In A Separate Peace, John Knowles explores the theme of "jealousy," and the impact that this emotion has on individuals and relationships. As you read the novel, identify ways in which jealousy impacts the characters and their relationships, and how these character deal with jealousy in different ways. Can jealousy have positive consequences?
An example of jealousy through the relationship between Gene and Phineas is shown in page 25, chapter 2 where it says: "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." In this excerpt from the book, it indicates that Gene was somewhat jealous of Phineas and that their relationship could last without any fights. Because of Gene being the best athlete in school, being an "individual", and a charming guy, Gene acts as his sidekick. This is why Gene is jealous and shows that it may be a conflict between the two. The "type" of jealousy depends on how these two would have their relationship to each other later in the book. For example, Gene seems like he would want Phineas to get in trouble at the time at the tea party, but where Phineas "saves" Gene's life at the end of chapter 2. This is an example of jealousy between Gene and Phineas.
ReplyDeleteJames, I agree with your assessment of Gene and Finny. They seem to be incredibly close, almost like brothers, and while this closeness makes them seem inseparable, they could separate, with the first step being Gene becoming to jealous of Finny to be his friend.
DeleteGood point, James (although I think you mean "Finny being the best athlete"). We don't know the true extent of Gene's jealousy at this point, or how it will manifest in their relationship as the story progresses. If you look at the clues in the novel so far, however, they suggest that something very bad is going to happen.
DeleteJames, what you are saying here is absurd. I have never read so much horse poop in my life. You really need to do your research and grow up! :( I am disappointed that people these days think like the way you have shown me in this comment. I am sorry but you have no idea what you are talking about.
DeleteAndrew Simonson, Ph.D; Princeton University; Department Chair of Literature
Andrew, you are absolutely stupid. It's okay if you didn't really graduate from Princeton University with a Ph.D. Just saying, your vocabulary such as "horse poop" is commonly used from a 1st grader. LOL
DeleteDr. Wu, Temple University School Of Medicine
lol that was a good one
DeleteChapter 1 pg. 15 it say "Phineas in those days almost always moved in groups of a hockey team” and I think this is an example of jealousy because, Gene Is trying to hide his feeling with a masked because he is not popular like Phineas because he is not athletic like him. Finally both boys feels jealousy from each other, because Phineas feels jealousy from Gene because he is good student and Gene feels jealousy from Phineas because he is popular and athletic. maybe in some chapter we will see some conflict between of them because of jealousy.
ReplyDeleteRonald, you are absolutely correct about Gene's jealousy of Finny, but have we seen any evidence that Finny is jealous of Gene? You are correct in saying that this jealousy is a source of tension in their relationship, and that tension will develop as the story continues. There is trouble coming, but I won't give it away.
Deletepage 25 chapter 2,"it was hypnotism....there was no harm in envying even your best friend a little." Gene thinks this after they are at the tea when Finny is telling the head master about how the pink shirt is an emblem of the war. Gene realizes that he can talk his way out of anything. This makes Gene feel jealous of his best friend. Gene says that there is no harm in this but it seems like there might be a bigger problem in being jealous. page 27 "this time he wasn’t going to get away with it. I could feel myself becoming unexpectedly excited at that." Gene was wishing that his friend got in trouble. page 28 "he had gotten away with everything i felt a sudden stab of disappointment." when finny doesn’t get in trouble Gene is upset and tries to convince himself that he just wanted to see excitement, he really didn’t want Finny to get in trouble. The reader begins to see that this jealousy could cause a bigger problem.
ReplyDeleteFYI THIS IS MICHELLE ANDERSON
DeleteMichelle, I strongly agree with your thoughts and quote on Page 27. The small amount of jealousy between the two might be enough to separate them into enemies later in the book. So far, though, they seem to be inseparable and only time will tell if they will begin to dislike each other. The Suicide Society might have an effect on their relationship as well.
DeleteLook at the clues in the story so far. The relationship between Finny is the focus of this story. Whatever is going to happen in their relationship, it is significant enough that Gene feels compelled to tell us about it fifteen years after the fact.
DeleteOn Page 31, when Finny saves Gene's life, their true friendship is shown when Finny acts a bit indifferent in the next chapter. If you read a bit into Chapter 3, he doesn't acknowledge that he saved Gene's life as much as he could have. He seemed to forget that it happened and that it was just a normal jump. This shows their immense friendship because Finny is covering for Gene, and really good friends want to protect each other. However, this quote does not show as much jealous as could have been displayed in the quotes above, it is still a logical and valid example.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Jonathan. Even though I haven't read that far into the book yet, I strongly agree with your opinion on the quote you picked. With addition, to what you said, I would like to add that even though Phineas "saved" Gene's life, it seems to me that Gene doesn't say a simple thank you to Phineas. He doesn't acknowledge the fact the Phineas is a good friend, but simply is somewhat blind with this jealousy between Gene and Phineas.
