Topic: The relationship between Gene and Finny is a microcosm of the outer world.
"Older men declare war. But it is youth that must fight and die. And it is youth who must inherit the tribulation, the sorrow, and the triumphs that are the aftermath of war." (Herbert Clark Hoover). This speech, made by Mr. Hoover illustrates the misconception of war that is passed down by generation, filled by over-glorified lies, which enthrall the youth to join the war effort, where they are merely pawns in a global conflict. The misconception of war that the youths' have parallels their fear of the enemy, caused by the aura of warfare. Although, this enemy often is a figment of their imagination, it makes the youth create boundaries, to such an extent that they start to believe that the boundaries are fortifying themselves, so that no enemy, externally, can harm them, while their internal enemy (themselves), creates internal conflicts, which long-go unresolved.
English: Finny Joseph an Gospel Singer.
English: Finny pike, a fish found in Egypt.
English: Image for tutorial on uploading.By having these unresolved conflicts, it creates a strain on the relationship with other people (particularly a best friend), making it seem warlike. John Knowles illustrates that the relationship between Gene Forester (hereafter referred to as Gene) and Phineas (no last name given and hereafter as Finny) is a microcosm of the outer world in his novel, A Separate Peace. Gene's resentment of Finny caused their relationship to become a miniature war because their constant battling results in casualties as does war. Gene's resentment for Finny causes him to jounce the limb of the tree; consequently, Finny, a young man with proclivity of athletics, falls from the tree and shattered his leg in many places and hence, Finny is the major casualty of their war. The affection that Gene and Finny have for each other is symbolic to...