Media - Cynthia Hsieh

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Character Analysis (Section 4) - Jason de Castro

Gene Forrester

           I, Gene believe that I am a quiet and intellectual human being. It's common knowledge really, as everyone knows, but I love to read. I've been described as introverted by a few of my classmates, but I wouldn't call myself that. I take school very seriously, and grades are of great importance to me, because I need good grades to get into a good college, and perhaps gain a scholarship of some sort. I also pride myself in my high academic achievements because I have to admit, I am very competitive; and this doesn't only apply to academics. My competitive nature is probably the main reason why I envy Finny so much. In a lot of ways, my relationship with Finny brought out the worst in me, because I so adored and loathed who Finny was that I forgot to cherish who I was and I lost myself in the process. Most people don't know it, because I scarcely show it outright, but I am a very emotional person. This can be good sometimes, but a lot of the times it is bad, because sometimes my emotions get the better of me and I say or do something without thinking. The fact that I tend to act impulsively does not help this because I often end up doing something or saying something I regret. Most of the time I mean well but there are times when I think not so kindly thoughts towards another person. "Everyone could hear, couldn't they? the derangement in his voice." (Knowles, 174)

            Some people have said that I'm pessimistic, but that's because I think that if you don't expect positive results, then you will never be disappointed. I know that I tend to think the worst of someone when analyzing their motives but that's because I know what I feel inside, and if I'm feeling or thinking evil thoughts, then I'm probably not the only one doing so. "He's enjoying this, I thought bitterly" (Knowles, 168) This negative mindset towards human beings  general causes me to come off as antisocial. It's not that I like being that way, but I just don't connect with other people the way Finny does. That's one of the reasons I admire Finny, because Finny is someone who can make anyone feel comfortable just by talking to them-something I will never be able to do. I have a tendency to overanalyze things, and as a result become fearful and insecure. "but you're the nervous type, you know, and I thought maybe your imagination got a little inflamed up there in Vermont." (Knowles, 163) Even when there is nothing wrong, I often fabricate a problem or a wrong that does not exist which is a very bad habit of mine.

Phineas (Finny)

            What do I think of myself? Well I'm just like any other teenage boy really. I like to have fun, joke around, and hang out with friends. Honestly, I just like being around people, period. I guess I'm competitive, but more-so for the love of competition and self-achievement rather than the ego or sense of accomplishment some people get from beating others. I believe that achievement is something that should be for you and no one else. For example, if you set a new record then it is not something to brag about-it should be enough for you knowing that you achieved something. I've been called an athlete by many of my peers and have been complimented on my balance, hand-eye co-ordination and just natural talent that I apparently have when it comes to anything athletic related. "You had better balance than anyone in the school." (Knowles, 169) Whether this is true or not, I do know that I love sports, and any games where the spirit of competition can prosper. With this passion I hope one day to participate in the Olympics. Although I love competition, I hate fighting and will do whatever I can to disarm a situation. "the next thing anyone knew you'd be over with the Germans or the Japs, asking if they'd like to field a baseball team against our side."(Knowles, 190) I've been told that I give off a confident and yet approachable vibe, but I believe everyone is approachable and everyone should be confident because everyone has different gifts and talents to offer.

             I try to always hope for the best, and maintain a positive attitude about everything that happens-after all, there's always a silver lining in any situation. For some reason, when I talk, people listen which is fine by me because I'm always coming up with new ideas and notions which I share with my friends. I've also talked my way out of many situations where I otherwise might have gotten into trouble. The only explanation I have for that is I articulated my opinion honestly, without any deceitful intentions-you can't go wrong with honesty. Needless to say, I dislike lying. I tend to think the best of people because I believe, by nature that people are generally good and therefore should be given the benefit of the doubt. "How do you expect him to remember?" (Knowles, 171) With that said, I strongly believe in trust, especially of people that are close to you. "But I do believe- it's important after all for me to believe you."(Knowles, 163) Even if you suspect wrongdoing of another person, give them the benefit of doubt, more-so if you trust them. "It was just some kind of blind impulse you had in the tree there, you didn't know what you were doing. Was that it?" (Knowles, 191) I tend to approach life with pure joy and enthusiasm with everything I do, mostly because I think life is much more bearable if you're living rather than simply being alive. I've been asked how I always appear to be so full of energy, and so happy all the time. Truth is, I have a habit of running away from what I know is the truth. Some might say this to be denial, or simply being naive, but ignorance is bliss and there are some things I would just rather not think or talk about even if it means I have to pretend those things do not exist. "Oh I guess I always knew, but I didn't have to admit it. (Knowles, 163)

