# data[].attributes.body
I think that Finny could be a good friend to Gene if they could get over the jealously between them. Gene say, "I was beginning to see that Phineas could get away with anything. I couldn't help envying him that 

# data[].attributes.body
Gene Forrester constantly battles within himself to find how he truest feels towards his friend Phinny and to find out who he really is.  Gene and Phinny formed a companionship, but there was always a silent rivalry between them in Gene’s mind.  In the beginning, Gene thought his feeling towards Phineas was completely normal and it will go away in time.  However, as the time went on and Gene matured he found out that his feeling was much more than little jealousy but it has turned into hate.  Gene Forrester develops into a mature adult when he finally accepts his feeling and faces reality. 
	This rivalry is similar to the one between Milton, and Charley.  These two are brothers that have had a rivalry since the day they were born.  They have always fought over the littlest things.  Some examples are,  who would right shotgun, which was a favorite to argue over.  Which would get a shower first,  and who would get to ride the razor on the trails first.
	This rivalry has escalated to become even worse than when they were kids there teenage years.  It has gotten to the point were they would get into EXTREME verbal arguments with each other.  When they were sixteen they moved out of the house they lived in.  The parents got the biggest room in the house with an additional bathroom.  Which neiter one of them was very fond of it because they wanted the biggest room in the house.  
But they gave the dog the smallets room for its self.  Which neiter one dissagreed with because they wanted the biggest room in the house.  Militon is six foot five inches tall and weighed two hundred thirity five-pounds.  And Charley is five foot 7 inches tall and weighed one hundred eighty-three pounds.  
So when they found out neither one of them would be getting the biggest room in the house they started to argue over who would get the bigger room of the two.  After they argued for five hours their mom, Peggy got fed up with it and said that Charley is going to get the biggest room of the two.  Which Milton isn’t very happy about that choice because he is much bigger than Charley.  That decision made Milton very angry at Charley because of the size difference between the two.
Now Milton and Charley are in there late twenties so the arguments went from EXTREMELY verbal to bloody fist fights.  For example,  they were out at a family cookout and there was one beer left in the cooler so they started to argue about it then Charley pushed Militon and that led for Militon to punch Charley in the head.  This event led to the start of a new hatred between the two brothers.  So every time the littlest thing would cause them to argue they would go straight into fighting.
	

# data[].attributes.body
Gene Forrester constantly battles within himself to find how he truest feels towards his friend Phinny and to find out who he really is.  Gene and Phinny formed a companionship, but there was always a silent rivalry between them in Gene’s mind.  In the beginning, Gene thought his feeling towards Phineas was completely normal and it will go away in time.  However, as the time went on and Gene matured he found out that his feeling was much more than little jealousy but it has turned into hate.  Gene Forrester develops into a mature adult when he finally accepts his feeling and faces reality. 
	This rivalry is similar to the one between Milton, and Charley.  These two are brothers that have had a rivalry since the day they were born.  They have always fought over the littlest things.  Some examples are,  who would right shotgun, which was a favorite to argue over.  Which would get a shower first,  and who would get to ride the razor on the trails first.
	This rivalry has escalated to become even worse than when they were kids there teenage years.  It has gotten to the point were they would get into EXTREME verbal arguments with each other.  When they were sixteen they moved out of the house they lived in.  The parents got the biggest room in the house with an additional bathroom.  Which neiter one of them was very fond of it because they wanted the biggest room in the house.  
But they gave the dog the smallets room for its self.  Which neiter one dissagreed with because they wanted the biggest room in the house.  Militon is six foot five inches tall and weighed two hundred thirity five-pounds.  And Charley is five foot 7 inches tall and weighed one hundred eighty-three pounds.  
So when they found out neither one of them would be getting the biggest room in the house they started to argue over who would get the bigger room of the two.  After they argued for five hours their mom, Peggy got fed up with it and said that Charley is going to get the biggest room of the two.  Which Milton isn’t very happy about that choice because he is much bigger than Charley.  That decision made Milton very angry at Charley because of the size difference between the two.
Now Milton and Charley are in there late twenties so the arguments went from EXTREMELY verbal to bloody fist fights.  For example,  they were out at a family cookout and there was one beer left in the cooler so they started to argue about it then Charley pushed Militon and that led for Militon to punch Charley in the head.  This event led to the start of a new hatred between the two brothers.  So every time the littlest thing would cause them to argue they would go straight into fighting.
	

# data[].attributes.body
Gene Forrester constantly battles within himself to find how he truest feels towards his friend Phinny and to find out who he really is.  Gene and Phinny formed a companionship, but there was always a silent rivalry between them in Gene’s mind.  In the beginning, Gene thought his feeling towards Phineas was completely normal and it will go away in time.  However, as the time went on and Gene matured he found out that his feeling was much more than little jealousy but it has turned into hate.  Gene Forrester develops into a mature adult when he finally accepts his feeling and faces reality. 
	This rivalry is similar to the one between Milton, and Charley.  These two are brothers that have had a rivalry since the day they were born.  They have always fought over the littlest things.  Some examples are,  who would right shotgun, which was a favorite to argue over.  Which would get a shower first,  and who would get to ride the razor on the trails first.
	This rivalry has escalated to become even worse than when they were kids there teenage years.  It has gotten to the point were they would get into EXTREME verbal arguments with each other.  When they were sixteen they moved out of the house they lived in.  The parents got the biggest room in the house with an additional bathroom.  Which neiter one of them was very fond of it because they wanted the biggest room in the house.  
But they gave the dog the smallets room for its self.  Which neiter one dissagreed with because they wanted the biggest room in the house.  Militon is six foot five inches tall and weighed two hundred thirity five-pounds.  And Charley is five foot 7 inches tall and weighed one hundred eighty-three pounds.  
So when they found out neither one of them would be getting the biggest room in the house they started to argue over who would get the bigger room of the two.  After they argued for five hours their mom, Peggy got fed up with it and said that Charley is going to get the biggest room of the two.  Which Milton isn’t very happy about that choice because he is much bigger than Charley.  That decision made Milton very angry at Charley because of the size difference between the two.
Now Milton and Charley are in there late twenties so the arguments went from EXTREMELY verbal to bloody fist fights.  For example,  they were out at a family cookout and there was one beer left in the cooler so they started to argue about it then Charley pushed Militon and that led for Militon to punch Charley in the head.  This event led to the start of a new hatred between the two brothers.  So every time the littlest thing would cause them to argue they would go straight into fighting.
	

