Friendship. Betrayal. What is the difference between these opposites? Friendship is an alliance that is founded upon trust. Friendship is very much analogous to a joint faith amid friends. Friends are individuals who socialize together and communicate with each other. Betrayal on the other hand, is more of a destroying a trust with remarks, actions, or thoughts. This ties in exceptionally well with the book, A Separate Peace by John Knowles, which integrates the duality concept of friendship as well as betrayal.
In the book A Separate Peace, two friends, Gene and Phineas, are the sufferers of companionship and treachery. Friendship is exposed in the countless times that Finny referred to Gene as his finest friend. Gene however, infrequently thought of Finny as his unsurpassed comrade. For instance, Finny once said, "I know I dragged you away at the point of a gun, but after all, you can't come to the shore with just anybody and you can't come by yourself, and at this teenage period in life the proper person is your best pal, which is what you are."
Finny Plantation, Rodsley, Derbyshire
A Separate Peace
Original caption: Ne ties a friendship bracelet on...The disloyalty part is shown when Gene, instead of responding, ponders in relation to the "truth" that held him back from replying Finny was his best friend too.
In addition, Gene becomes apprehensive of Finny consciously plotting to sabotage his studies. He felt that Finny had betrayed their friendship and sparked an enmity among them. Every club and activity that Finny took part in, he influenced Gene to participate in as well. A great example of this is when Finny persuades Gene to go to the beach with him and ultimately ruin his studying for a trigonometry test. The feelings of betrayal Gene has are also supported by the naissance of, The Super Suicide Society of the Summer...