Symbolism In A Separate Piece By John Knowles

A Separate Piece is a very unique novel in which it states how conflict can affect the friendship of two friends. This book is written as a flashback and takes place during WW II, at a private school Devon. John Knowles describes the experience between the two friends (Finny) and (Gene). He describes what they experience at the school during the war. The author emphasises the power of imagery, symbolism, and conflict.

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We find out that his sudden impulses are what causes Gene to shake the branch causing Finny to fall out of the tree and break his leg. In Gene and Finny's last encounter when Gene brings Finny his suit case Gene finds out that Finny believes him, but all that matters is that they are still friends. So Gene finally comes to where he has peace of mind and body after Finny tells him that he believes him. A Separate Peace is a reference to war and how the school and the kids of Devon have never really experienced war first hand.

His once glowing feelings for Finny begin to change as he stands in the tree during one of the first meetings, questioning “What was I doing up here anyway? Why did I let Finny talk me into stupid things like this? Was he getting some kind of hold over me?” (32.) The continuation of these meets in the tree triggers Gene to make the snap decision that changes himself for the

However, throughout the entirety of Chapter 4, Gene is angry at Finny, and that anger came out of him while they were in the tree. Gene’s confession also puts this argument to rest. Further more, as a result of this confession, Gene ruined the trust he had with Finny. When Finny suggested that they jump off of the tree together, he showed the complete trust he had in Gene, believing wholeheartedly that the other wouldn’t do anything to make him fall.

Finny refused to believe that Gene caused him to fall from the tree. Finny denied Gene's fault because it shattered the image of a perfect best friend, someone who was supposed to be there for him, not there to kill him. When Gene tried to confess, he remarked to himself, "It struck me then that I was injuring him again. It occurred to me that this could be an even deeper injury than what I had done before. "

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“He possessed an extra vigor, a heightened confidence in himself, a serene capacity for affection which saved him nothing as he was growing up at home, nothing at Devon, nothing even about the war had broken his harmonious and natural way. So at last I had” (John Knowles A Separate Peace). In his novel, A Separate Peace, John Knowles explores the importance of growing up and the danger of trying to stay forever young. John Knowles shares with his readers the importance of growing up, and that trying to stay forever young can be destructive to everyone around you. In his novel one of the main characters Phineas is a child at heart.

A different place in the book where Tree learns that

From the very beginning of the novel, we see Gene struggling with his own feelings of inadequacy and uncertainty. He is jealous of Finny's natural athleticism and charm, and he constantly compares himself to his friend, often coming up short. This sense of self-doubt is further exacerbated by the events of the novel, such as the accident that occurs at the tree and the subsequent fallout. Gene's guilt and anxiety over his role in these events only serve to deepen his sense of insecurity and heighten his self-doubt. However, despite these challenges, Gene also shows moments of courage and resilience, particularly in his interactions with Finny.

(Explanation 2) By being hesitant to share his suspicion and feeling sorry for having it, Finny rises way above Gene in nobility which irritates Gene and instigates him to admit. Gene wants to be even with Finny if not better. Later that summer, (Point 2) when Gene visits Finny in his home in Boston he confesses what actually happened at the tree. (Evidence 2) Finny says: “Of course, you didn’t do it.

After the incident at the tree, Finny demonstrates denial and repression to protect himself from accepting the fact that his best friend would betray him so he does not have to grow up. Finny uses denial to deny the fact that Gene intentionally jounces the limb because he does not think his friend would do such a thing which allows him to deny reality. Following Finny’s incident at the tree, Gene goes to visit Finny at his home in Boston. Gene decides to confess to Finny that he causes the accident, that he intentionally jounced the limb so Finny so could fall.

After Finny falls from the tree that generated him to break his leg and causes him not to be able to play football ever again. While Gene knows he is guilty, he wants to confess to Finny that it was he who shook the tree, but does not have the valor to tell him the truth, and since Gene will not tell Finny, Finny tells everyone that his injury was caused by him losing his balance and fell off the tree. Then after a while, Gene finally tries to tell Finny that it was he that shook the tree, but Finny won’t believe him and continues to believe it was him losing his balance. Then comes Brinker that assembles everybody to tell Finny that it was Gene that shook the tree, but then they start saying that Gene did it on purpose. Finny could not stand being there with everyone, so he tries to leave the assembly, unfortunately, as Finny tries to go down the stairs, he falls down and breaks his leg again, and was rushed to the doctor.

Throughout the novel, Finny denies various painful truths, such as Gene’s betrayal and the war, and focuses on enjoyment rather than competition because it is too difficult for him to confront reality and betray his facade of peace and happiness. When Finny tumbled out of the tree, after Gene jostled the branch, he was unable to accept the truth that Gene pushed him out of the tree, as it was too painful for him. Even after Gene travels to Finny’s house and exclaimed that he had jostled the branch, Finny still could not believe that someone he thought was his best friend could do this. Finny vehemently denied Gene’s claim, even going as far to command him to “Sit down, you damn fool” (Knowles 62).

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