"A separate peace." By: Samantha Fremd.

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Samantha Fremd

A Separate Peace

Everyone has that one person; that one person who "completes" them. That one person who helps them understand them self. It is, in most cases, their best friend. In the novel, A Separate Peace, Gene Forrester had this one person. This person was none other than Finny.

They shared a peculiar relationship. They were very alike, but dissimilar at the same time. Gene excelled in academics, while Finny in athletics. Because of their opposite talents, they complemented each other. This helped Gene realize his talents. Since Finny was so athletic, Gene chose to pursue his academic talent, to be competitive with his friend. Also, while Finny's leg was shattered, he trained Gene and helped him realize his true athletic potential. For example, when he was running around the loop by the headmaster's house, he felt this force of strength that compelled him to run faster.

When he finished, Finny asked him if he was even winded, and Gene said, "No." Because of Finny, Gene realized how smart he could be in academics, and how much talent he had in athletics, and this helped him to better understand himself.

Finny was the spontaneous type, always changing his mind and plotting a new scheme. This was most evident when Finny made up the game "Blitzball." Without making any regulations beforehand, they just played the game and Finny would make the rules as they went along. The combination of Finny's impulsive behavior and his athletic talent increasingly made Gene more jealous as the story developed. His jealousy grew to a peak when Finny attempted and accomplished breaking the school's swimming record. When Gene wanted to tell someone, Finny halted him and said he didn't want anyone to be informed. He said, "I just...