DeleteWell stated, Johnathan. In chapter two Gene got excited at the prospect of Finny getting into trouble. However, when Gene was in trouble, it was Finny's instinct to save him. Gene's lack of appreciation is very telling. In chapter three, it seems as though he even resents Finny after the tree incident.
DeletePage 27
ReplyDelete"I panicked. in his haste that morning finny had not unexpectedly used a tie for a belt. but this morning the first tie at hand had been the Devon school tie.
This time he wasn't going to get away with it. I could feel myself becoming unexpectedly excited at that"
Here we can see how Gene although hes Finny s Best friend he still gets Excited when he gets in trouble These are signs of a healthy Jealousy.
Theo, that is an interesting expression, "healthy jealousy." Can jealousy be healthy, or is this friendship heading for trouble?
DeleteJonathan, i agree with your statment, but there is something that you had said when Finny saved his life that might have been forshadowing the build of jelaousy in the future. when Finny doesnt acknowledge the fact that he saved his best friends life that might be showing that he is just a really got person and he is doing something else that Gene could be jelaous of because Gene has never done anything like that for Finny.
ReplyDeleteJealousy is shown on page 48 where it says: "I hope you're having a pretty good time here. I know I kind of dragged you away at the point of a gun, but after all you can't come to shore with just anybody and you can't come by yourself, and at this teen-age period in life the proper person is your best pal." As both of them settle down to sleep among the dunes, Finny tells Gene that he is his "best Pal". Gene begins to agree, but can't bring himself to say the same thing to Finny, which is followed by a silence between the two. My analysis on this is that Gene's feelings are genuine, but his feelings toward Finny have been corrupted by jealousy. An example of this would be when Finny saved Gene's life at the tree. But instead, Gene's mixed feelings on Finny cause him to blame him for almost "dying" in the tree. With jealousy involved in the relationship between the two, saving Gene's life by Finny should have made Gene have some "internal gratitude" towards him, but instead jealousy again takes place to resent Finny, making him look like the bad guy.
ReplyDeletePage 34 it says “every time, when I got myself into position to jump, I felt a flash of disbelief that I was doing anything so perilous. But I always jumped. Otherwise I would have lost face with Phineas, and that would have been unthinkable.” In think this quote means that Phineas is doing something that gene doesn’t want to do it but he has to do it because he thinks that if he doesn’t he will lose Phineas respect. This line that say “otherwise I would have lost my face with Phineas, and that would have been unthinkable.” It is evidence that Phineas expects Gene to keep up with him and do what he does, even though Phineas is a much better athlete. Gene feels pressure that he has to keep up with Phineas even though he knows how dangerous the jump is.
ReplyDeletePage 33, "I didn’t need to feel any tremendous rush of gratitude toward Phineas." Gene says this because he wouldn’t have needed saving if Phineas didn't push him to go jump out of the tree in the first place. This could show how their friendship is not as great as they make it sound. Gene could feel like he is being held in the shadow of Phineas’ popularity. Gene is obviously jealous of Phineas popularity and his charm of getting out of things. "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." This shows that in Genes mind there not truly friends but he can quite comprehend the fact that Finny doesn’t want to brag and doesn’t have any intentions on telling anyone. This could show that Finny is really just a good and is good at sports just to be good at them.
ReplyDeleteChapter 4 deals with many examples of jealousy between Phineas and Gene. An example would be shown on page 52, where it says: "But you wouldn't mind, would you? I repeated in a lower and more distinct voice. He gave me a that half-smile of his, which had won him a thousand conflicts. "I'd kill myself out of jealous envy."" Back at school after the night at the beach, Gene flunks his trigonometry test. Later that night, Finny tells Gene that he works too hard and that he’s probably trying to be the class valedictorian. Gene asks how Finny would feel if he, Gene, were valedictorian. Finny jokes that he’d kill himself out of envy. Gene thinks this joke is hiding a real truth beneath. My interpretation of this is that Gene tries to figure out his own feelings toward Finny, as well as Finny's feelings to Gene. Gene starts to mix his own feelings, along with Finny's with his. This starts to make Gene confused, and in the process, he starts to imagine a rivalry or jealousy that does not exist.
