Cause and Effect Essay: A Separate Peace

Cause/Effect

Gene's competition with Finny affects both of them and some of his classmates in different ways. Mainly the war that Gene fights with the unknowing Finny ? affects himself the most. The idea that Finny might be better at something is on Gene's mind the entire novel. Even when Finny gets hurt after falling from the tree and can never do sports again ? Gene still believes that somehow Finny is better than he is. At one point Gene calculates in his mind their skills in academics and sports and finds that he comes out on top but he still can not be at peace with Finny and himself. Later this effect ? which may be Gene's own way of taking part in WW2 ? kills Finny. The war acted as a catalyst for the students actions. Brinker became very outgoing and spontaneous ? Gene fought his own world war ? and Leper was driven to insanity. To each their own they found ways to deal with the war ? except for the innocent Finny; too pure to even believe that there was a war ? much like he didn't know a stab in his own back when Gene stood behind him.

The cause in A Separate Peace is that people create enemies in their mind for themselves to destroy ? but once the enemy is lost so is the victor. While World War II lingers on in the background of most of the students minds ? the war in Gene's life is within himself. In Knowles perspective ? through the character of Gene ? everyone goes through a war in his life and there is always an enemy to be defeated. Gene is in a constant war with his "best friend ?" Finny ? over who can be better ? except that Finny doesn't even know he is part of the battle until it takes his life. Finny ? being the essence of innocence ? believes that no one could possibly be his enemy because he has done nothing wrong. However how could Finny have lived in such a world where his innately pure spirit puts him above a war soaked world?

Gene's internal war is similar to Neil's war in the movie Dead Poets Society. Neil's decisions of what he wants to do with his life effect with the ideas and plans that his ...