A Seperate Peace: Fictional characters Struggle To Derive Epiphany Essay, Research Paper

Gene Forrester, in A Separate Peace by John Knowles, struggles to derive epiphany through his close relationship with his roomie Phineas at the Devon School. Phineas represents the artlessness that merely a kid possesses, for no victors or also-rans, Alliess or enemies, or right or incorrect exists to Phineas. Because of his injured leg, Phineas blinds himself to the war around him. Phineas feels that if he can non function in the war, than the war does non be. Phineas tells himself and others that the war does non be in an attempt to do his hurt easier for him to accept. One can love another unconditionally, but there is no warrant the love will be returned. However, Phineas naively believes, ? When you truly love something, so it loves you back, in whatever manner it has to love? ( 103 ) . At the beach, Phineas, non afraid to portion his feelings, admits to Gene that he is his best friend ; for the kid within him destroys the barriers of fright that come with opening oneself to another. Phineas pig-headedly rejects the thought of Gene? s intentionally bouncing the limb until the test. The test forces Phineas to accept his best friend? s evil purposes ; therefore, Phineas? artlessness all of a sudden falls apart. Ironically, Phineas falls down the stairss to his decease.

Gene bit by bit learns that he is capable of immorality. At first, Gene admits a? blind urge? causes him to bounce the limb ; nevertheless, he can non acknowledge his evil inclinations. Gene? s epiphany begins when he subsequently confesses to Phineas that he intentionally jounced the limb. During the mock test, Gene realizes precisely what he has done when Leper reenacts the incident in the tree.

Gene reaches the following measure of deriving his epiphany when Phineas dies, for Gene realizes the significance of Phineas in his life. Gene says, ? I could non get away a feeling that this was my ain funeral, and you do non shout in that instance? ( 186 ) . Gene saw Phineas as portion of him, as though they were the same individual. Gene? s true epiphany occurs 15 old ages subsequently when he returns to Devon. Not until so does Gene look back and accept his evil actions and the terrible effects those actions caused. The tree, revisited by Gene, becomes dry and weary, for it has changed in the past 15 old ages. Gene alterations every bit good, for he has found his true epiphany.

Phineas lives his life as a kid, and Gene lives his life as an grownup. Phineas dies before he realizes the enemy in his life ; hence, he ne’er gets to see many of the negative cosmopolitan truths about world. Gene displays the adulthood of an grownup when he says, ? My war ended before I of all time put on a uniform ; I was on active responsibility all the clip at school ; I killed my enemy at that place? ( 196 ) . Because of a covetous hatred, Phineas is Gene? s enemy. Gene normally dresses in the criterion, mature school garb. When Gene tries to have on Phineas? pink shirt, he does non experience comfy. The shirt represents adolescence, and Gene can non have on the shirt because he is an grownup. All of the male childs at Devon demand to travel to war to happen themselves, for they need a intent in life. On the contrary, Gene does non necessitate to travel to war because he has already found himself. Gene is non a male child ; he is an grownup. Becoming an grownup comes with many self-fulfillments, and true epiphany occurs merely when one looks back at their actions and accepts the effects that their actions have caused.