Text Connections

In A Separate Peace, John Knowles takes into consideration the mix of affection and jealousy that both binds together and tears apart Gene’s and Finny’s relationship. Gene often feels as though he must be “even” with Finny. He commonly acknowledges that if he is to become the valedictorian, then he and Finny would be “even”. Because Finny is superior to Gene in sports, Gene feels as though he must be surpass Finny on the academic level. The covetousness experienced by Gene begins to take over his life as he begins to evaluate every statement his “best friend” makes. Overwhelmed with both envy and intellectual superiority, he begins to separate himself from Finny and eventually doubts that he was ever truly friends with him. Attitudes change when Finny falls from a tree and shatters the bones in his leg. After the accident, Gene begins to be more affectionate to Finny— he supports him, helps him with his studies, and tries to be a companion to him in all ways possible—and in turn Finny attempts to bring about an Olympic  athlete in him. Because Gene fears that he caused the accident, he considers it his duty to make his friend as content as possible. These examples of care and envy in friendship are relatable to almost any adolescent who struggles with relationships. Many teenage girls covet their best friend’s looks, talents, or popularity and can connect to the stress that is felt in the boys’ relationship. Adolescents usually only want to fit in and often will compare themselves to others. Gene’s and Finny’s friendship is also relatable through the guilt Gene feels and his compensation for it. When people do something unjust or evil they commonly go to any measure to forget their wrongdoing. Many people try to achieve this by helping or trying to change the thoughts of the person who they hurt. This text-to-world connection is effective because it enforces the relatable mood in the novel.