A Separate Peace — A tale where Gene finds his Own Separate Peace

There is a Russian proverb that proclaims, “Shame is worse than death.” Committing a sin that generates an atmospheric expression of mortification and guilt is worse than greeting death. The novel, A Separate Peace, by John Knowles, emphasizes the immense change that strikes the students of the Devon School, as they are able to avoid the great terror of the Second World War. Gene Forrester, a student at Devon, portrays remorse for a misdeed he commits, after realizing that it would come back and haunt him. Gene has the option to accept his guilt or let his sin grasp onto him for as long as he lives. Eventually, in the novel, Gene conveys his own separate peace after conflicting with his inner self and accepting his own shame.

Early in Gene’s narrative, he encounters an inner war with himself by exposing his insecurities and manifesting envy towards Finny. Gene becomes irritated when he notices Finny is favored by all his teachers. Gene exhibits envy even if Finny’s achievements are minor, such as getting out of trouble. As Gene observes Finny’s scheme of deception towards the teachers, he ponders, “He had gotten away with everything. I felt a sudden stab of disappointment. That was because I just wanted to see some more excitement; that must have been it.” Even though his best friend Finny can get out of troubling scenarios, Gene feels a loathing sensation stir up in his body, as if needing Finny to get into trouble, so he can feel superior about himself. As if reflecting hatred towards Finny’s achievements can scrutinize Gene’s inner war with himself, he begins to assure that after all the merriment the two had throughout the Summer Session of the school year, Finny is attempting to intentionally ruin Gene’s academic career. Gene indicates his frustration with Finny when he says, “Finny had deliberately set out to wreck my studies. That explained blitzball, that explained the nightly meetings of the Super Suicide Society, that explained his insistence that I share all his diversions… he wanted to share everything with me, especially his procession of D’s in every subject. That way he, the great athlete, would be way ahead of me. It was all cold trickery, it was all calculated, it was all enmity.” As Gene’s insecurities rapidly creep into his thoughts, he decides to blame Finny’s self-aggrandizing acts for making him feel this way. This unconscious feud that Gene creates with Finny portrays the jealousy he has for Finny’s athleticism, popularity, and charm. Gene’s jealousy and rage become so heightened that he purposely causes Finny to collapse to the ground. Gene thinks to himself, “I took a step toward him, and then my knees bent and I jounced the limb. Finny, his balance gone, swung his head around to look at me for an instant with extreme interest, and then he tumbled sideways, broke through the little branches below, and hit the bank with a sickening, unnatural thud.” Without realizing it, Gene paralyzes Finny. Gene expresses his true betrayal by jouncing the limb. Finny’s paralysis is an unintended consequence of Gene’s insecurities and envy.

Towards the end of the story, Gene finally finds closure, acceptance, and his separate peace when visiting the Devon School fifteen years into the future. Before Finny’s untimely death he was curious to know why Gene had a grudge against him. When Finny was in the infirmary, Gene pleads for his forgiveness. Gene exclaims, “No, I don’t know how to show you, how can I show you, Finny? Tell me how to show you. It was just some ignorance inside me, some crazy thing inside me, something blind, that’s all it was.” Finny responds, “You’ve already shown me and I believe you.” With all of Finny’s heart, trusting Gene with all his might, he accepts Gene’s apology. Even though Gene apologizes for the trouble he causes Finny, he does not reveal his true reasoning behind why he hurt Finny, such as his jealousy and insecurities. Gene examines his personal war, which depicts his insecurities while befriending Finny. Finny was a friend but also a foe. During Gene and Finny’s years at Devon, there were times where they would enjoy their friendship. However, Gene felt this constant competition with Finny. Gene claims, “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.” It took Gene fifteen years to finally accept his separate peace, by admitting that he killed his best friend, Finny, in this narrative. By going to the Devon School and visiting the tree where Finny injured himself, he finally accepts responsibility for what he did all those years ago.

As Gene comes face to face with his internal conflict and admits to his sin, he finally reaches his separate peace. Throughout the novel, Gene tries to come to terms with his insecurities and envy towards Finny. As Gene progresses into adulthood, he realizes that injuring Finny causes him to lose his innocence and come of age. Gene finally accepts the truth at the end of the story, when he says, “I emerged from a protective cloud of vagueness only to meet it, the horror, face to face… and so give up the struggle absolutely.”