By: Alexis Moore and
Addy Smyth
Thesis
 In a separate peace by John Knowles , is a great
example of a bildungsroman because most of the
characters like Gene or Leper realize that maybe the
life they want is a life they can not handle.
Bildungsroman
 The physiological maturation of a character, the
character changes throughout the story
Pg. 53
 “ Then a second
realization broke as
clearly and bleakly as
dawn at the beach. Finny
had deliberately set out
to wreck my studies.”
 Gene is trying to tell
Phineas that he does not
believe they are best
friends
Pg. 62
 “ I decided to put on his
clothes, We wore the
same size and although
he always criticized mine
he used to wear them
frequently, quickly
forgetting what belonged
to him and what to me.”
 Gene is telling the reader
that he does not know
who he is so he is trying
to be like Phineas.
Pg.137
 “ I have escaped and
need help I am at the
Christmas Location you
understand . No need to
risk address here my
safety depends on you
coming at once.”
 Leper is at his breaking
point and realizing the
military is not where he
belongs.
Pg.151
 “ I don’t care what
happened to you ,Leper
don’t you understand
that? This has nothing to
do with me! nothing at
all! I don’t care.”
 When Gene is told what
happened to leper, the
author is foreshadowing
that Gene’s storybook
life will soon come
crashing down. Leper
helped Gene to start
breaking down.
Pg.177
 “ “You get the rest of the
facts Brinker!” He cried.
“You get all your facts.” I
had never seen Finny
crying.”
 Gene and Phineas are
realizing what is
happening, and every
one wants to see if Gene
really did push Finny out
of the tree.
Pg. 179
 “ finny lay isolated at the
 Gene realizes if the other
center of a tight circle of
faces. The rest of the
crowd looked on from
above or below on the
stairs, and I stood on the
lower edge.”
boys were to know that
he did push Phineas out
of a tree they would all
hate him. He is realizing
that there are
consequences to his
actions.
Pg. 185
 “I'm sorry, I said blindly,
I'm sorry, I'm sorry.”
 Gene is starting to
discover that these bad
events may be
happening to him
because he is trying to be
someone he is not.
Pg. 194
 “ I did not cry then or
ever about Finny. I did
not cry even when I
stood watching him
being lowered into his
family's strait – laced
burial ground outside of
Boston. I could not
escape a feeling that this
was my own funeral and
you do not cry in that
case.”
 Gene is discovering that
he was trying to be Finny
and now that Finny is
gone he does not know
who to be anymore.
Pg. 197
 “None of them accused
me of being responsible
of what happened to
Phineas , either because
they could not believe it
or else because they
could not understand.”
 Gene feels he is at fault
for Phineas’s death and is
unsure whether he wants
the other boys to know
about what he did to
Phineas.
Pg. 203
 “Forlornly open and
abandoned, the locker
unlocked. This was more
final than the moment
when the headmaster
handed me my diploma
.My schooling was now
over”
 Gene is greatful that
school is over so he can
be himself although the
reader is not given
evidence on who Gene is.
Pg 204
 “ Only Phineas was never
afraid, only Phineas
never hated anyone”
 Gene has realized that
Finny was never trying to
be his enemy as Gene
assumed him to be.
Finny had always tried to
be his friend.
Pg. 204
 “ Because my war ended
before I ever put on a
uniform; I was on active
duty all my time at
school; I killed my
enemy there.”
 This statement shows
how Gene feels at Devon
and how Gene is feeling
about his relationship
with Finny. Gene seemed
to think that Finny was
his enemy and not his
best friend.
Conclusion
 In conclusion the changes in the characters in the
novel A Separate Peace make this novel a great
example of a Bildungsroman.