A Separate Peace: Coming-of-Age Novel Essay Example

be a crew manager instead of going out for a sport.This is after Phineas’ “accident”, which Gene feels responsible for; and he takes the insult personally. Gene’s reaction to the insult shows the reader the actual closeness between Gene and Phineas. By taking the insult to such a personal level, the reader is able to understand how Gene and Finny have become almost as one person.

Gene feels as though he is crippled himself because of the tightness of the bond between them, and the guilt he feels for Finny’s injury.The theme of maturation also becomes clear, as Gene feels heavy-laden with guilt and responsibility for the decision he made to jounce the branch. The last violent scene also depicts Gene’s struggle between maturity and immaturity. He causes Leper’s chair to fall over when accused of making Finny fall from the tree.

On one hand, the child-like trait of resorting to violence when confronted with anger and embarrassment is shown. He is aware Leper knows the truth, but is unwilling to face it.However, on the other hand, by becoming angry and defensive in the first place, Gene shows he is remorseful and responsible for his actions. Violence in some form is a part of most every man’s youth, and it can even be paralleled to the fighting occurring in Europe at that time. Though the violent scenes in A Separate Peace are few, they contain great purpose and are significant contributors to the novel as a whole.

Each event is symbolic to the rite of passage traveled by Gene and his peers, not only becoming men fighting for a peace within, but soldiers fighting for

a peace of nations.