ReplyDeleteChapter 4, page 53 “ I found a single sustaining thought. The thought was. 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 lost term. You would have had an A in that one except for him.” They spent all the night at the ocean. The next morning finny waste Gene time because Gene has a trigonometry test that day. Finny spent a lot of time playing games and keep Gene waste time to study and this is the first test gene fail. Finally Gene gets annoy when finny interrupts him from his study telling him that leper is going to jump from the tree.
ReplyDeletePage 58:
ReplyDelete"If I was head of the class on graduation day and made a speech and won the Ne plus Ultra scholastic achievement citation, then we would both have come out top, we would be even, that's all. We would be even..."
By reading and analyzing what gene says we can see that he sees finny as a rival witch he must be like and not less
Chapter four opens with Gene believing that Finny is trying to wreck Gene’s chances at becoming head of the class. But really Finny is just joking around and saying it sarcastically. Gene thinks this because they slept at the beach and blitz ball and the meetings he thought were all ways to make sure he wasn’t head of the class but really Finny was just having fun with his "best friend". This shows that Gene truly believes that Finny is trying to compete with him when Finny really isn’t. Gene realises that Finny is not jealous when he says forget it dont come to the tree its not that big of a deal. the ending erupts when Gene shakes the tree on purpose and Finny falls out.
ReplyDeleteWell said Michelle. I completely agree with what you said about Gene thinking Finny, who is trying to wreck his studies. Even though, Gene could have not gone with Finny to the beach and sleep there over night and didn't have to play Blitzball with him, I think Gene wanted to do those things because in the end, Gene would be useless without Finny, which could be some foreshadowing that could be ahead in the book.
DeleteIn chapter 5, it says: "I was Phineas, Phineas to the life I even had this humorous expression in my face, his sharp, optimistic awareness. I had no idea why this gave me such intense relief, but it seemed, standing there in Finny's triumphant shirt, that I would never stumble through the confusions of my own character again." After the fall shatters Finny's leg, no one is allowed to go into the infirmary to see Finny. With Gene knowing that it was his fault for breaking Finny's leg, he gets upset and doesn't know how to feel better. To make himself better, he dresses up like Finny and feels relief when he looks in the mirror. My analysis on this is that, Gene bounced on the branch because Finny was a threat to Gene's identity. He defined them as rivals and equals, but then realizes that they aren't. But because gene's sense is awkwardly weird with Finny, its only when he dresses up as Finny, that he feels comforted and happy again.
ReplyDeleteWell said, James, I agree. I think that him dressing up as Finny is a comfort that he hasn't hurt Finny and that he is not as guilty as he seems. This is important to point out because it shows that he may be insecure or suffering some emotional trauma from what he did to Finny in the tree.
DeleteChapter 5 Page 66: A small indication of jealousy in this page would be "If Phineas had been sitting here in this pool of guilt, how would he have, what would he have done? He would have told me the truth"
ReplyDeleteAlthough it doesn't look like it this is Gene comparing himself with Phineas Judging whether Phineas would say the truth or not in Genes position This usually indicates a slight factor Of jealousy.
This is a good thing to notice, Theo, but to expand on this, his comparison of himself to Finny also shows his obsession with Finny. Gene internally needs to be better than Finny, intelectually and sometimes physiscally. Overall, great quote Theo.
DeleteChapter 5, page 62 it say “ It’s high, somewhat stiff collar against my neck, the wide cuffs touching my wrists, the rich material against my skin excited a sense of strangeness and distinction; I felt like some nobleman, some Spanish grandee.” I think this is a good example of jealous because Gene feels jealous from Finny. Evidence in this quote can be that he wears Finny‘s clothes just because He wants to be like finny and he wants to experience a little bit of his life, like a nobleman and like a Spanish grandee.
ReplyDeleteChapter 6, page 85. It says “Listen, pal, if I can’t play sports, you’re going to play them for me,” and I lost part of myself to him then, and a soaring sense of freedom reveled that this must have been my purpose from the first: to become a part of Phineas.” This is a good quote about jealousy because Gene says that he wanted to become part of Phineas and this means that he feels jealous toward Phineas because he is very important to the school as a good athlete and gene wants to be like him. He wants to be very important to the school and for Phineas too.
