Theme of Maturity in A Separate Peace by John Knowles Essay Sample

📌Category: A Separate Peace, Books
📌Words: 625
📌Pages: 3
📌Published: 14 June 2022

In the coming-of-age novel A Separate Peace by John Knowles the theme portrayed is learning to accept oneself and maturing. The protagonist of the story, Gene Forrester, Is immature and his youth and his absence to think for himself makes him handle situations immaturely. Gene’s best friend Finny helps him through his development from a child to a man. Some experiences that help him shape into a man and adulthood is jouncing the limb, training for the olympics, and Finny’s death. 

Gene jounced the limb of a tree he and Finny were standing on because Gene thinks Finny was out to get him and wreck his studies. This caused Finny to fall and break his leg. The novel states, “Holding firmly to the trunk, I took a step toward him, and then my knees bent and I jounced the limb.” (Knowles 59-60). This shows that Gene knew exactly what he was doing when he jounced the limb. It also shows that Gene’s immaturity led him to doing something stupid. In addition, “That night I slept easily, and it was only on waking up that this illusion was gone, and I was confronted with myself, and what I had done to Finny. (62). This shows that Gene does feel guilty for what he did to Finny. It also shows that Gene seems to be facing an internal conflict with what he did to Finny. Overall, Gene's immaturity and crudity led him to hurt his best friend. 

Gene begins to train for the 1944 Olympics with Finny as his coach. Through Finny's coaching, Gene adapts characteristics that help him in his discovery to adulthood and maturity. For example, “Mornings we got up at six to run. I dressed in a gym sweat suit with a towel tucked around my throat, and Finny in pajamas, ski boots and his sheep lined coat.” (119). This shows how each morning while training, Gene had to run at six. This is an action which leads to Genes maturing.  Another example is, “My knees were boneless again, ready any minute to let my lower legs telescope up into the thighs. My head felt as though different sections of my cranium were grinding into each other.” (120). This proves that Finny’s training and coaching was intense. This also contributed to Genes growing and maturing as a person. 

Lastly, Finny’s death led to Genes maturing and coming-of-age because of the impact it had on him. For example, “Phineas alone had escaped this. He possesses an extra vigor, a heightened confidence in himself, a serene capacity for affection which saved him. Nothing as he was growing up at home, nothing at Devon, nothing even about the war had broken his harmonious and natural unity. So at last I had.” (202-203). This shows how Gene at the end was the one to break him. Gene is also realizing how his immaturity affected Finny. Another example is, “I never talked about Phineas and neither did anyone else; he was, however, present in every moment of every day since Dr. Stanpole had told me.” (202). This shows that Finny had such an impact on Gene's life that he always lived on with him even if he was dead. It also shows us how close Gene and Finny truly were. Overall. Gene at the end was the one to break Finny because of his childishness. 

To conclude, Gene begins to develop maturity and independence through the events of jouncing the limb, training for the 1944 olympics, and Finny’s death. These events help Gene to mature and realize he needs to stop acting childish. When Gene jounced the limb he realized that was out of stupidity and immaturity. When Finny helps him train for the Olympics Gene learns discipline. Then, Finny’s death is like a wake up call for Gene, making him realize it’s time for him to start maturing. All these events also shape the meaning of the novel as a whole revealing the theme of learning to accept oneself and maturing, because of the way Gene gains independence.

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