Phineas Throughout The Whole Novel example essay topic

A. Title and Author - A Separate Peace by John Knowles B. Story Setting - The story starts off at the Devon school, which is a prep school in New England at 1958. But the rest of the story takes place through a flashback of his days when he was a student at Devon during 1943. C. Main Characters - Gene Forrester - Gene is the narrator of the novel and appears at two different time periods: as a middle-aged man re-visiting Devon fifteen years after being a student there, and, for the majority of the novel, as a sixteen and seventeen-year-old student during World War II. The novel is written in the past tense, and we assume that Gene's narration is triggered by his re-visitation of his old school when he is thirty-two. And although the older narrator seems long past the emotional turmoil that marked his schoolboy days, the events of his years at Devon are told as if they were occurring in the present, as if our narrator were still sixteen years old. The Gene that we encounter for the bulk of the novel is, like many of his classmates, at a liminal stage in his life-the adolescence between boyhood and manhood.

This transition is further emphasized by the war, Gene being in the final years of freedom before the ravages of a world war can legally claim him. Outwardly Gene is one of the top students in his class and a talented athlete. These traits earn him respect on campus and, most importantly, the friendship of Phineas, whom Gene respects more than any of his fellow classmates. But inwardly, Gene is plagued by the darker forces of human nature, forces that prey upon the turbulence of adolescence. Gene's admiration and love for Finny is balanced and marred by his fierce jealousy of him, by a deep insecurity in himself, and, because of his insecurity, a need to compete with and 'defeat' his friend at all costs. Gene's internal emotional battles are the major source of conflict and tension in the novel.

Phineas - Called Finny by his classmates, Phineas is Gene's closest companion at Devon and, for our narrator, the central focus of the novel. Finny is five feet eight and a half inches tall and weighs one hundred fifty pounds. Indeed, Finny is the superhuman wonder of athletics and physical harmony at Devon, far surpassing any competition from his classmates, Gene included. What is more, Finny's physical prowess matches that of his personality-he is a charismatic, good-natured, and persuasive young man.

Finny finds joy outside of authority and is described by Gene as 'a student who combined a calm ignorance of the rules with a winning urge to do good, who seemed to love the school truly and deeply, and never more than when he was breaking the regulations'. Although not as strong a student as Gene, Phineas is not consumed by jealousy and the need to compete with his friend, which exposes Gene's own insecurity. After breaking his leg, however, Finny is faced with his own personal struggle: the bitterness of being a cripple and attempting to live in a world where sports and enlistment in the army are no longer a possibility. And, of course, Phineas must also confront the fact that his life-altering injury was caused by someone he considered, and still must try to consider, to be his best friendElwin 'Leper' Lepellier - Leper is the dreamy, eccentric, unathletic loner at Devon. Rather than prepare for or become involved with the war, Leper would rather collect snails or search for beaver dams. Leper's role increases in significance when, to everyone's surprise; he decides to enlist, making the war seem even more unreal for Gene.

But Leper's quiet and quirky personality prove to be completely incompatible with army life, and he escapes from his training camp. The post-army Leper is no longer his calm, dreamy self, but rather an emotionally volatile, terrified young man. His involvement in the army has forced him to emerge from what Gene dubs his " protective cloud of vagueness. ' Brinker Hadley - The last character to undergo development in the novel, Brinker is introduced at the beginning of Winter Session as an industrious and organized student, a class leader and head of many student organizations.

Brinker is responsible for the two interrogations into Finny's accident, once immediately following his fall from the tree and once, a more serious trial, at the end of the novel, before Finny re-breaks his leg. Although vocal about his desire to enlist, Brinkerdoesn't dare do so without the company of his classmates, unlike Leper. And when he finally involves himself with war activities, he is sure to keep himself as far from actual combat as possible. Over the course of the year, Brinker becomes disillusioned and less active in the school organizations. This, we learn at the novel's end, is due to a strong resentment of his father, a World War I veteran and war fanatic who pressures his son into combat. Story Summary - The Story begins with Gene walking through the Devon school outside and reminiscing about his days at the school.