ReplyDeleteA sense of balanced is shown in chapter 6 between Gene and Phineas. For example, in chapter 6, page 85, it says: ""Listen, pal, if I can't play sports, you're going to play them for me," and I lost part of myself to him, and a soaring sense of freedom revealed that this must have been my purpose from the first: to become a part of Phineas."" When Finny calls Gene, Gene tells him that he somewhat got the job of Assistant crew manager. But Finny can't understand why Gene would want to be a crew team manager. Gene silently comments that he wants to be assistant manager because he no longer feels he should play sports. But when Finny insists Gene has to play sports for Finny, it makes Gene realize now he has a chance to be part of Finny. My analysis on this would be that, it’s a continued desire, from Gene, to be like Finny that stops himself from playing sports. Now Finny gives Gene a chance to be himself, to take his athletic place. Furthermore, this could possibly lead to a switch of roles between Gene, now being the athletic person, and Finny being the "brainiac".
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 7, page 102, it says: "Everything that had happened throughout the day faded like that first false snowfall of the winter. Phineas was back." Over the coarse of the chapter, Gene seems to be "surviving" without Phineas. When Brinker tells Gene that he wants to enlist in the armed forces tomorrow, Gene considers enlisting himself. Once he realizes that the peace of the summer will never return to Devon and that in the army he will “owe no one anything”. He then decides to do it. When he gets back to his room, Finny is there. Here, Gene views enlistment as a clean slate, a new identity. The possibility of not owing no one anything, especially breaking Phineas leg, is significant because of his concerns about owing so much to Phineas.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 8, page 108, it says: "I could hardly believe it, but it was too plainly printed in the closed expression of his face to mistake, too discernible beneath the even tone of his voice: Phineas was shocked at the idea of me leaving. In some way he needed me." The next morning, Brinker enters. When he sees Finny, he starts to joke about Gene offering Finny to get the room, but Gene quickly changes the subject to their enlistment to the army. Finny is horrified, and Gene decides that, in fact, he won’t enlist. Soon he and Finny are making fun of Brinker’s enlistment plans. Before he was injured Finny saw the war as distant, unreal, fun and games. Now that it’s affecting him he reacts against it. This shows that both, but mainly Finny, care for it each other. It also shows that Finny is mainly the best friend who cares for the other in this relationship.
ReplyDeleteI think that the letter at the end of the chapter is a remarkable display of knowledge and friendship untainted with jealousy (Untainted:Not tainted, not full of.). When they get the letter with Leper's asking of them to find him, it shows that he truly believes that they are his friends (At least Gene is...) and he believes that they will come to find him. However, in the interests of the story, this could be a prank letter from another boy at Devon, and this could just be a plot twist, but it does show a true, full friendship if it does happen to be real.
ReplyDeletePage 75 Chapter 6:
ReplyDelete"As I had to do whenever I glimpsed this river, I thought of Phineas. Not of the tree and pain, but of one of his favorite tricks, Phineas in exaltation, balancing on one foot on the prow of a canoe like a rive god"
This quote from gene explains in a way and expresses genes feelings toward finny as a friend and not as a rival. Although there may be a small glimpse of jealousy in this quote.
"The Winter Carnival. The Devon Winter Carnival. There isn't any Devon Winter Carnival and never has been. There is now. We'll have it in that park next to Naguamsett. The main attraction will be sports, naturally, featuring I expect a ski jump-". Finny proposes the idea of having the first winter festival in Devon on page 129, chapter 9. With Gene, Finny assembles a crew to set up the carnival with Brinker, and his roommate Brownie Perkins. With drinking cider, winning prizes for athletic feats, building snow statues, and Gene performing a dance called "Choreography of dance", the carnival is a tremendous success. After all this, Gene describes it as a "momentary, illusory, special, and separate peace.” Even though this scene in the novel does not include jealousy, it includes Phineas regaining his "leadership" in the group and also his relationship between himself and Gene. With his idea of the carnival, I think it is suppose to symbolize innocent youth in the boys and defying war and change between the boys. Also, Finny’s dance celebrates the victory of peace over war and envy.
ReplyDeletePage 86 chapter 7:
ReplyDelete"I washed the traces off me and then put on a pair of chocolate brown slacks, a pair which Phineas had been particularly critical of when he wansnt wearing them, and a blue flannel Shirt. then, with nothing to do until my french class at five o clock, I began turning over in my mind this question of sports"
This quote shows how Gene Misses Finny in the way that hes even thinking of doing sports for him since Finny couldn't do them himself This is a sign of friendship between Finny and Gene.