Brinker Hadley

            My name is Brinker Hadley, and I am a leader. I voice my opinions based on justice, and will do anything and everything in my power to see that justice always prevails. "Here's one soldier our side has already lost. We've got to find out what happened." (Knowles, 168) Being the class president, I am everything a good leader needs to be. I'm charismatic, orderly, law abiding and very organized. I'm confident in my own abilities, although some perceive my confidence as arrogance or cockiness which I strongly resent. The fact that I will do anything to defend or put into action my own ideas leads others to believe that I am stubborn, but I like to think of it as perseverance. I will admit though that once I get hold of an idea, it is hard to convince me that I am wrong. I've been told a few times that I'm insensitive, but I don't believe in "beating around the bush", I like to be direct. "What's everybody beating around the bush for? He's crippled and that's that." (Knowles, 160)

           According to my peers, my voice radiates power and authority, which I strongly take pride in. "his voice tried for a hard compromise, full of warning" (Knowles, 171) I know how to use any resources that I have at my disposal, and some may call this character trait manipulative. "You always did take me for a fool, didn't you? But I'm no fool any more." (Knowles, 176) However, I disagree because I am simply resourceful, and sometimes you have to work with what you've got. Although I come off as a very serious and cold person, really I'm as friendly and playful as the next person. I seek companionship and other's company because, after all what is a leader without followers?  

Contemporary Relevance by Miguel De Jesus

The Tale Of Two Friends:

Phineas is now dead, but who is too blame for all this? Is it Gene, his schoolmates, was it doctor Stanpole, or was it himself? Actually, no one is to blame for the death of Phineas. Phineas’ death was a tragedy and a most utterly surprise. Phineas passed away during an operation on his broken leg because as the doctor was moving the bone, bone marrow escaped causing severe damage. Given this, the bone marrow went into the bloodstream causing his heart to stop. It really is upsetting whenever someone passes away, especially a young one. Death can not be avoided as it is a part of life, and therefore death should be accepted which is a key aspect of moving forward.

When Phineas died, not only was his life lost, but Gene lost a best friend that day and someone he depended on. Gene is already questioning his identity, and the person who he assumed that he was destined to be a part of, is now dead, and leaving Gene in disbelief. Although Gene is broken hearted about the death of his friend, he learns that in order to go on with is life, he must move on. Gene will always remember Phineas in a positive and an admiring way. Gene states that nobody ever had the type of personality Phineas had. “Phineas alone had escaped this. He possessed an extra vigour, 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 as last I had.” Phineas has taught Gene life lessons and to overcome his fears, not being afraid to step out of his comfort


zone.

Was the surgery the cause of the death or was it the two times Phineas fell and broke his leg? Yes the reader may interpret it as being Gene’s fault for pushing Phineas off the tree, and causing him to break his leg in the first place. One may also assume that it was several people’s fault including Phineas himself because no one caused him to fall from the stairs as it was an accident. Others may interpret it as the doctor’s fault, for possibly making a mistake during the operation. This may be the case at certain parts of the book, but after reading the book, the general thought is, it was not one person to blame for the death of Phineas because it was a series of unfortunate events that occurred. Life is unpredictable and things happen for a reason, even though they may be quite hard to comprehend at times. Going through hardships and struggles is a part of life, and understanding that at times people can not always control the outcome of the situation. For instance the leak of the bone marrow, was not Dr. Stanpole’s fault, it was just something that happened.

