Flashbacks In A Separate Peace

Throughout the book, A Separate Peace, we see Gene dealing with an inner conflict. We see him struggling with who he really is and the guilt he carries with him. He is conflicted about his identity and who he should be. Throughout the book he continues to have guilt over the accident he causes with his best friend Finny. The incident causes Gene to have major conflict with himself. He is conflicted if he really caused the incident or if it was truly an accident. The devices used in this story to reflect that Gene has an inner conflict are, flashbacks, foreshadowing, and symbolism. One of the devices used in the book to show Gene has an inner conflict is flashbacks. The author shows flashbacks through Gene’s eyes which shows he has
During Finny’s accident when Gene moves the branch it foreshadows that he is jealous of Finny. He goes to see Finny and confronts his fear of telling him what actually happened. “I deliberately jounced the limb so you would fall off” Gene says on his visit to see Finny (Knowles, pg.70). This leads to an inner conflict with himself and his guilt because finny does not believe that he actually moved the limb on purpose. Gene is unsure if he should be guilty or not because he is unsure if he really meant to make the limb move. Throughout this story it is unclear if he is sincerely sorry about Finny’s accident or if he is just trying to cover his tracks. Finny’s accident is also a bad thing for Gene. He was going to join the army, then when Finny came back he tries to make him into an olympian. This foreshadows Gene’s inner conflict about what he wants to do. Since he is fighting with himself and his guilt he feels obligated to stay with Finny and help him in any way possible. Since Finny is not eligible to go to war or do any athletics he is determined to turn Gene into him so he can fulfill his goals. “Listen, pal, if I can’t play sports, you’re going to play them for me” (pg. 85). At this point Gene has lost his freedom and is forced to become a part of Phineas, as if it is his new purpose in
There are many symbols in the book that show Gene is dealing with an inner conflict. After Finny’s accident Gene goes to see Finny which shows he is struggling with guilt. Once he returns to Devon for school he does not have Finny or anyone else as a roommate. At this time he wears Finny’s clothes which shows that the inner conflict he deals with is not knowing who he is. He is himself, yet he is also morphing into Finny. Finny comes back to school awhile later to see that his place was “saved” for him. “Saving my place for me! Good old Devon. But anyway, you wouldn’t have let them put anyone else in there, would you?” (Knowles, pg.83). Gene is surprised by Finny’s arrival showing that he may in fact not be guilty at all because he didn’t intend on saving Finny’s room. Later, when they skip class and go to the gym Finny wants Gene to do pullups. Gene wants to prove he is better than him so he does them successfully. This shows that Gene is trying to one up Finny and be better than him. This symbolises his inner conflict by showing he really doesn’t know who he is. He constantly goes back and forth between how he acts and how Finny