# data[].attributes.body
Gene Forrester constantly battles within himself to find how he truest feels towards his friend Phinny and to find out who he really is.  Gene and Phinny formed a companionship, but there was always a silent rivalry between them in Gene’s mind.  In the beginning, Gene thought his feeling towards Phineas was completely normal and it will go away in time.  However, as the time went on and Gene matured he found out that his feeling was much more than little jealousy but it has turned into hate.  Gene Forrester develops into a mature adult when he finally accepts his feeling and faces reality. 
	This rivalry is similar to the one between Milton, and Charley.  These two are brothers that have had a rivalry since the day they were born.  They have always fought over the littlest things.  Some examples are,  who would right shotgun, which was a favorite to argue over.  Which would get a shower first,  and who would get to ride the razor on the trails first.
	This rivalry has escalated to become even worse than when they were kids there teenage years.  It has gotten to the point were they would get into EXTREME verbal arguments with each other.  When they were sixteen they moved out of the house they lived in.  The parents got the biggest room in the house with an additional bathroom.  Which neiter one of them was very fond of it because they wanted the biggest room in the house.  
But they gave the dog the smallets room for its self.  Which neiter one dissagreed with because they wanted the biggest room in the house.  Militon is six foot five inches tall and weighed two hundred thirity five-pounds.  And Charley is five foot 7 inches tall and weighed one hundred eighty-three pounds.  
So when they found out neither one of them would be getting the biggest room in the house they started to argue over who would get the bigger room of the two.  After they argued for five hours their mom, Peggy got fed up with it and said that Charley is going to get the biggest room of the two.  Which Milton isn’t very happy about that choice because he is much bigger than Charley.  That decision made Milton very angry at Charley because of the size difference between the two.
Now Milton and Charley are in there late twenties so the arguments went from EXTREMELY verbal to bloody fist fights.  For example,  they were out at a family cookout and there was one beer left in the cooler so they started to argue about it then Charley pushed Militon and that led for Militon to punch Charley in the head.  This event led to the start of a new hatred between the two brothers.  So every time the littlest thing would cause them to argue they would go straight into fighting.
	

# data[].attributes.body
The two sentences beginning "It made Finny seem" and ending "not based on rivalry" create a sense of

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1

I think that Finny is a good friend to Gene and Gene would not have a good life without him. Everyone needs a good friend who they can lean on and tell things to, because sometimes one good friend is all you have. " ' It's you, pal,' Finny said to me at last, ' just you and me.' He and I started back across the fields, preceding the others like two seigneurs. We were best of friends at that moment." (Knowles 17-18). It was truly at this moment that they were the best of friends and thesis when Knowles first showed us what statement he was trying to make. I believe that he was trying to convey to us that sometimes all you have is one good friend, but one good friend is all you need.

# data[].attributes.body
Harrison Roberts
Prompt #3

I believe the best way to gain self knowledge and to have a fuller understanding of ourselves is through others. Your opinion about yourself and who you think you are May not actually be who you truly are. In the case with Finny and Gene they are virtually polar opposites. Finny is extremely athletic and a daredevil. However Gene is extremely intelligent and studious, we see this in "you want to be head of the class, valedictorian...."(Tahan, 51). Gene can have a better understanding of himself through seeing Finny and what Finny is capable of. Gene also takes the role of Finny towards the end of the story by trying to become what Finny can no longer be.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1

I think that Finny is a good friend to Gene and Gene would not have a good life without him. Everyone needs a good friend in life who they can lean on and tell things to because sometimes one good friend is all you have. " '

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1

# data[].attributes.body
Finny is not a great friend to Gene, Finny always pushes gene to his limits and is doing stuff gene does not like to do. Gene is always jealous of finny, which is not good for Gene. Finny always distracts Gene from his school for and school work is very important to Gene. "Finny had deliberately set out to wreck my studies….We were even after all, even in enmity. The deadly rivalry was on both sides after all” (45 knowles) Gene would be better off without finny in his life. A great friendship shouldn't have jealousy or having someone pushing them beyond there limits.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #2
As kids grow up in the world they have to make changes in there life, they also have to change themselves in a mental and physical way. In the beginning of the book Gene had it rough but after finny broke his leg he got over his jealousy for finny. And when finny died Gene became his own person. "I was beginning to see that Phineas could get away with anything. I couldn't help envying him a little, which was perfectly normal. There was no harm in envying even your best friend a little." (25

