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One's identity is shaped by one's actions, thus becoming who one is. Growing up, everyone
questions, "How do we become who we are?" People argue that events shape one's identity, and
conversely, identity determines one's actions. In the book, A Separate Peace, written by John
Knowles, the main character, Gene Forrester, faces a similar problem. Gene is a high school
student who enters adulthood in a time of war. His identity is shaped by painful events, which
lead his intelligent student life, in fear of criticism and failure. Through fear, he lacks the self
confidence to say no to the will of others, and do what is in his best interest. While his problems
at Devon, World War II is occurring and some of his peers have enlisted in the army. Gene's
struggles between friendships and reality, carving his identity.
Like most high school students, Gene Forrester looks up to his peers and compares
himself to them. One peer in particular is his "best friend," Phineas also known as Finny. Gene
envies Finny's confidence and leadership abilities throughout the book. Gene convinces himself
that Finny is out to get him and to destroy his life, and is displeased with his personality. At
points in the novel, Gene tries to believe that Finny is his friend but then dismisses the fact that
Finny could be. "I should have told him then that he was my best friend also and rounded off
what he had said. I started to; I nearly did. But something held me back. Perhaps I was stopped
by that level of feeling, deeper than thought, which contains the truth. (pg. 48)" Gene can be
concluded as insecure, for he is confused of letting his guard down or not. Gene really wants to
be friends with Finny but deep down his thoughts of Finny and his envy makes him think
otherwise. Gene can't decide if Finny is his friend or foe. To make Finny seem less perfect, Gene
assures himself that Finny is trying to sabotage his life.
Gene goes on to admire Finny, but keeps the envy in his heart. He looks up to Finny and
wants to relate to him. His desire to be Finny is so great that since he can't exist with him, Gene
becomes him. "To keep silent about this amazing happening deepened the shock for me. It made
Finny seem too unusual for-not friendship, but too unusual for rivalry. And there were few
relationships among us at Devon not based on rivalry.(pg. 45)" At this point in the novel the
reader can conclude that Gene is becoming Finny. That Gene doesn't think of Finny as an enemy
but doesn't want to think of him as a friend. Gene's confusion, makes him loose his identity and
take up someone else's.
In the novel, Gene, at points, acts deceiving. His confusion leads to him acting one way
in front of Finny, and acting another way behind Finny's back. "Sometimes I found it hard to
remember his treachery, sometimes I discovered myself thoughtlessly slipping back into
affection for him again.(pg. 55)" Gene finds himself acting like Finny's friend. But at other times,
he despises Finny and thinks of him as his enemy. This affection that Gene has becomes stronger
and stronger in the novel and eventually starts to break. Gene's identity is blurring into Finny's,
but Gene is unaware of it. He gives up his identity and takes up Finny's to make him his hero.
Finny's desperateness of a great personality, leads him to develop a new one with painful effects.
The major event that changes Gene is when Finny fell out of a tree, becoming crippled.
Previously, before this event, Gene got into an argument with Finny. Then when Finny and Gene
go to the tree to jump of, Gene accidently shakes the tree. Finny on the limb falls down from the
branch becoming crippled. After this event, Gene thinks he is guilty of what happened to Finny.
He is so disgusted with this accident that he can't bear to be himself anymore. Therefore, he takes
up Finny's identity. "I spent as much time as I could alone in our room, trying to empty my mind
of every thought, to forget where I was, even who I was. [...] I decided to put on his cloths.[...]
This gave me such intense relief, [...] I would never stumble through the confusions of my own
character again.(pg. 62)" Gene is unaware of who he is. To lose the guilt he has, he abandons his
identity and becomes Finny.
Gene wears Finny's cloths and stand in front of the mirror. In the mirror, he sees not
himself but Finny. " I was Phineas, Phineas to life. I even had his humorous expression on his
face, his sharp, optimistic awareness.(pg. 62)" Gene has a lust to become Finny. When looking at
the mirror at himself, Gene sees Finny. He is transforming into Finny's personality. His
characteristics are becoming like Finny's. For example, since Gene sees Finny in the mirror, he
becomes, to himself more like Finny. By seeing himself as Finny, he loses his guilt that he had
toward Finny. This makes him feel closer to Finny and close enough to take Finny's identity.
After this life changing event for Gene, he ejects his evil feelings for Finny and turns his feelings
around, where dependency instead of envy drives it.
Since Finny became crippled he wasn't able to be as athletic as he was before. Instead he
trained Gene to accomplish his dreams. Finny's dream was to become an athlete. Finny
dependent on Gene now. "Finney says, "Leave your fantasy life out of this. We're grooming you
for the Olympics, pal, in 1944." [...] There was no harm in taking aim, even if the target was a
dream.(pg. 117)" Now Finny sets out to transform Gene into an Olympic athlete. Gene agrees to
him without questioning. He thinks that it is just a dream. This shows that he takes Finny's dream
and makes it his own. The reader can conclude that both Gene and Finny are dependent on each
other now, they need each other.
From then on, Finny trains Gene for the Olympics. Gene need Finny to learn more about
himself. ""You've been pretty lazy all along, haven't you?" "Yes, I guess I have been." "You
didn't even know anything about yourself." "I didn't guess I did, in a way."" This shows that by
becoming more like Finny, an athlete, Gene learns more about his true self. Changing his identity
helps him learn more about his own great personality. Gene is trying on his admiration and envy,
trying to become his hero, Finny. Both Gene and Finny are determine to make Finny's dreams
come true. But Gene still thinks about the war and is confused between the dream and reality.
One good friend of Gene and Finny, Leper joins the military. He comes home insane and
psychotic. When Gene goes to visit him, he acts insane. Gene finds the one person who knows
his real identity. ""Like that time you knocked Finny out of the tree, [...] always were a savage
underneath."" Gene is taken back that someone knows his real identity. Before this no one really
accused Gene of causing the accident that happened to Finny. Only Gene himself believe he had
caused the accident. But now Leper had admitted it too. He had known the real Gene. Gene
couldn't take the blame so he then pushes Leper out of the chair forgetting Leper's insanity.
Eventually Gene confronts Finny about the accident. They both believe the fact that Gene
didn't mean to push Finny out of the tree. "This touched an interesting point Phineas had been
turning over in his mind for a long time. [...] "It's very funny," he said, "but ever since then I've
had a feeling that the tree did it by itself. It's an impression I've had. Almost as though the tree
shook me out by itself."(pg. 169)" Gene wasn't Gene when he shook the branch. It was his
jealousy, his envy that caused him to jounce the limb. He didn't intend on destroying Finny's
future but ended up doing so. Finny never showed that he cared about what happened to him
until when Gene brought it up. Finny sounded as though he was not only trying to convince Gene
but also himself that Gene didn't purposely shake the branch.



Adolescents identities and societies trouble are fought between when growing up but only
through this one becomes a person.----ending sentence of essay