Jealousy In John Knowles A Separate Peace

In the novel A Separate Peace, by John Knowles, the narrator, Gene Forrester struggles to earn and preserve a separate peace. The story takes place in a remote boarding school named Devon, in New Hampshire. While Gene and Finny are in school, World War II is taking place. The author clearly explains an important story about the jealousy between Gene and his best friend, Phineas. Gene suspects that Finny is trying to sabotage his grades, and Gene allows his jealousy to control his actions. Therefore, Gene misinterprets their relationship by thinking that they shared enmity towards each other, and this caused Gene to enter a world of jealousy and hatred, which ultimately leads to Finny’s death. By examining this jealousy, John Knowles

reveals the universal truth that jealousy can cause violent and brutal actions is revealed.

Jealousy is conveyed in A Separate Peace at the start through Gene’s actions before carrying out his selfish plan. Gene is beginning to realize that Finny is able to get away with anything, therefore envying him. Gene explains, “It was hypnotism. I was beginning to see that Phineas could get away with anything. I couldn’t help envying him that a little, which was perfectly normal. There was no harm in envying even your best friend a little”(Knowles 25). Gene’s “small” amount of jealousy later turns into a treacherous action resulting in death. Later in the novel Gene becomes ambiguous about Finny not wanting anyone to know that he broke a school record on his first attempt. Gene thinks, “Was he trying to impress me or something? Not tell anybody? When he had broken a school record without a day of practice? I knew he was serious about it, so I didn’t tell anybody. Perhaps for that reason his accomplishment took root in my mind and grew rapidly in the darkness where I was forced to hide it”(Knowles 44). At this point, Gene thinks that Finny is subtly showing off for him. This is because Gene is trying to discard his guilt of being jealous by inventing ways that Finny is trying to rise above him.

The clearest way jealousy is conveyed in A Separate Peace in the middle is when Gene trips Finny off the limb, shattering his leg.

Before Gene and Finny went to perform a double jump off the tree, Gene again starts contemplating ways that Finny is jealous of him. Gene states, “The thought was, You and Phineas are even already. You are even in enmity. You are both coldly driving ahead for yourselves alone. You did hate him for breaking that school swimming record, but so what? He hated you for getting an A in every course but one last term. You would have had an A in that one except for him. Except for him” (Knowles 53) . Gene knew that he had an immense amount of jealousy towards Finny, so instead of trying to remove it, he comes up with a plethora of ideas to try and justify it. Gene thinks of these ideas right before he jounces the tree limb. Gene narrates, “Holding firmly to the trunk, I took a step toward him, and then my knees bent and I jounced the limb(Knowles, 60). Gene’s differing feelings are expressed in a small gesture which demolishes Finny’s life. Seeing Finny fail briefly relieved Gene’s anger and jealousy. Gene says, “It was the first clumsy physical action I had ever seen him make. With unthinking sureness I moved out on the limb and jumped into the river, every trace of my fear of this forgotten” (Knowles, 60). This is the first time that Gene jumps off the tree with complete confidence. The failure of his lethal rival allows Gene to behave as Finny, and ultimately become

Finny.

Towards the end of the novel, the theme of jealousy is reinforced and Gene acknowledges what his jealousy has caused. Gene’s blindness of his relationship with Finny results in Finny falling down the marble stairs. Brinker begins to become suspicious of Finny’s first accident on the tree and starts questioning Gene and Finny. When Finny is finally tired of him, he stands up to leave and screams, “The words shocked Phineas into awareness. He whirled as though being attacked from behind. ‘You get the rest of the facts, Brinker!’ he cried. ‘You get all your facts!’ I had never seen Finny crying, ‘You collect every f—ing fact there is in the world!’ He plunged out the doors” (Knowles 177). This is one of the most critical parts in the novel. Later when Finny dies, Gene’s jealousy is eradicated because he feels as though Finny’s funeral was his own. Gene visits Devon 15 years after Finny’s death to relieve his guilt. Gene says, “I never killed anybody and I never developed an intense level of hatred for the enemy. Because my war ended before I ever put on a uniform; I was on active duty all my time at school; I killed my enemy there”(Knowles 204). Gene admits that he killed Finny, and that Finny never showed jealousy towards him. Finny was only trying to be a favorable friend, and he never thought of Gene as a rival.
Jealousy is often a destructive force in friendships because it inspires irrational behavior. As a result of Gene’s jealousy towards Finny, Finny suffers a fatal accident which leads to death, and Gene feels as if the death of Finny was his own death. Gene misunderstood their relationship and thought that Finny was trying to ruin his grades, to become better than him. After jouncing the limb, Gene realized that Finny did not share enmity with him even the slightest.