In everyday life, people get hurt, whether it may be a fracture or death, it happens regardless in society. The problem is how people cope with it. Of course it is never an easy thing to deal with and emotions are overflowing. Everyday you hear about people dying or natural disasters occurring all over the world, and it has effected a great number of people. People get depressed and a great deal of sadness come over them. As humans we do our best to help those in need, whether it may be for charity or for moral support. Tragedies
and disasters like this will always happen no matter what, and they are unpredictable just like Phineas’ fall. For example there are wars going on all over the world and accidents happening on a daily basis, causing numerous deaths per year. This inflicts pain towards those that love them. In today’s society, everyone mourns and weeps about death because it is not an easy thing to cope with, but it is a natural part of life. The important thing is to realize the situation, accept it, and move on with your life. Pain of loosing someone will not go away, and this is why those important to us will always have a special place in our heart. When people die in this world, we remember and honour the significance things that they have done in their lives, as well as how they have effected us. Phineas will be remembered as a brave and intelligent soul.

Leizel's Analysis of the Setting

        In A Separate Peace, the setting is extremely important and the following quotes shows this:

“Devon is sometimes considered the most beautiful school in New England, and even on this dismal afternoon its power was asserted. It is the beauty of small areas of order—a large yard, a group of trees, three similar dormitories, circle of old houses—living together in contentious harmony.” (11, Knowles) This quote describes the basic yet crucial setting of the novel. It is set at the Devon School which is a prestigious prep school for adolescent boys. It is a secluded and sheltered area where they are aware of the events occurring outside of the school, yet it has no direct effect on them (World War II). It is here where the stage is set for the two main characters, Gene and Phineas, to develop as people and discover their place in their society.

“Bombs in Central Europe were completely unreal to us here, not because we couldn’t imagine it...but because our place here was too fair for us to accept something like that. We spent that summer in complete selfishness, I’m happy to say. The people in the world who could be selfish in the summer of 1942 were a small band, and I’m glad we took advantage of it.” (28, Knowles) "Stranded in this mill town railroad yard while the whole world was converging elsewhere, we seemed to be nothing but children playing among heroic men" (89, Knowles). It is clear that based on the description of their school campus that the area is of middle to upper class. In the summer of 1942, World War II was raging and though the people at this school do not have to live with the same problems, both their struggles are to find and achieve peace. In this way, the World War II time period as the setting is important so that as the plot builds up their conflicts are drawing similar parallels.

“They too seemed permanent and never changing, an untouched, unreachable world high in space, like the ornamental towers and spires of a great church, too high to be enjoyed, too high for anything, great and remote and never useful.” (30, Knowles) This quote is speaking of the tree in which many of the climatic events occur. This is an important aspect of the setting because of its symbolic meanings. For example, this is the meeting point of Gene and Phineas and they are always jumping out of it. It symbolizes how as the whole world is in turmoil, they are free and peaceful. As the story develops, the setting of the tree and its role progresses too.  

    Winters occupation seems to have conquered, overrun and destroyed everything, so that now there is no longer any resistance movement in nature; all the juices are dead, every spring of vitality snapped, and now winter itself, an old, corrupt, tired conqueror, loosens its grip on the desolation, recedes a little, grows careless in its watch; sick of victory and enfeebled by the absence of challenge, it begins to withdraw itself from the ruined countryside.” (120, Knowles) The Devon School’s school year is split between sessions of winter and summer. The season in which events occur is important to the story in that in the glowing months of summer the boys have their fun, but in the desolation of winter, their problems heighten. Since the seasons are used in relation to the story, it acts as part of the symbolism and imagery.   

The setting is extremely important in this story. The entire story revolves around the coming of age of Gene and Phineas. Therefore, the thorough description of the setting is crucial in its symbolism  and correspondence to the changes that happen to Gene and Phineas.

Most Memorable Moment Journal (Section 4) - Jason de Castro

                The most memorable moment for section four of A Separate Peace is without a doubt when  Finny passes away. This was the most memorable moment for more reasons than one. The most obvious would be that it is the most memorable because it is the only death contained in the novel, not to mention it being the death of one of the main characters. Finny's character was something special and unique, the likes of which the school (Devon) had never seen. With that said, it was an understatement to say that Finny was well-known throughout the school, not only by his peers-both younger and older-but by the teachers and headmasters as well. When Finny died, the sorrow of the entire school could be felt as if a personal blow had been dealt, in which everyone in the school was victim. It was also quite shocking because no one was expecting a fatality due to the commonness of his injury.

