A Separate Peace Finny Quotes

Finny and Gene have a close friendship in Finny’s eyes at the beginning of the book. Gene is jealous of Finny of how he gets anything he wants and does t have to work for it. Gene feels like they are bonded through competition. Gene always got talked into things he didn't want to do by Finny. In chapter one page 17 Gene says to himself “ What was I doing up here anyway? why did i let Finny talk me

Introduction – Finny is the best friend of Gene Forrester. He is very outgoing and athletic along with very humble. For example, when he broke the swimming record he decided to stay humble and instead of letting everyone know, he kept it a secret. He is a cheery kid who always keeps his head up no matter the situation. After he broke his leg, he looked at the bright side and decided to coach Gene for the Olympics. There is, however, like in all people, a bad side. He can sometimes be immature and self centered, along with being manipulative. Is there a side to Finny that we don’t clearly see in the novel?

Finny, who is extremely talented and outgoing, likes to keep things to himself and Gene. Finny hides his true emotions from people as if he is afraid of what bad will happen, not as if he is looking forward to the good that will happen. He gets

Phineas, also known as Finny, is a boy who plays a lot of sports. Although Finny might not look like an athlete, ”Phineas had been the best athlete in the school” (Knowles 8) Finny also wants to join the military, which people need to be strong for. Athletes, like Finny, usually run the school. So naturally, Finny can get away

He tries to get Gene to join him in activities such as the Suicide Society. He even doubts their friendship and wonders if that is a way for him to become better. Gene begins to think that Finny doesn’t want him to succeed because Finny isn’t doing well in his studies. Finny is better than Gene at sports, so he thinks he’s trying to become better than him academically

(ibid) 3- “I glared at the textbook” (Page 52) These three quotes indicate to us that Gene would do whatever it takes to become valedictorian. This expresses to us that Gene was extremely competitive and determined he wanted to reach his goal of becoming the valedictorian because it was very important for him, Finney excelled in his stuff like sports and Gene had to excel at something for him it was school. Finny and Gene are both amazing guys, with similarities and differences.

Gene contemplates his and Finny’s friendship many times in the book, but despite what Gene may have thought, Finny was a good friend to him. He always took Gene’s feelings into account, and through all that happened he had faith in Gene. But Gene never knew this,

One example of Finny’s humility occurs when he beats the school record for swimming while lacking the presence of anyone who could record his feat. Finny, daunted as Gene expresses his desire to officially record his time, expresses that “ ‘[he] just wanted to see if [he] could do it’ ” (Knowles ). Gene continues to realize that for Finny’s silence “about this amazing happening deepened the shock for [him]” ( ). Knowles reveals the stark contrasts between Gene’s desire for attention and Finny’s carefree approach and ease in whatever he attempts. Finny also displays his leadership as he shows Gene that accomplishments do not always need recognition from

Gene’s trust towards Finny first subtly comes through after returning from Leper’s house. “I wanted to see Phineas, and only Phineas. With him there was no conflict except between athletes… This was the only conflict he had ever believed in.” (Knowles, 152)When Gene returns from Leper’s house, all he wants to do is see

When Gene is quick to realize that him and Finny will never be of the same power, Knowles shows us that a loss of identity may be present in a relationship if there is an unequal amount of power. Gene realizes that Finny is someone who can do anything and he states that “He had never been jealous of me for a second. Now I knew that there never was and never could be any rivalry between us. I was not the same quality as he” (59). Gene’s low self-esteem starts to build up as he explains that no matter how hard he tries, he will never be as good and powerful as Phineas. Finny has everything in his power and is capable of so many things also remaining his own person. However, Gene feels the complete opposite as he understands that to become someone as mighty as Finny, he has to change who he is to even get Finny to notice him as a threat. As a result of this unequal

Finny did a lot of risky things, that most people would not be able to pull off, but somehow he always manages to slip away with no punishment. Unknowingly, Finny went to a party, the headmaster was also attending it. As usual, Finny was out of dress code, wearing a neon shirt and their school tie as a belt. Somehow he talked himself out of trouble. Gene says “I was beginning to see that Phineas could get away with anything. I couldn’t help envying him that a little (Knowles 9).” Finny continued testing his luck, with skipping chapel and classes, and test, and meetings. In the article "A Separate Peace: The Fall from Innocence" James Ellis writes “Incapable of the spiritual purity of Phineas, Gene finds himself jealous of Finny's ability to flout Devon rules.” All of this grew on Gene and started to make him very jealous of something he did not have. Trying the ultimate dare, Finny decided to go to the beach, Gene says “The beach was hours away by bicycle, forbidden, completely out of all bounds. Going there risked expulsion (Knowles 20).” Finny went through with his plan and spent a night at the beach, and received no punishments or disciplinary actions. As Gene was struggling with his identity, he saw that Finny could do things he could not. All those things made Gene jealous and gave him something to focus on, other than solving his identity

Throughout life, there is always a person who one strives to beat, be better than or rise above. Little does each of them know that in the end the two actually make each other stronger. In John Knowles' novel, A Separate Peace (1959), he addresses just this. The novel, told from Gene Forrester's point of view, is based on a friendship and rivalry between him and his friend, Finny, during World War II. The two sixteen year olds attend Devon School, a private all boys' school, in New Hampshire. Finny, a very athletically talented youngster, continually but unintentionally causes Gene to feel inferior and insignificant, producing inevitable anger and jealousy inside Gene. During their

Second, the injury puts Finny in the hospital, separating the two, which cause Gene to suffer depression. As Finny is badly wounded, he has to leave his boarding school, Devon, for a long period of time. He spends his time in the hospital, away from Gene. FurthermoreThis makes Gene regret his decision even more. Not only are Gene and Finny physically separated, but also emotionally separated. Essentially, Gene loses his

This shows how Finny moves in groups. He isn't just athletic; he is also very intelligent and is always at the top of his class.

He thinks Finny is trying to sabotage his studies so that he can be number one at that too! In reality, Finny is just trying to be a good friend. Gene is jealous of Finny’s athleticism, but he covers it up by the thought that all Finny wants to do is hurt him. In attempt to have some fun, Finny wants Gene and some other boys to jump from a tree limb into a river. This challenge is something that has never been done by a boy their age. After doing it once, Finny later convinces Gene to leave his studies and come do it again. While the boys are on the tree limb, Finny stumbles, falls into the river, and breaks his leg. Since Finny can no longer participate in any sporting events, he decides to train Gene for the 1944 Olympics. Gene eventually comes to the conclusion that “[Finny] had never been jealous of [him] for a second. Now [he] know[s] there was and never could have been any rivalry between [them]” (Knowles 78). Gene realizes that Finny wasn’t ever jealous of him, and that pushing Finny from the tree is a mistake that he will later regret. Finny dies after falling down the stairs and a failed surgery, so Gene begins to feel guilty for his actions. Gene had earlier decided to enlist in the war, and had told the other boys about it. After a lot of thinking, he eventually decides not to enlist in the war. Gene now begins to see the wrong doing he had participated in earlier,