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1
Change is one of the main themes in the novel, and Gene experiences a lot of change throughout it. "Nothing endures, not a tree, not love, not even death by violence. Changed I headed back through the mud. I was drenched; anybody could see it was time to come in out of the rain." (Knowles 14) You can tell that Gene is experience change as he says this. "I never killed anybody and I never developed an intense level of hatred for the enemy." (Knowles 204) I know that Gene is changing by the tone in his words, when he talks about the war. Gene is only a kid, and this is why he experiences a lot of change thought the novel.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1
Change is one of the main themes in the novel, and Gene experiences a lot of change thought

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1
Certain people come into our lives for reasons we do not know. Friends come into our lives and help us along the journey of life; they get us through thick and thin. In the novel, Gene has his best friend, Finny, to help him get through the school year. Without Finny in Gene's life, I believe that Gene would never have stepped out of his comfort zone. Finny helped Gene to live life to the fullest. We see how Finny pushes Gene to do the he would never do on his own on page 45. "'Let's go to the beach.' The beach was hours away by bicycle, forbidden, completely out of all bounds. Going there risked expulsion [...] 'All right,' I said." (Knowles 45,46) Gene would never have thought about going to the beach if Finny had never brought the idea up. We also see Finny pushing Gene to step out of his comfort zone on page 31. "'Afraid to jump out of that tree?' I expect it'll be a very pleasant jump.' After we had swum around in the water for a while Finny said, 'Will you do me the pleasure of jumping out of the tree first?' 'My pleasure.'" (Knowles 31) In my opinion, I believe that Finny has been the better of friends to Gene, than Gene to Finny. I believe this because Finny pushes Gene to live life to the fullest in the best of ways. I believe that Knowles is saying that friends or certain people come into our lives to help us make the most of our life.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt 1
Finny was a good friend to Gene, it was instead Gene who was a bad friend to Finny. For instance, the characters were at the beach Gene and Finny were having a conversation about their friendship. When Finny states Gene is his best friend Gene does not say anything back, thinking, "But something held me back. Perhaps I was stopped by that level of feeling, deeper than though, which contains the truth." (48). This shows that Gene did not feel like he was friends with Finny, but Gene really needed him. If Gene felt like they were not friends he should have ended their friendship. He didn't because although he might not have always liked Finny he also knew that he was a true friend to him. Finny even forgives Gene for everything that he did to him saying, "It wasn't anything you really felt against me, it wasn't some kind of hate you felt all along." (191). This shows us that Finny really did think of Gene as a true friend even through everything he did. Gene also grows from this and learns how to live with himself and even regrets not saying he was Finny's best friend as an adult.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt 2
From the beginning of a Separate Peace to the end Gene grows in character a lot, going from an insecure adolescent to a independent adult. In the beginning of the book Gene has a jealousy for Finny, that is very childish and just based off his insecurities about him self. Gene even goes so far as to normalize his jealousy by saying, "I was beginning to see that Phineas could get away with anything. I couldn't help envying him that a little, which was perfectly normal. There was no harm in envying even your best friend a little" (25). After Finny hurt himself though and became dependent of Gene, Gene started to show compassion for Finny. Gene even went as far as to start to feel as if he was part of Finny and Finny was part of him. Gene even tries on Finny's cloths and thought, "I was Phineas, Phineas to the life. I even had his humorous expression in my face, his sharp, optimistic awareness. I had no idea why this gave me such intense relief, but it seemed, standing there in Finny's triumphant shirt, that I would never stumble through the confusion of my own character again."(62).

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #2
I think Finny is a good friend to Gene and Gene is better off for having known him. We know Gene is a pushover. "Going there risked expulsion ...and it also involved the kind of long labored ride I hated. 'All right,' I said." (Knowles 46) However, Finny only pushes Gene to be better than he is. With Finny, Gene is more athletic, adventurous, outgoing, and brave. Finny always has had these qualities, "...Even as a Lower-Middler Phineas had been the best athlete in the school..." (Knowles 16) He shows Gene how to possess these qualities, and encourages him to be better throughout the story.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt 2

Throughout the story Gene is filled with guilt after what has happened to Finny. He goes from an intelligent happy person to someone who finds that the enemy is only himself. "I spent as much time as I could alone in our room, trying to empty my mind of every thought, to forget where I was, even who I was. " (Knowles 62) This shows that as time went on, Gene starts to question himself. His own personal war is getting the best of him, making the story travel into a darker element. "Because my world ended before I ever put on a uniform; I was on active duty all my life at school; I killed my enemy there." (Knowles 204) By the end of the book Gene realizes that his own personal enemy and that the school was the place of his war. During his time at the school, he grows to a person consumed by guilt and by the end he becomes of person who does not let emotions control him, but not disregarding feelings at all.

# data[].attributes.body
I think that Gene would be better off without Finny as a friend. Finny was always jealous of Gene because of his athleticism and sometimes it got the best of Finny. We realize that Gene also doesn't want Gene to fully understand him when Gene states, "The Suicide Society continued to meet every evening, and I continued to attend, because I didn't want Finny to understand me as I understand him." (Knowles 56). Gene and Finny act like they know each other and act like they are truly friends but we as the audience, see that their friendship is completely opposite. We also can tell that they are competitive when Finny is trying to ruin Gene's studying. We notice this when Finny thinks, "Finny had deliberately set out to wreck my studies." (Knowles 53). This shows that Finny will do anything to prove that he is better than Gene. I think Knowles is saying that even though someone might look like your friend they can act different about you behind your back.

