A Separate Peace is one of the more interesting books i have read. Phineas and Gene are best friends who, in a way, live through each other. The way Phineas tries to convince Gene that he will make it to the Olympics in 1944 even though there wont be the Olympics because of the war, because Phineas cant do sports anymore. Gene lets it happen because he thinks he needs to live through Finny because of how he lives his life.
"He had never been jealous of me for a second. Now I knew that there never was and never could have been any rivalry between us. I was not of the same quality as he. I couldn't stand this . . . Holding firmly to the trunk, I took a step toward him, and then my knees bent and I jounced the limb. Finny, and his balance gone, swung his head around to look at me for an instant with extreme interest, and then he tumbled sideways, broke through the little branches below and hit the bank with a sickening, unnatural thud. It was the first clumsy physical action I had ever seen him make. With unthinking sureness I moved out on the limb and jumped into the river, every trace of my fear of this forgotten." When Gene says "It was the first clumsy physical action I had ever seen him make." it kind of changed my view of Phineas a little. Throughout the most of the story Gene goes on about how spectacular Finny is and how perfect he is, and now because he made the limb shake he is imperfect. Also i think Gene always thought that Finny was constantly trying to compete with him at everything. But in this quote he says "I was not the same quality as he, I couldn't stand this." i think he realized that Finny never wanted to compete with him or anybody.
Chapter 10, kind of took things to a different objective. Leper was never really in the picture until now. He had really just been in the background. His craziness makes him come out. He says he "escapes" and asks Gene to go to his "Christmas Location", and Gene just drops everything and goes. and to think most of this started because he enlisted. Gene was a good friend for going to see Leper at his home in Vermont, but realized after going for a walk with him that he can't bear to listen to him cry anymore about all his troubles.
As i mentioned the friendship of Finny and Gene before, and about their identity and living through each other. I think Gene feels he needs to live through Finny. After Finny's accident Gene starts trying on his clothes and trying to act like him. Because in the first part of the story Gene almost resents Finny because he is so good at sports and his talent for being able to talk his way out of trouble. The two boys start depending on each other more and more. Finny using Gene to live his dream of sports and Gene using Finny to be somebody he wanted to be instead of who he was. This book shows that well and i liked it.
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I agree with you that Finny and Gene both lived through eachother and this book shows that no one is really happy with who they are so they try to live through others and I think you used many good examples to point this out.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kayla about how Finny and Gene lived through each other. Finny mentions that he was a part of Phinease at the end of the novel.
ReplyDeleteI like what you said about Phineas and Gene living through each other. They've grown so close that they're becoming more of one being than best friends.
ReplyDelete"Finny using Gene to live his dream of sports and Gene using Finny to be somebody he wanted to be instead of who he was."
ReplyDeleteMorgan,
I love what you said above! I honestly believe that this was the theme throughout the whole story. Even though Gene pretty much messed up Finny's dreams, he was able to live through Gene. In a way, I kind of think that Finny was somewhat relieved that he couldn't play sports anymore, just because he was always thought of as being perfect, which of course, no one can live up to; so Gene was able to take that spot in which he wanted so badly. Well worded Morgan!
Always,
-Brandd. :)
It would completely suck to not be able to do all that stuff Finny wanted to do, especially if that was what u were working for all your life. Friendship is an important thing though. It is cool how Gene worked on being better and helping Finny out the most he could - as a friend and not necessarily as an enemy anymore. Good blog.
ReplyDeleteAlways'
-Jordd. :)
I too noticed that everyone seemed to think that Finny was "perfect". But of course when he breaks his leg he is no longer perfect but he still has the air about him that everyone still looks up to him! It is interesting that people can "look up" so much to one person.
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree with what you are saying. I don't think Finny was perfect, I think finny was popular. Gene was the nerd and Finny was the jock. Everyone liked Finny for his differences. Gene does try to be someone he is not by living through Finny, but Finny just misses his life and doesn't want to show that. Therefore he shows it through Gene.
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