Preview

A Separate Peace: What Really Happened in the Tree?

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
681 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
A Separate Peace: What Really Happened in the Tree?
"A Separate Peace" by John Knowles

Separate Peace What really happened in the tree? Gene and Finny were very good friends; however, whatever happened in the tree the day the Finny "fell" out, is the actual cause of Gene "…My knees bent and I jounced the limb…" page 52. In fact, Finny did not fall out of the tree, but Gene had actually pushed him out. Gene had very good reasons to push him out "Finny had put him up to it, to finish me fro good on the exam." Page 49. He pushed him out of jealousy for two things. For athleticism, and for his popularity, and also for his ability to talk his way out of anything.. First, Finny was a very athletic person; however, Gene is just a normal average day person. Gene couldn't stand attempting to compete with Finny because he knew that he would always lose.

When Finny broke the school swimming record set by A. Hopkins Parker without even trying, Gene knew that even if he tried he couldn't do it. What Gene didn't understand was that Finny didn't want anybody to know about what he had done that day. For Finny to tell Gene that he didn't want anybody to know what happened, was in a way an insult to Gene because Finny was basically saying, "I can do it and you can't". This is a perfect example of Gene being jealous at Finny for something that he could never do. In another case where Gene would be jealous of Finny's athleticism and popularity is when he invents the game "Blitzball". Everybody enjoyed playing the game "I believe a form of it is still being played at Devion" page 52 and listened to Finny as he told everybody how to play. Finny was able to talk people into doing anything, just by how he acted. Moreover, he was able to invent a new sport because of his athleticism.

Another example of finny being better and saying, "I can do it and you can't". Gene knew as a fact that he could not invent a new sport and get enough attention for it. Gene could not do many things that Finny was able to do, such as talk his way out

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Gene struggled being his own person. He was always looking at things that Finny was doing, and was comparing himself to other people. He felt like he wasn't as good of a person as Finny, and that if he tried to be better that Finny was out to get him. He resented Finny for supposedly trying to sabotage him.This is why Gene intentionally shook the tree to…

    • 1081 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Gene Forrester is the main character in the deeply moving novel A Separate Peace by John Knowles. The book starts out with Gene as an adult looking back at his time spent as a teenager at Devon. Gene is a really smart, un-athletic kid who is best friends with a kid named Finny who seems to get away with everything. Gene is the smart kid, and Finny is the athletic kid that everyone loves including the teachers. Throughout the novel Gene looks back to the tree where he shook Finny off and he broke his leg. If Finny were to narrate this story it would be from a sense anger and confusion, not a sense of guilt and shame like Gene.…

    • 528 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the exposition of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, the reader is introduced to the Nolan family. The Nolan family consists of four members living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn New York during the 1900s. Katie Nolan, the mother of Neeley and Francie Nolan has an Austrian family background, where Jonny, her husband and also the father of Francie and Neeley, has Irish in him however both parents were born in Brooklyn, making Francie and Neeley second generation Americans. Both Francie and Neeley were born into poverty and hardship, due to their parent’s financial state. However, in the exposition we learn that Francie is an optimistic young innocent girl, who has yet to experience the world around her. “Serene was a word you could…

    • 1409 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Gene jealously ruin the bond he had with Finny just because Gene mislead Finny's joke. Gene let his emotion took over the reality that Finny was never competing for a rivalry. Gene is now in dilemma because he cannot tell if Finny was actually jealous. The fact Gene first time failed a test have a great impact to him because he did not know how to cope, so he used Finny as a scapegoat. Even though Gene decided to jump the tree, got to the beach, and play blitzball. Gene struggle between the reality and his emotion had destroyed his bond with…

    • 103 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Gene had to fight against Brinker, who knew the truth about the accident in the tree. Brinker was able to deduce that Gene caused Finny’s fall on purpose and he would stop at nothing to prove that he was right. In the process of being right, he destroyed Gene and Finny’s friendship. Gene fought Brinker because Brinker was trying to ruin the bond that Gene and Finny had.…

    • 526 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the novel, Gene is constantly comparing himself to Finny, over exaggerating the competition between them, which has detrimental effects on their relationship. Gene creates the goal of being valedictorian to provide an accomplishment to compete with Phineas’ athletic achievements. He believes that…