# data[].attributes.body
I think Finny was a good friend to Gene, however I feel that Gene did not return the feeling.  I believe Gene just wanted to look like he was better that Finny, which would explain why Gene jounced the branch and caused Finny to fall and break his leg.  Since Finny would no longer be able to outdo Gene in sports, Gene would have secured his image as being better that Finny.  Gene would most likely have been better off without Finny in his life, as he would not have to deal with the doubt and regret of making him fall.  For example, after meeting Finny when he was recovering, Gene thinks "It occurred to me that this could be an even deeper injury than what I had done before.  I would have to back out of it, disown it" (Knowles 70).

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1
A good friendship is hard to find these days.  I think Gene would be better off without Finny.  It seems Finny always wants to control Gene and make all the decisions for him instead of Gene making his own decisions.  Friendship isn't about pressuring someone to do something.  Gene was uncomfortable with a lot of the things that Finny made him do.  Finny always made Gene feel bad about everything.  Gene had no idea why Finny wanted to be his friend so much.  "Finny had deliberately set out to wreck my studies" (Knowles 53).  This quote shows that Gene thinks that Finny will try to mess up his studies or something with his life.  There was too much anger and jealously for Gene and Finny to have a good friendship.  I think Knowles was telling us that a friendship can go a long way but if it's not strong enough it will fade away.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1
I think that everyone needs a best friend, I think that Gene needed Finny. I do think that Finny was a good friend to Gene. Every friendship is going to have its up and downs, no matter how perfect you thing your friendship is. Genes and Finny's ups and down came from gene thinking that Finny was jealous of him, when he was jealous of Finny, but just didn't want to admit it. "I was beginning to see that Phineas could get away with anything. I couldn't help envying him a little, which was perfectly normal. There was no harm in envying even your best friend a little" (Knowles 25). I think this quote explains what friendship really is, you have your ups and downs no matter who your best friends with. This quote is the first time we find out that Gene is envy of Finny. I think the reason why Finny died was because of Gene's jealously towards him. So in a way Finny is a bad chose of a friend for Gene, but in some ways he's a good friend.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt # 1

I think Gene would be better of without Finny in his life. Gene says, "Yes, he had practically saved my life. He had also practically lost it for me. I wouldn't have been on that limb except for him"(Knowles 33). When he says this he means he is thankful that Finny saved his life but would be better of without him. What Knowles is trying to say, is that all friendships aren't always perfect. Sometimes it is in your best interest to stop being friends.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1

I do not think that Finny is a good friend to Gene because without telling Gene to do something, he kind of in a way forces him because Gene doesn't want him to feel bad. I think Gene would be better off without him because eventually he would learn to do the better things in life on his own and that's always better that learning the bad thing with Finny.  In the book Gene says, "I laughed along with Finny, my best friend, and also unique, able to get away with anything at all" (Knowles 28). In that statement Gene explains that he thought that Finny was his best friend, not even thinking that he makes him do the wrong things. Towards the middle of the book though, Gene starts to realize what Finny is doing to him and how he isn't a good friend for him to hang out with. What Knowles is trying to show about friendship is just because you think that they are your best friend doesn't mean that he will pressure you into doing things that you don't and shouldn't do.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt 1
I think Finny was a good friend to Gene but Gene slowly became more and more envious of him, "I was beginning to see that Phineas could get away with anything. I couldn't help envying him a little..."(25) This eventually led to Gene hurting Finny because of his jealousy. Gene may have not been better off with out him because he may have got jealous of someone else and would have been in close to the same situation. I think Knowles is trying to say that friends can become rivals.

# data[].attributes.body
Finny is a good friend to Gene. However, I believe that Gene is better off without Finny. Gene is envious and feels animosity towards Finny, for his athletic prowess, but Finny is also jealous of how smart Gene is. We see this when he says "Listen, I could study forever and I'd never bread C.  But it's different for you, you're good. you rally are.  If I had a brain like that, I'd--I'd have my head cut open so people could look at it...."(Knowles 58). The difference is that Finny wishes to be as smart as Gene, not that Gene would be less smart, while Gene hurts Finny, taking away his athletic abilities. Finny doesn't deserve what happens to him, but Gene will be better off without having that rivalry and animosity in his life. Knowles is showing that friendship can be hard. He is also showing that we all are blessed with different talents, and we need to see our own blessings and not be upset about the things we do not have in our own lives

# data[].attributes.body
Pr

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1

In my opinion I feel like Gene would've been better off without Finny. That is because of Finny's reckless and dare devil like personality. Finny was a bad role model for Gene, and although they were best friends they were complete opposites. This caused them to build a huge rivalry and eventually Genes jealousy of Finny got the best of him.We could see throughout the novel how Gene all of a sudden started to envy Finny.For example "I was beginning to see that Phineas could get away with about anything.I couldn't help envying him,which was perfectly normal."(Knowles 25)

# data[].attributes.body
Finny is a good friend to Gene. However, I believe that Gene is better off without Finny. Gene is envious and feels animosity towards Finny, for his athletic prowess, but Finny is also jealous of how smart Gene is. We see this when he says "Listen, I could study forever and I'd never bread C.  But it's different for you, you're good. you rally are.  If I had a brain like that, I'd--I'd have my head cut open so people could look at it...."(Knowles 58). The difference is that Finny wishes to be as smart as Gene, not that Gene would be less smart, while Gene hurts Finny, taking away his athletic abilities. Finny doesn't deserve what happens to him, but Gene will be better off without having that rivalry and animosity in his life. Knowles is showing that friendship can be hard. He is also showing that we all are blessed with different talents, and we need to see our own blessings and not be upset about the things we do not have in our own lives

