Conflicting_Personalities

Conflicting Personalities The characters in John Knowles’ “A Separate Peace” contain personalities that convey to summer and winter session. Summer session represents livelihood, care free, being happy, and just having fun. While on the other hand, winter session represents a depressing atmosphere, more solemn, studying hard, and somberness. Gene is a quiet, soft spoken, and intelligent introvert. First, Gene excels in academics, while Finny exceeds in sports. This is shown when Gene says, “It was the first test I had ever flunked” (42), after ditching class and riding there bicycles to the beach with Finny. This shows how Gene is a very intelligent young man, who has never failed a test once, before that incident. In addition, Gene is withdrawn and always feels that he has to impress Finny. He cannot speak up for himself when he feels compelled to. The reader sees this when reading Genes’ thoughts, “I went along, I never missed a meeting. It never occurred to me to say, ‘I don’t feel like it tonight,’ which was the plain truth every night…’We’re off, pal,’ Finny would call out, and acting against every instinct of my nature, I went without a thought of protest”(26). This reveals the fact finny, gene, good, session, never, just, while, thought, winter, summer, studying, shows, seen, says, personalities, natural, first, fact, didn’t, come, both, best, being, young, without, thoughts, test, swimming, studies, student, sports, separate, rules, reveals, represents, reader