Gene At The Start example essay topic

A SEPARATE PEACE Gene and Finny are two individuals with their own characteristics. They are the best of friends since opposites tend to attract. Among there different characteristics there is the fact that they are totally separate people who compliment each another. Leadership skills are definitely in Phineas he posses the ability to get people attention and then make them listen to him. He also is an instant leader he takes charge of situation's which everybody else sits back and watches.

He is very convincing and can get people to do as he wishes. Example when Finny invented Blitz ball which he took a bunch of the people out on the field for physical education, he then decided to relate the game to a war strategy which he heard Hitler used called Blitzkrieg. He then took the boys and told them to start playing make rules as he goes. Another Example is when they were outside it was said that he talked all the seniors into coming outside and having a great snowball fight. Gene on the other hand is more of a follower and is easily convinced to do as other people wish.

Examples when Finny talked him into going to the beach with him he was totally against it in his mind but since he is more passive he got talked into and did not know how to say no. Also when he was jumping off the tree the first time he was very scared but since he was not taking control he did it again allowing someone else to convince him into jumping from the limb. The characteristic of Knowledge is where these two differ greatly. First off Gene is a Smart kid one of the people who does not really have to try and Pull an "A' out. It was noted in a conversation that Gene and Phinny had that Gene didn't have to try while he himself Phinny would have to pull an all night study group just to pull a "C'. Gene also thinks stuff through before doing something he tend to look at the possible outcomes.

Phinny on the other hand is more of a lacking Academic student he has a procrastinating habit he leaves it until the last second and finishes it off without any worry. He is not much of a scholar in any way shape or form he gets a lot of help from Gene The Pro war effort is where the two start off with great differences cross at one point then start moving apart again. This Characteristic is more of a loyalty or a sense of duty. At the start of the book, Phinny was for the war effort extremely saying once he was out of School he was going to sign up or if they lowered the draft age he would be off to enlist in the war, but as the book goes on he grew fonder and fonder of war until he broke his leg, then his ideas changed after he realized he could not go to war because of his leg he started denying there was a war even though he knew very well there was a war.

Gene at the start was more hoping he would not have to go off to war with the fear of death in his mind. But as the story progressed he started to see there was maybe a life in the war for him. As he seen Leper Leppelier go off to war, he began to wonder what if war is what is meant for him, and with Brinker always saying he is going to join the war the peer pressure is there at it's greatest. Near then end of the book Gene was more for going now even though Finny would despise him.

He had now got this idea into his head that he would follow through Phineas' dream. Therefore, it is obvious that Gene & Phineas are much more of an opposite of each other then an actual pair. But as the saying goes ' Two opposites attract ", is this the case here. It is quite obvious that these two Individuals are the best of friends who just happen to almost have nothing in common.