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1

Friendship doesn't always go the way you thought or the way you were expecting it to. Friendship between two people can sometimes be difficult, happy, sad, joyful, heart breaking and so much more. I think Finny could of been a good friend to Gene, if they got over all the jealously and resentment. In the book Gene says, " I was beginning to that Phineas could get away with anything. I couldn't help envy him that a little, which was perfectly normal. There is no harm in envying your best friend a little." (Knowles 20) I think that sentences states what friendship really means. If your friendship is strong enough between two people than y'all can get through anything, thick or thin. "It's you, pal, Finny said to me at last, 'just you and me.' He and I started across the field, preceding the others like the seigners." (Knowles 38-39) I think Knowles was trying to tell us readers that friendship can come along way but has some bumps in the roads.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1

Personally, I believe friendship is about supporting each other and setting a good example for your friends. Friends protect each other and look out for their best interest. Yes, Finny was a good friend to Gene. However, Gene could have been better off without Finny in his life as his friend. Finny thinks that is was a good thing Gene fell off the tree. 'You were very good,' said Finny good-humoredly, 'once I shamed you into it" (Knowles 18). Also, I think their relationship was too juvenile and was not serious. Gene did not take his relationship seriously with Finny. It shows how sarcastic Gene was on page 15, 'Is that what you like best?' I said sarcastically. I said a lot of things sarcastically that summer" (Knowles 15). I think Knowles is stating that having a strong friendship is important because you have somebody to lean on. Gene and Finny were meant for each other.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #3
I believe it is possible for us to gain self-knowledge through others. We are around our friends and family pretty much all the time and over time we pick up on their behavior and attitude about various things. With picking up on their outlook, we also begin to notice how we think, whether we agree or think differently. I think we start to know who we are as an individual by picking up what we like and dislike from others. "But one day after out Chaplin ,Mr.Carhart,had become very moved by his own sermon in cape about God in the Foxholes, I came away thinking that if Finny's opinion of the war was unreal, Mr.Carhart's was at least as unreal. But of course I didn't believe him" ( Knowles   63) As shown in the quote above, Gene did not agree on their opinion and furthermore knows his opinions and increases his self-knowledge.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1
The friendship of finny and Gene is defiantly an interesting one. I believe that Gene is better off without Finny simply because Gene didn't seem very comfortable around Finny or the actions the two did. Throughout the story, Knowles gives hints and open statements of the troubles they get into largely putting Finny to blame; however much they do get into trouble, Finny gets them out every time. Gene never did enjoy that and it seems that after Finny unfortunately passed away, he was at peace in a way.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1
Gene and Finny have a very toxic friendship. Since Finny and Gene are two very different people, therefore they do not work well together. With Finny being an athletic star and Gene being a school prodigy, jealousy comes very easily during the course of their friendship. With that being said, Gene is better off without Finny. When Finny is around, paranoia and jealousy takes over Gene, causing him to do stupid and immature things. In the novel Gene states, "Looking back now across fifteen years, I could see with great clarity the fear I lived in, which must mean that in the interval I had succeeded in a very important undertaking: I must have made my escape from it" (Knowles 10). In this quote, we clearly see how scared and paranoid Gene was that Finny was out to get him. So, Gene is way better off without Finny, as well as Finny without Gene.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #2

The theme of the story itself is to be open to your friends and tell them when you are hurt by them, but the story has an underlying theme of growing up. Gene starts out as being angry and unsure about his situation with Phineas, and not knowing what to do. The lessons that he learns about how people are and how the world is, are how he grows up throughout the book. By the end he understands really how valuable Phineas was. He resolves to learn from this and be more like Phineas in the future.

# data[].attributes.body
Finny is not a good friend, I think Gene would be better off by himself because Finny makes Gene's decision for him. I believe that Knowles is saying that yo should be yourself and don't let anyone tell you what to do. And same thing for Finny - the controlling part."If he hadn't been there... I would have fallen on the bank and broken my back." (Knowles 17)

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1
I think Gene would be better off without Finny. Even though they are best friends, Gene's jealousy gets the best of him and causes him to have a love/hate relationship with Finny. If Gene found new friends that are not involved in athletics and have the same abilities as him, he would only love his friends instead of hate them at times. I think Knowles is trying to point out that not every friendship is perfect and you should not let jealousy get the best of you

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1
I think Gene would be better off without Finny. Even though they are best friends, Gene's jealousy gets the best of him and causes him to have a love/hate relationship with Finny. I think if Gene found new friends that are not involved in athletics and have the same abilities as