In chapter 10, Gene shows his true jealousy or his enemy side to Leper when he jokes to Gene of him accusing him of pushing Finny out of the tree. It states: "Well, never mind about that now. It's you we happened to be talking about now. Like a savage underneath. Like, "now there was a blind confusion in his eyes again, a wild slyness around his mouth, "like that time you knocked Finny out of the tree." Leper starts starts to claim that someone brainwashed Gene. When Gene starts to resist the idea, Leper says that he always knew but now can admit it to himself: Gene was the "good" guy on the outside, but a "savage" underneath. My analysis is that, the army has made Leper grow up, though in the process it damaged him. He can admit painful things to himself now, though they make him crazy. He can see Gene’s savagery now, while Gene still refuses to.
ReplyDeleteChapter 8
ReplyDeleteIn these past months Phineas and I had grown apart on this
I felt a certain disapproval oh him for grumbling about a lost luxury with a war on. "After all ,"I repeated ,"there is a war going on."
Is there he murmured absently?
Gene and Phineas after being apart some time they still seem to show a healthy friendship with small friendly arguments about the war. Although in a way it may only be Genes jealousy of Phineas that drives him to do arguments about the war with Phineas But i doubt that's the case, This is more like a friendly argument.
Chapter 9 Page 129
ReplyDelete"But we've got to have some snow statues too, and a little music, and something to eat. Now, Which committee do you want to head?" I gave him a wintry smile. "The snow statue committee."
Finny and Genes old friendship is taking shape in this conversation between the both of them. Just by reading this conversation we can tell that finny has forgiven Gene and Gene feels forgiven thus they talk like they use to talk before the accident.
In chapter 11, page 171, it says: "I think i remember now!" Finny broke in, his eyes bright and relieved. "Yes, I remember seeing you standing on the bank. You were looking up and your hair was plastered down over your forehead so that you had that dumb look you always have when you've been in the water- what was it you said? 'Stop posing up there' or one of those best-pal cracks you're always making."" In this scene of the chapter, Brinker asks Gene and Finny to join him and his friends in the Assembly Room to show that Finny and Leper were the first "casualties". In this scene, Brinker asks Finny and Gene multiple questions to actually know what happened to Finny's leg and who was the one who caused it. Finny on the other hand, as he is being ask these questions, it seems that he is trying to cover up Gene because he knows that he was the reason he broke his leg. He seems to avoid the questions and shows gestures to Gene to make him agree with him. My analysis on this is that I think Finny really shows that he is a good friend to Gene by not "ratting" him out towards Brinker and everyone else. I also think that Finny is hiding the real facts because he tries to assert his innocence, to hide from reality. This could also relate to him not believing there is actually a war going on.
ReplyDeleteChapter 12, page 184, it says: "He struggled clumsily for such a length of time that even my mind, shocked and slowed as it had been, was able to formulate two realizations: that he was struggling to unleash his hate against me. I came to- You want to break something else in me! Is that why you're here! In the remaining chapters in this novel, the theme of jealousy starts to appear once again, as to how it appeared in the beginning of the novel. In this scene, Finny shows a change of attitude towards Gene of where he actually shows his hate of him, rather than being supportive and being the good friend to Gene. When it’s dark and the doctors have left, Gene crawls up to the window and opens it. Finny furiously accuses Gene of coming to try and hurt him some more. Gene apologizes several times and leaves. My analysis on this is that, without Finny's athletic ability to actually hurt Gene and shows his true emotions, Finny finally acknowledges that Gene has been jealous of his vengeful behavior towards him. However, at the end of this chapter, Finny happens to die but Gene somehow doesn't seem to manage to cry, he assumes that it is also that he dies and it is his funeral. What I really believe of why Gene does not cry is because that since he has been best friends with Finny for such a long time, it appears that the two of them are no longer together, hence the name of "A Separate Peace".
ReplyDeleteIn the last chapter in the novel, on page 204, it 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 in school; I killed my enemy there." My analysis on this is that, I think Gene is referring to Phineas to being his only enemy at Devon. Since Gene was always jealous of Finny in almost everything, I think he was satisfied of breaking Finny's leg and actually somewhat happy of killing him. Gene says all the hatred he felt disappeared with Finny’s death. He says only Finny was able to maintain a constant sense of confidence and affection as the world tumbled into war around him. Everyone else— Gene, Brinker, Leper, and Quackenbush— fell prey to the war in his own way, even though it was never clear who the enemy was or if there was an enemy at all. To conclude, Gene and his friends have made themselves men by turning people and things into enemies to be defeated. Themselves are then dependent on what they overcame. Only Finny, perfect in youth, never an adult, and always self-sufficient, escaped this sad fate. I think this is why this could be a another reason why Gene was so jealous of Finny, he was always the perfect model for almost everything.
ReplyDelete