                Besides the fact that he died, the events prior to, and following his death were moments of epiphany for the two main characters, Gene and Finny. In other words, Finny's death was a key event in the plot. Gene and Finny had been living in denial; an illusion of innocence that they together had concocted in order to avoid the dark truth of what truly happened that summer day where things took a turn for the worst. Gene-on impulse-had pushed Finny out of the tree, which put a sudden halt to Finny's athletic future forever. Finny-knowing the truth all along-refused to believe that his best friend would intentionally hurt him the way that he did. The moments leading up to Finny's unfortunate death consisted of a final confrontation of the truth, in which Finny was forced to face the fact that Gene was to blame for his incident the past summer while Gene was forced to take responsibility for his malicious act against his best friend and the reasoning behind doing so. Finny was finally "broken" and what that means is that his illusion of peace was shattered which caused his entire being to respond. Finny was the type who did not believe in fighting, but rather competition. He convinced himself and partly Gene as well that Gene was not responsible for him falling out of the tree. He did this because he did not want to face the truth, which meant hating his best friend. When finally he had no choice, all his frustration and hatred-which he had pent up inside of him and denied-were unleashed. The last time Finny and Gene speak, Finny confides how angry he is at Gene, and Gene, for the first time, formally apologized for what he had done. Finny had accepted that Gene had acted purely out of impulse and soon after, died. It was almost as if Finny thrived off of the innocence of the Summer Session, and now that it was gone he was waiting to pass, but could not because he had to settle the relationship between Gene and himself.

                When Gene was confronted with the truth, he was also subconsciously battling his own inner demons. The death of not only his best friend but also his idol preceded the death of the struggle between him and himself. With the death of Finny, he came to the realization that although the war was raging on, and he would soon be drafted into it, that the only battle that truly mattered was over; the battle in which he had destroyed his true enemy during his time at Devon-himself.

Most Memorable Moment - Cynthia Hsieh (:

The most memorable scene in section three is at the beginning the section, located in chapter 8. After returning from shoveling the snow at the rail tracks, Gene was all pumped up to enlist into the war with Brinker. Gene had a sense of freedom as if he was discovering himself, not just Phineas’ friend. All that came crashing down as he walked into his room to see Phineas sitting there. Phineas went on and on about how his break was, while Gene was still shocked. Soon enough he realized just how dependant Phineas was on him especially after the accident. As Brinker walked into his room talking about how Gene and he were going to enlist into the war, an expression of horror flashed upon Phineas’ face. Although, Phineas was quick to hide it and carried on as if this news would not affect him. Gene could see that Phineas was hurt by hearing this, so he pretended as though Brinker had made up the whole story about Gene enlisting into the war. Immediately there was a bright smile on Phineas’ face.

This scene is so memorable because it shows just how much Gene is influenced by Phineas. With Phineas away, Gene was just beginning to become his own person with his own thoughts, perspective, ideas, etc; but as soon as Phineas returns Gene turns into the old self. The old Gene that was always lurking in the shadows of Phineas, one that followed Phineas into everything. This scene also shows that Gene holds a lot of guilt for what he did to Phineas, he feels forever in debt to Phineas for breaking his leg. Whenever he is around Phineas, he is very cautious and quiet and lets Phineas do everything; but when by himself he’s the life of the party. This shows that Phineas being there or not creates a huge contrast in the person that Gene is which makes it the most memorable moment in section three. It challenges the readers to see both sides of Gene and notice how there's a huge difference in the way he acts, with and without Phineas around.