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1

# data[].attributes.body
Finny and Gene have many breaking points in their friendship. So I would think that Gene could live his whole life without Finny because Finny was trying to take over his life and make every decision for him. Finny tries to be the better one by being a role model but at the same time Finny isn't good enough for Gene. "If he hadn't been there... I would have fallen on the bank and broken my back." (Knowles 17). This explains that Finny cares about Gene. But in the end Gene doesn't need Finny to control his life. Gene can live on his own he has parents and he doesn't need another friend making his choices he should be making on his own.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1
Originally Finny and Gene where really good friends. The book shows this from what Finny said to green at the beginning of the book,"I hope you are having a pretty good time here. I know  kin of drag you away at point of a gun, but after all you can't come by yourself and at this teen-age period in life, the proper person is your best pal"( John Knowles 40). This showed that at Finny would push Gene outside of his comfort zone to try new things, like go out to the shore and not worry about school for a while. So no Gene would not have been better off with out Finny. This was right after Gene told Finny that it was his fault that Finny fell out of the tree and this is how Finny responded to that" I don't know anything. Go away you make me sick. Go away" ( John Knowles 62). John Knowles statement about friendship is that there is a line that you can not cross with your friends and if you do then your friendship will change.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1
Finny is a great friend to Gene in many ways,  although Gene may not realize it yet. Friendship plays a key part in this story, and it shows. Without Gene realizing Finny is a great friend, he becomes jealous of his athletic abilities. Gene thinks to himself, "What was I doing up here anyway? Why did I let Finny talk me into stupid things like this? Was he getting some kind of hold over me?" (Knowles 5). Gene constantly questions his friendship with Finny, and his jealousy of Finny's abilities costed him a way he didn't imagine. Finny is hurt and breaks his leg because Gene jounced the branch while they were in a tree, causing him to be sent to the infirmary. Later on, Finny realizes Gene did it on purpose, Gene is yelled at, and the friendship is broken. Gene thought, "It struck me then that I was injuring him again. It occurred to me that this could be an even deeper injury than what I had done before. I would have to back out of it, I would have to disown it." (Knowles 34). This means that by not telling Finny he did it on purpose right away, he harmed their friendship. I think Knowles is trying to say that friendship is a key piece to life, and we shouldn't be without it.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1
Finny is a very good friend to Gene, but Gene was a very bad friend to Finny and it shows all throughout the novel. Finny just wanted a best friend, and Gene couldn't comprehend why Finny wanted to hang out with him, so he thought that it was to sabotage his studies, and to make himself look better than him in school, but that later on Gene realized, that wasn't true. Finny was completely innocent and wasn't what Gene thought he was, and Gene's jealousy of Finny for example, "I was beginning to see that Phineas could get away about anything. I couldn't help envying him a little, which was perfectly normal." (Knowles, 25). caused him to lose a friend in the end.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt 1) A major theme of A Separate peace is the idea that when two totally different personalities come together they can make a great friendship. Finny is very different than Gene yet they are still best friends. If all of the people that you are close to are similar, you will rarely go out of your comfort zone. "He forced compliance by leaning against me as we walked along, changing my direction; like a police car squeezing me to the side of the road, he directed me unwillingly toward the gym and the river" (Knowles 15). Here Finny is forcing Gene to jump from the tree, something Gene's nerdy friends would never think of doing. Later Finny asks Gene to go to the beach with him. Gene has far more important things to do like tests and studying, yet he still goes. "The beach was hours away by bicycle, forbidden, completely out of all bounds. Going there risked expulsion, destroyed the studying I was going to do for an important test the next morning" (Knowles 30).

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1

I believe that Gene would be better off on his own away from finny because of the personality of finny and how he acts and how his reputation follows him. While I do believe Gene could maybe help finny he risks hurting his reputation and being brought down with finny. Like it shows in the book " Why did I let Finny talk me into stupid things like this? Was he getting some kind of hold over me?" (Knowles 17). This shows how being around finny can get you in future trouble. But at the same time I believe Knowles was trying to show the hardships of friendship and how there are ups and downs. "If Finny hadn't come up right behind me...if he hadn't been there...I could have fallen on the bank and broke my back!"(Knowles 32). This shows how much finny cares for his friends and will do anything he can do in his power to help his friends. So while Gene would be better off with out finny. Finny would try to be a loyal friend.

# data[].attributes.headline
J.K. Rowling                                               Prompt #1                                                 No friendship is perfect. Although Finny was a daredevil and was the overall reason Gene got into some trouble he is a good friend. Finny and Gene shared got times together and Gene enjoyed the friendship they had. "We were the best of friends at that moment" (Knowels 18). Finny was always getting the two of them into trouble but also was always there to get them out. "We had to do that, naturally because we are all getting ready for the war. What if they lower the draft age to seventeen?" (Knowels 22). Finny was the kind of friend who knew how to bring out the fun in Gene, he knew all the right buttons to push, but in a good way. Finny admired Gene, only if Gene was able to rub off a little on Finny.  

# data[].attributes.subject
J.K. Rowling                                               Prompt #1                                                 No friendship is perfect. Although Finny was a daredevil and was the overall reason Gene got into some trouble he is a good friend. Finny and Gene shared got times together and Gene enjoyed the friendship they had. "We were the best of friends at that moment" (Knowels 18). Finny was always getting the two of them into trouble but also was always there to get them out. "We had to do that, naturally because we are all getting ready for the war. What if they lower the draft age to seventeen?" (Knowels 22). Finny was the kind of friend who knew how to bring out the fun in Gene, he knew all the right buttons to push, but in a good way. Finny admired Gene, only if Gene was able to rub off a little on Finny.  

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt 1

Gene needs Finny in his life so he can learn from him on how to be outgoing and how to be a little less competitive. Since Gene is not that social and not much like Finny he needs him so that he can experience different things in a different point of view. On page 37 Finny says, "I think it's about time we get a little exercise around here, don't you?" (Knowles 37). This shows that Finny cares about Gene and wants to teach him something. On page 47 Gene says, "I noticed that people were looking fixedly at him, so I took a look at myself to see why." (Knowles 47). This absolutely shows that Gene is insecure and needs to talk to Finny about it so he could try to raise his self esteem. Knowles is saying that good friendship is hard to find and it doesn't matter whether they are different from you.

