Naomi Charles 6/2/13
Mr. Grillo English 10 H
As one who has lived life to a certain degree would know, emotions can affect how someone views situations and people. Time can also change how we remember things. In A Separate Peace, we see the Devon School and the things that happened to some of the boys through the eyes of Gene. In the novel, Gene becomes jealous of Finny and views him as the perfect. It can be argued that, because of Gene's flaws of being jealous and also being naïve, we as readers should adjust the way we interpret the narrative.
The first clue that we should not take everything the narrator says literally is the way he describes his friend Phineas as being pretty much perfect. In most cases, no one is ever perfect. I think that one reason why Gene now looks back now and sees Gene is perfect is because he feels guilty and partially responsible for his death.
When people remember someone they love and now deceased, they tend to look at the good instead of the bad. Although Gene may feel like part of Phineas may still live through him, I think he is dealing a feeling of remorse and doesn't want to think of his friend in a negative way. It could also be argued because Gene thinks part of Finny still lives in him, he wouldn't want to put down the best aspects he has now earned from Phineas. After looking at the first clue, I think it can be determined that Phineas was a wonderful person, but wasn't perfect.
I think another clue that should be addressed as to why Gene can't be considered a reliable narrator is that he makes up a whole assumption in this mind that Phineas...