The year is 1958 and soon it goes into a flashback during his school days during 1943. It begins with him and his best friend Phineas climbing a tree and daring each other to jump off it. The story continues to describe the personality of Phineas and Gene Forrester through a sequence of events during their everyday life at the Devon prep school. It continues until chapter 4 when Gene shakes a tree limb when they " re climbing and Phineas falls off and breaks his leg. Phineas does not know Gene shook the branch and Gene does not tell him until later and struggles with this throughout the novel. Gene's life at the school continues through more school semesters as Phineas leaves the school to live at his home.

He eventually comes back later on in the story. He comes back by chapter 8 as Gene continues to struggle with telling him the truth. During chapter 10 the other boys organize an interrogation with Gene and Phineas thereto finally decide what happened. Leper tells how Gene shook the branch and Phineas doesn't believe it and storms out of the room only to fall down the stairs and re-break his leg.

Gene sneaks into Phineas hospital room and tells him the truth, Phineas grows very angry and Gene leaves. The next day Gene talks to Phineas again and tells him why he did it and Phineas believes him. He goes through the typical school day and goes back to the Infirmary later on in the day. The doctor there tells him that Phineas has dies during the resetting off his broken bone.

Apparently some marrow leaked out and went to his heart and stopped the beating. Gene feels like he has dies with Phineas. The story then goes back to Gene in 1958 and ends. E. Essay - A Separate Peace by John Knowles is a complicated book. This story is filled with complex metaphors and themes. The most evident theme is how Gene tries to be Phineas. He also deals with the fact that he shook the branch that causes Phineas to fall and ultimately kill him.

There are other things in the novel that symbolize or represent something. An example of this is the tree they always climbed. The problem with this book is that it is filled with these metaphors and themes and it just grows boring and sad after reading it. Gene struggles with many conflicts during this story.

The first is the struggle with the knowledge that he shook the tree branch that caused Phineas to fall and break his leg. This conflict with himself continues throughout the whole novel until he finally tells him when he is in the infirmary that he shook the branch. Another conflict is an internal one dealing with the decision to get involved in the war that is going on. This struggle continues throughout the whole novel also. Inthe beginning he is sure on joining the war but as the novel progresses he becomes less and less sure.

This progression happens because of conversations with Phineas and because of what happened to Leper who goes insane from the war. Continuing on this conflict is another internal conflict dealing with Phineas. Gene tries to be Phineas and think like Phineas throughout the whole novel. He tries to do this but he cannot because Phineas is a completely different person. Gene does not realize this and continues to try to be like him.

There is a large amount of metaphors and symbolisms in this story. There are also different themes relating to this novel. The infamous tree represents the change that Gene has gone through. Gene used to look at the tree and be fearful of it.

When Gene comes back to Devon later he looks at the tree and is no longer afraid. The tree is now old and feeble and does not scare him anymore. Phineas's clothes represent something in that scene. The clothes are meant to represent how Gene desired to be Phineas. He puts the clothes on because he wants to look and be and think like Phineas.

Another more controversial argument can be made about Gene's sexuality. Many see this novel as a Gene's struggle with homosexuality. He is obsessed with Phineas and wishes to be him. He is in love with Phineas. This assumption makes perfect sense. The title of the story has much to do with the theme of it.

This novel is about a young man's struggle to obtain a separate peace. All the conflicts in this novel are internal and have to do with Gene. There is a war going on in Europe and many young men are enlisting to join it. Gene does not wish to join it because he wants to obtain his own separate peace.

This can relate to us today because all us people want to do is be peaceful and happy. Everybody wants to obtain his or her own separate peace. This novel is about how Gene Forrester tries to obtain his separate peace and a struggle to be like his best friend Phineas. Gene has to deal with the internal conflict of how he shook the branch and cause Phineas to fall and break his leg. Many other metaphors, such as the tree and Phineas's clothes, litter this novel.

This novel is so filled with these metaphors and symbolisms and they " re so complex that reading this novel grows boring and it ends on a sad note.