# data[].attributes.body
Friendship is the one of the key aspects of life. I think Finny is a good friend to Gene. I feel like Gene is a good role model for Gene even though Gene is gealous and and wants to be like Finny. Gene is a very trusting person. "I believe you. It's okay because  I believe you.  You've already shown me and I believe you. (Knowles 183) what Gene is saying that he believes Finny. Finny is a loyal person as well. I feel like Gene and Finny are great friends due too the fact that they got each other's back. "...Go away. I'm tired and you make me sick...". (Knowles 34) Finny is telling Gene to go away due to the fact he caused him to break his leg. After that had happened Finny forgave him. Knowles is trying to say friendship can be one of the happiest times in your life but also one of the worst times of your life.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1
In today's society a good friendship is a rare thing. To have that good friendship you should support each other, be happy about each others achievement, and be honest to each other. On page 45 Gene said, "To keep silent about this amazing happening deepened the shock for me. It made Finny seem too unusual for-not friendship, but too unusual for rivalry. And there were few relationships among us at Devon not based on rivalry." (Knowles, 45). Gene would be better off without Finny as his friend because Finny continuously made Gene upset that he wasn't as good of an athlete as him, or how he couldn't get away with all of the things Finny got away with. Throughout the book Gene said how much he envied Finny, "I was beginning to see that Phineas could get away about anything. I couldn't help envying him a little, which was perfectly normal." (Knowles, 25). Because of Gene's insecurities, jealousy, and envying of Finny it made their friendship worse I think.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1

Personally, I do not think Finny is a good friend to Gene. I feel as if he is a bad influence, and pressures him to do more than he wants to do. "What was I doing up here anyway? Why did I let Finny talk me into stupid things like this?" (Knowles 17).  Even though it is good to be pushed through your comfort zone, I feel as if he tries to hard. Gene is very jealous of Finny, which makes their friendship not work. "I couldn't help envying him that a little, which was perfectly normal." (Knowles 25). Gene waned to be so much like Finny that he was distracted from his studies, which impacted him.

# data[].attributes.body
I believe that Finny meeting Gene is a good thing and a bad thing. Finny pushes gene to be his best throughout the book. Also Gene is very fearful, and without Finny he may not have got over this fear. Gene meeting Finny also brings out the jealousy in Gene. Gene states in the book that "If Finny hadn't been there... I could've fallen and broken my back! If I had fallen awkwardly enough I could have been killed. Finny saved my life."(Knowles 32). Which obviously shows how Gene truly feels about him. But immediately after that situation Gene goes on to say "I didn't need to feel any tremendous rush of gratitude towards Phineas." (Knowles 33). This shows Gene's envy towards Finny because he refuses to believe that he needed help from Finny because he can do it himself. But finally at the end Gene realizes that he needs Finny because Finny truly admired him for who he is. But it was to late, Gene allowed his jealousy to take the best of him. And it's kind of ironic that Finny may have saved Gene in the beginning but Gene's jealousy controlled him and Gene ends his only friend Finny's life.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1

People think a friend in today's society is someone you can throw away, like a piece of trash, if they did something to change your view about them. Finny, in my opinion, was a good friend to Gene, but Gene thought wrong about him. "I could see through that. I was more and more certainly becoming the best student in the school; Phineas was without question the best athlete, so in that way we were even. But while he was a very poor student I was a pretty good athlete..."(Knowles 55). Gene thought Finny was trying to outdo him, but Gene thought completely wrong. Knowles was trying to say that friendship has its ups and downs. Gene and Finny were a prime example of a friendship that was ruled by jealousy. "And I thought we were competitors! It was so ludicrous I wanted to cry. If Phineas had been sitting here in this pool of guilt, how would he have felt, what would he have done? He would have told me the truth"(Knowles 66). The author in A Separate Peace wanted to show the reader what everyday friendships go through during war and other conflicts in life.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1

Friendship is about supporting one another and not pressure each other into thing. In my opinion, Finny was a good friend to Gene, but Gene would have been better off without Finny. "Oh yes I did. I'm good for you that way. You have a tendency to back away from things otherwise" (Knowles 18). This quote shows how Finny thought that shaming Gene into jumping out of the tree was good for Gene, but in reality he was forcing Gene to do things he wasn't comfortable doing. "Yes, Finny had practically saved my life. He has also practically lost it for me. I wouldn't have been on that damn limb except for him" (Knowles 33). I think that this quote shows that Gene starts to realize that Finny pressures Gene into doing things he really doesn't want to do. Gene almost lost his life because Finny shamed him into climbing the tree. If Finny wouldn't have forced Gene to climb the tree in the first place, they never would have been in this whole mess.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1

I believe that everyone should have a best friend who pushes them to thrive and excel in their life. Finny was this person to Gene. These two boys were best friends who appreciated each other unconditionally. Once they got to their teen years a few more things came into play that out stress on these two. The stress of high school, in this case Devon, put pressure on Gene to make the best grades and be successful academically. Finny focused more on the fun things of school like sports and became successful athletically. You would think that these occurrences would cancel each other out and they would be perfectly fine. Gene grew envious of Finny for his popularity and athletic abilities. "I was beginning to see that Phineas could get away with anything. I couldn't help envying him that a little, which was perfectly normal." (Knowles 25). But he soon assumed that Finny was just as jealous of him as he was Finny! The case was that Finny was confident in himself and didn't have a problem with his life. This causes Gene to become furious and confused as to why his best friend was seeming like the opposite of him. Of course, it is alright to have friendly jealously over your best friends. I believe that this strives you to become better at whatever you are lacking. Gene would have nothing to strive for without Finny. I think that Knowles is implying that friendship comes in all different types, but that doesn't mean that you can't have a rough patch every once in a while. "I took a step toward him, and then my knees bent and i jounced the limb." (Knowles 60). This was their friendships rough patch. Gene has learned so much from Finny and will continue to remember him all his life until he meets him again.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt 1