    • 872 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In John Knowles A Separate Peace, Gene Forrester is best friends and roommates with Phineas Incorrigible. Finny has always been an athletic type of guy with the attitude of always trying to see the good in people. When it comes down to it he is very popular and powerful in his own sense. Gene on the other hand is very envious of Finny and although they are best friends, Gene cant stand the fact that Finny is so much better at everything. After inventing the new sport of “blitzball” Finny and Gene headed over to the pool to take laps. It was there that Gene convinces Finny to try and break the school record, which he does. Gene notices that there is…

    • 986 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Merwin’s Unchopping a Tree is a procedural essay as we can infer from the title alone. Here, Merwin describes what it takes for one to put together again a tree that has been cut down. Note that the author is very accurate in his steps so as to ensure that the tree will be exactly what it was when the rebuilding is done.…

    • 354 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the book, A Separate Peace, the main relationship of the novel is between the very charismatic, and humble Phineas (or Finny for short), and the jealous, overachiever, Gene. The book is mostly set at a boarding school named Devon, there he meets many friends including Finny, who which he becomes good friends with, and even creates a club with. There Friendship can be described with the quote, “Never waste jealousy on a real man: it is the imaginary man that supplants us all in the long run.” , which was said by William Shakespeare. When compared to the relationship between the two friends, it means that you should not be jealous of those who you trust, for your perception of them will become tainted. This happens quite a bit during the…

    • 1192 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gene is full of the evil that shows up in every story. Gene, the main character in the Separate Peace, thought his best friend to be his enemy. He also broke his so called enemy's legs and tried to convince himself it had been an accident. Finny was then sadly eventually killed by Gene's decisions and actions. Gene is inherently evil because he thought Finny to be his enemy, he broke Finny's leg, and ultimately killed him.…

    • 514 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When looking at Gene and Finny as individuals you see two very different people. You see Gene as someone who feels the desire to…

    • 664 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gene ignores it and says that that’s what him and the other boys get for letting him make it all up. When Finny breaks the swimming record as well and refuses to let anyone know, Gene doesn’t believe it.
Later that day, Gene and Finny go to the beach. When they are done swimming and are ready to go to sleep, Finny tells Gene that Gene is his “best pal”. Gene wants to say that Finny is his best friend too, but can’t because something holds him back. Gene believes that it is a level of feeling, that is deeper than thought, and contains the truth.
The next day, Gene starts believing that he and Finny are rivals, but stops because he realizes that Gene and Finny are equal in enmity. Then, Gene realizes that Finny has set out to ruin his studies. After that, Gene becomes a better student, but he trusts Finny less. When Finny convinces him to go to another meeting of the Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session, Gene and Finny try to go together. When Gene is finally on the branch with Finny, Gene jounces the branch and Finny falls, breaking his leg. I think Gene jounced the branch because he grew to hate Finny even though Finny did nothing…

    • 783 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gene Forrester is a high school boy who goes through a war with jealousy. Jealousy, according to Wikipedia, is mental uneasiness from suspicion or fear of rivalry, unfaithfulness. Through the the novel "A Separate peace" by John Knowles, Gene meets Phineas who is going to be one of his best friends. This boy will not only start a war that gene will be fighting with himself, he will also stop it and free him of it. Gene starts a love hate relationship with Finny ( short for Phineas) with the hat gearing more toward jealousy. Finny Is good at sports and always gets away with things. Finny was always around gene and his smile never faded, he was good at making Gene feel like a brother to him, if not a great friend.…

    • 1533 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Alternate Ending, ASP

    • 945 Words
    • 4 Pages

    As I entered his room I was glad to see that he was awake. That’s a good sign, I told myself. Finny greeted me without a trace of friendliness, and I told him, “I’ve been trying to tell you...” His face seemed calm as he spoke, “You simply didn’t know what you were doing in the tree, is that it?” “Yes, yes of course you’re right, but how can you believe that?” “I think I understand that it wasn’t personal. I think I can believe you.”…

    • 945 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    "To keep silent about this amazing happening deepened the shock for me. It made Finny seem too unusual for – not friendship, but too unusual for rivalry” Page 37…

    • 386 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics