What does Gene say his real war was?
Gene now speaks again from the perspective of his older self. He says that he never killed anyone during his time in the military—that his war was fought at Devon and that it was there that he killed his enemy.
How does Gene feel about Finny?
In A Separate Peace, Gene and Finny’s relationship evolves over time. They begin as best friends, but eventually Gene develops feelings of resentment and jealousy towards Finny, viewing him as more of a rival. Gene’s insecurities peak when he purposely makes Finny fall from a tree, shattering his leg.
How does Finny break the swimming record?
Anyway, one day they’re hanging out by the pool, Finny decides he can swim the 100 yard freestyle faster than the current record-holder, has Gene time him, and breaks the 53.0 second record by . 7 seconds.
Why is the tree so important to Gene?
The tree is the central symbol in the novel. It represents the enormous fear in which Gene lived at school, from the summer of 1942 until the spring of 1943.
Why does Gene hate Finny?
He is competing with Finny, so he assumes that Finny must be competing with him. Gene feels ashamed of the extent to which he is plagued by insecurity and envy; he overcomes this feeling of shame not by trying to improve himself but rather by convincing himself that Finny is just as bad as he himself is.
Who does Brinker blame for the war?
Whom does Brinker blame for the war? Answer: His dad has a very different view of the war, it’s all parades, it’s not realistic. Brinker blames his dad’s generation for World War II. 9.
What secret does Finny want Gene?
Phineas just wanted to see if he could break the record or not for his own sake. He didn’t want any public attention or cameras or news. Gene takes this as a challenge – another badge on Phineas’ belt of achievements to keep him above Gene.
Who was Gene’s enemy in a separate peace?
Finny
What does the tree symbolize to Gene?
When Gene returns to the school as an adult he revisits the old tree. In this sense the tree represents change, especially the changes one goes through from childhood to adulthood. It also represents the loss of fear (as well as the loss of excitement and fun) that it embodied when Gene was young.
Why does Gene return to Devon after 15 years?
Although Gene has deliberately returned to Devon, in many ways his purpose seems to be to prove the impossibility of true return: he wants things to be different on this visit to his old school; he wants to have a sense that time has passed—and erased, we assume—the dark events of his high school years.
What is the Lepellier refusal?
Finny names a blitzball play the “Lepellier refusal,” when a player refuses a pass. Rivalry, as well as maturity, is explicitly introduced in this chapter. Gene is shocked by Finny’s refusal to make his record-breaking swim known to others.
What conflicting feelings does gene have about Finny?
Gene is not clinging to his youth as much but is still trying to figure out who he is. Plus, Gene’s relationship with Finny has always been conflicted with feelings of envy, anger, and love.
What is Finny’s personality?
Finny. Gene’s classmate and best friend. Finny is honest, handsome, self-confident, disarming, extremely likable, and the best athlete in the school; in short, he seems perfect in almost every way.
Why did Finny not want his swimming feat made public?
Why did Finny not want his swimming feat made public? He just wanted to see if he could break the school record.