A_Separate_Peace

A Separate Peace A Separate Peace Essay In the novel, A Separate Peace by John Knowles, Gene Forrester experiences internal and external conflicts. Gene has trouble finding out who he really during adolescences because he tries to be like his best friend, Finny. Gene becomes envious of Finny because Gene can’t be like Finny. Soon after Gene hurts his best friend, Finny, by jouncing the limb of the tree making Finny lose his balance and fall, causing Finny to break his leg. Jouncing the limb of the tree didn’t resolve any of Gene’s conflicts, it just made room for more. Finny often tells Gene that he is his best friend, but Gene is unable to respond to this. "I should have told him then that he was my best friend also and rounded off what he had said. I started to; I nearly did. But something held me back. Perhaps I was stopped by that level of feeling, deeper than thought, which contains the truth.” Gene is caught up in how popular Finny is and how athletic Finny is, that he is unable to see that Finny is the best friend he could ever have. Gene tries very hard to be like Finny, but seperate, peace, finny, gene, out, friend, best, limb, guilt, conflicts, because, now, never, fear, truth, tries, tree, room, really, leg, jealous, internal, feels, feeling, external, envy, always, about, unable, took, time, savage, overcome, off, loves, longer, leper, know