomes most evident when Dr. Stanpole informs him that Finny will no longer be able to play sports. At this point Gene bursts into tears showing regret for what he has done to his

“Nothing endures, not a tree, not love, not even a death by violence”(14). He wants everyone to know that nothing lasts everything must come to an end. He is specifically saying this to point out the end of his relationship with Phineas. This tree symbolizes all that is wrong with society and continues to occur. “Ours had been a wayward gypsy music, leading us down all kinds of foolish gypsy ways, unforgiven. I was glad of it, I had almost caught the rhythm of it, the dancing, clicking jangle of it during the summer” (120). During the Summer Session Gene’s inner conflict had subsided and he became carefree and did as he pleased. When the Summer Session ends and fall and winter come, everything changes, Devon returns to its strict disciplinary ways, and the threat of having to fight in the war darkens everyone's