Hope In John Steinbeck's 'A Separate Peace'

Fear of Life, Hope in God

Many people seek to improve upon themselves and yet are so blind to their own flaws. Perhaps if they had been told these flaws or heard uplifting passages they could make themselves aware of what it is about themselves that they need to improve. While reading A Separate Peace the reader may call to mind a passage from Isaiah 49. The passage is able to connect with the main character, Gene, and how he could have been a better friend if he had familiarized himself with it. Throughout the book Gene struggled with his fear of the unknown and his jealousy for Finny’s successes. Gene was constantly insecure about who he was and who he wanted to be. He saw Finny as the obstacle keeping him from the best he could be when, in reality, Gene was merely restricting himself.
Throughout his life at Devon Gene would have benefited from hearing
Gene constantly compares his faults and triumphs to those of Finny. “If I was head of the class on Graduation Day and made a speech and won the Ne Plus Ultra Scholastic Achievement Citation, then we would both have come out on top, we would be even, that was all. We would be even…” (pg. 52). The previous quote shows how Gene sees Finny more as his competition than his friend. Gene believes that all of Finny’s actions are taken to better himself in their competition. Thus, Gene feels that Finny is taking measures to ensure Gene’s failure academically. “Finny had deliberately set out to wreck my studies. That explained blitzball,that explained the nightly meetings of the Super Suicide Society, that explained his insistence that I share all his diversions.” (pg. 53). This supports my previous statement that Gene is paranoid of Finny’s motives. Gene could never believe that his friend simply wants to spend time with him, instead he receives it as an act of