Leizel's Most Memorable Moment Journal (Section 1)

The most memorable moment of the first section is when Phineas fell from the tree. Based upon the circumstance and context in which he fell makes that moment unforgettable and imperative to the plot. First off, this particular tree was no ordinary tree, as it is a symbol of the camaraderie between Phineas and Gene. The start to their friendship began when they would secretly meet up at this tree, and jump out of it and into the river, thus resulting in a newly formed club called: “The Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session”. Gene was more reluctant of the two when it came to participating in the jumping out of the tree ritual, which in time resulted in the development of animosity towards the effervescent Phineas.  It is this contempt that made the incident of Phineas falling from the tree to be not accidental as Gene was the perpetrator. This event occurred when Gene and Phineas decided to, for the first time, jump out of the tree together, and in a moment of possibilities and weakness, Gene made him fall.

This event is memorable in that it reveals a large part of Gene’s character that would otherwise be hidden. To think such sinister thoughts and to actually act on them are two completely different things. For Gene to have consciously hurt Phineas resulted in my changed perspective of him given that I once believed him to be predominantly confused and innocent whereas at the present, based on his choices, Gene has become cynical and vindictive. It is consequently his ability to be these two qualities that made that moment especially memorable. It is also a defining moment because from that point on, their relationship would change. It seems impossible for Gene to be able to carry on with this friendship without a constant sense of guilt and it is also impossible for Phineas, who will subconsciously be thinking that Gene deliberately made him fall, break his leg, and end his athletic pursuits, to continue such friendship. This is the most memorable moment in that it is a major turning point in the story.  

Most Memorable Moments (Section 2) - Miguel DeJesus

            In the novel A Separate Peace by John Knowles, the most memorable moment of section two would have to be the falling of Phineas. Phineas is one of two main characters in novel, and is now unable to play sports for the remainder of his life. The fall caused him to break his leg, and this is unfortunate because Phineas is  very athletically gifted. What makes his fall more significant is what caused it. Gene, who is Phineas’ best friend pushed Phineas off of the tree limb before they jumped. The reason why this is a significant part in the novel because it would effect the relationship between Gene and Phineas. It makes the reader question will they ever be friends again, and what will be Phineas’ reaction once he finds out what caused it? Jumping off of the tree was part of being in the suicide committee which was something the two of them had created over the summer. It is not literally committing suicide, it is just the name that they came up with, so they can gather a special group of friends to do activities with one another.

            The act of Gene of pushing Phineas was very questionable because of the reason why he did it. These two friends are very competitive with one another , and they like to compare themselves to each other. Gene is the more academically gifted one, but not as gifted when playing sports, unlike Phineas. On the other hand,  Phineas is not the best student either. One night Gene was studying for his French test, and Phineas comes in to convince him to come outside because one of their friends was going to jump out of the tree. Gene who often thinks too much, interpreted this as a way for Phineas to sabotage his academic goal of obtaining the highest mark in the class so that one day he may reach the highest award of becoming the valedictorian. Gene felt that Phineas was jealous and that he wanted to catch up to Gene’s academic standards, so therefore he tried to lower it.  Gene should not have been so quick to have such acquisitions.

            Now that Phineas has broken his leg, the event is always crossing the mind of Gene. When Gene finally tells Phineas, he could not believe him, and told him to leave his home, because he didn’t want things to get worse between them. One thing both of them strongly treasure is their friendship, because they rely on one another. Ever since Gene pushed Phineas, he was unsure about his identity anymore. He was not sure if he was becoming more of a part of Phineas than his own self. At one point in the novel, Gene was questioning if he was meant to be like his best friend, and if Phineas was superior to him. Some facts that support this are, when Gene and Phineas were on the phone, Phineas told him that if I will not be able to play sports ever again, then Gene will have to play it for him. It really made Gene question himself as a person. One day Gene got into a fight because Cliff Quakenbush was insulting him and calling him maimed. This made Gene realize and remember his friend Phineas who was at home because of the broken leg. Cliff’s comments really agitated Gene causing him to strike Gene in the face. At the end of the fight, Gene felt like he was Phineas’ defender and he fought it for him, but he too did this fight for himself.  If Gene had not pushed Phineas out of the tree, the whole outcome of the novel would have been different, and Phineas would be able to play sports again. Most importantly, there would not have been that possibility of their friendship changing.