Gene Forrester's difficult journey towards maturity and the adult world is a main focus of the novel, A Separate Peace, by John Knowles. Gene's journey begins the moment he pushes Phineas from the tree and the process continues until he visits the tree fifteen years later. Throughout this time, Gene must become self-aware, face reality and the future, confront his problems, as well as forgive and accept the With the jouncing of the limb, Gene realizes hisproblems and the true person he is inside. Fifteen years later, whenrevisiting the tree, he finally accepts and forgives himself. Thisjourney is a long and painful one. At the end of this long and windingroad filled with ditches, difficulties and problems, Gene emerges amature adult.Gene jounces the limb and causes Finny's fall and at that momentbecomes aware of his inner-self and learns of his true feelings. Thisrevelation comes to him back in his room before he and Finny leave forthe tree. It surrounds him with the shock of his true self until hefinally reacts by jouncing the limb. Up in the tree, before the twofriends are about to make their "double-jump", Gene sees Finny in thisnew light. He realizes that Finny feels no jealousy or hatred towardshim and that Finny is indeed perfect in every way. Gene becomes awarethat only he is the jealous one. He learns of his animosity and thathe really is a "savage underneath". Over a long period of time Genehad been denying his feelings of hatred towards Finny, saying that itwas normal for him to feel this way. Now all of the feelings come backto him and he sees how terrible he really is. The realization thatthese feelings are one-sided causes Gene to fall dramatically incomparison to Finny (he paints himself black for these feelings andbecause Finny doesn't share them, he puts a halo around Finny's head),concludes with the necessity for Finny to be brought down to hislevel, and results with Gene jouncing the limb.After the realization of the...
