Student 1
Smart Student
Martin and Green
English Period 3
11 November 2014
Gene’s Fall From Grace
Although A Separate Peace does not take place in a warzone, it is still considered a war
novel. This is because glimpses of World War II can be heard in all of the shadows of Devon
School, it can be seen in the eyes of the senior boys, and it can be felt in the hearts of all
Americans. This novel explores the school year of two best friends, Gene and Finny, as they
transition from young school boys into adult men just in time to face the draft. In A Separate
Peace, John Knowles addresses the theme of loss of innocence through the character Gene
because Gene is finally able to accept the consequences of his actions.
The loss of innocence can be defined differently for all characters. In A Separate Peace,
Knowles considers the loss of innocence as the ability to understand that the world is not a
perfect place and the sometimes even good people can make bad mistakes. The first step towards
Gene’s gradual loss of innocence occurs in chapter four during the summer session. Gene slowly
had become more and more envious of Finny’s carefree lifestyle until Gene finally took matters
into his own hands, “my knees bent and I jounced the limb” (Knowles 52). Due to Gene’s action
his best friend, Finny, falls out of the tree and shatters his leg rendering him crippled. This is
Gene’s first action that begins his spiral towards his loss of innocence because he acted out of
jealousy and envy and inflicted pain upon his best friend. Gene’s loss of innocence can be noted
because he finally realizes that bad can overtake good because…
Student 2
After Gene shattered Finny’s leg he feels guilty, but still does not accept his actions. It is
not until the chapter twelve when Gene realizes that the world is a dark place with problems
bigger than his childish jealousy. Within this chapter Gene realizes how naive he was to be
envious of Finny by thinking, “We members of the Class of 1943 were moving very fast toward
the war now, so fast that there were casualties even before we reached it, a mind was clouded
and a leg was broken – maybe these should be thought of a minor and inevitable mishaps in the
accelerating rush. The air around us was filled with much worse things” (Knowles 179). This
quotation shows how the war is looming in Gene’s near future and he cannot avoid it. However,
Gene explains he should not dwell upon Finny’s broken leg because there are much bigger issues
to face now, such as World War II. As Gene says, Finny’s injury is just a minor mishap and in
other places in the world people are facing much greater challenges. Gene realizes that he must
mature and move past his childish ways and face the enlistment which again moves him another
step closer towards his ultimate loss of innocence.
During one of Finny and Gene’s last conversation Gene ultimately loses all of what is left
of his innocence. Just hours before Finny dies in the operating room Gene sees his best friend
and admits his faults by saying, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry” (Knowles 177). Although they are only
two small words, these nail the lid to Gene’s coffin of innocence. By explain to Finny that he is
sorry, Gene is openly admitting that he caused Finny’s accident and that his own jealousy and
envy caused Finny’s suffering. This is the ultimate loss of innocence because Gene is Finny’s
best friend, yet he has the capability to cause suffering and pain. This shows that good and
decent people, such as Gene, can make horrific decisions that have lifelong repercussions. This
apology completes Gene’s fall from grace.
Student 3
Although Gene is a good person over all, he does make poor judgment calls that lead to
his loss of innocence. This can be seen when his jealously for Finny causes him to jounce the
limb, when Gene realizes that there are more traumatic issues than his boyhood drama, and in
Gene’s apology. Even without bombs, tanks, or guns, A Separate Peace still depicts a gorgy
story about the brutality of growing up.