I think that Gene would be better off without Finny in his life. Before Finny fell from the tree Finny kept pressuring Gene to do things, like jumping out of trees and ditching classes. Finny even convinced him to leave the campus and spend a night on the beach with him. However, Gene is obviously very concerned about his grades and wants to be a good student. Also, at one point in the story Gene believes that Finny is tricking him to not pay attention to his schoolwork so that he can be ahead of Gene. "That explained blitzball, that explained the nightly meetings of the Super Suicide Society, that explained his insistence that I share all his diversion. The way I believed that you're-my-best-friend blabber! The shadow falling across his face if I didn't want to do something with him." (Knowles 53). This quote shows how Finny uses Gene and makes him ignore his schoolwork when a good friend would want you to do well in school. "Sure, he wanted to share everything with me, especially his procession of D's in every subject. That way he, the great athlete, would be way ahead of me. It was all cold trickery, it was all calculated, it was all enmity." (Knowles 53). At this point we realize that Finny isn't a great student and can only predict that Finny is using Gene so that Finny can be better than him at everything. The statement Knowles is making about friendship is that it should be between two people who want to make one another better, not between two people be drug down by the other.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt 1

I personally think Finny is a good friend to Gene, but Gene is to worried about his self image. Gene wants to be Finny so bad that he doesn't realize how good of a friend Finny actually is. I think that Gene is jealous of Finny in such a way that it makes him hate Finny for being who he is. For example in the text, "He had never been jealous of me for a second. Now I knew that there never was and never could have been any rivalry between us. I was not of the same quality as he" (Knowles 106). I don't think Gene would be better off without Finny because he needed someone like Finny to make him realize he's to over obsessed with being better than someone. I think the author was trying to make the readers realize that friendship isn't about trying to be better than someone, or being jealous. Even though Gene called Finny his best friend, as stated in the text, "He was my roommate and my best friend" (Knowles 40). He secretly had inner feelings of hatred and jealousy towards Finny.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1
Everyone in life needs friendship; someone that will be by their side through thick and thin. Finny and Gene had that friendship. Until, one day Gene began to envy Finny. "I was beginning to see that Phineas could get away with anything. I couldn't help envying him that a little, which was perfectly normal. There was no harm in envying even your best friend a little" (Knowles 18).
This quote shows that Gene was jealous of Phineas; he wanted what Finny had. Then, Gene took his jealousy too far. "I took a step toward him, and then my knees bent and I jounced the limb" (Knowles 60). This caused Finny to fall and injure himself. This injury cost Finny his dream of being in the Olympics. My opinion is that, Finny would have been better off without Gene in his life; mostly because of the jealousy of his friend and what his friend did to him. Knowles' morals lesson of the story is that we have to cherish our friends and be happy of their accomplishments.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #3

I believe that our peers are capable of having a lasting and effective impact on an individual.
In "A Separate Peace", we are introduced to two unlikely friends. Gene and Phineas were roommates at Devon School. Gene was more outspoken than Phineas and liked to focus on his studies whereas Phineas was really into sports. These two roommates were good and bad influences on each other. Throughout the story, Gene realized that Phineas was so praised and had accomplished so many things that it frustrated him. "I was beginning to see that Phineas could get away with anything. I couldn't help envying him a little..." (Knowles 20). This led to conflict sparking jealousy and betrayal of the two friends. Phineas encouraged Gene to go out of his comfort zone, though. "What was I doing up here anyway? Why did I let Finny talk me into stupid things like this? Was he getting some kind of hold over me?" (Knowles 57). It's safe to say that the two learned a lot about themselves from each other.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1

Friendships can be very difficult through many situations. There could be questions on either or not if you could be better with new friends or leaving a unwanted friend either because of many reasons. I believe Finny is a good friend towards Gene because even though they may be jealous of each other over many things; they still struggle through same situation together in the story and also being jealous of each other pushes them to become better people themselves. Gene and Finny where different people going through the same situation trying to have good outcomes even if everything seems against each other or themselves fighting one another. " He had never been of me for a second. Now I knew that there was and never could have been any rivalry between us."(Knowles 27) Knowles made their relationship seem very complicated and very competitive in the story. Through the book Gene made mistakes and so did Finny in strengthening their relationship but instead in the quote Gene jounces a branch and makes Finny accidentally fall down the limb to break his leg. "Holding firmly to the trunk, I took a step toward him, and then my knees bent and I jounced the limb."(Knowles 28) It seemed as Knowles want them two to become unfriendly and not friends through all there circumstances. I think that Gene was better with Finny and Finny was better with Gene in his life.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1
Gene would not be better off without Phineas. Phineas makes him think and makes him want to do better, even if Gene thinks it is because he is fighting Phineas. "And also I didn't want him to expel me in this" (Knowles 48)... What Knowles is saying about friend ship is that, it has its ups and downs, but it usually comes out alright in the end. "Standing there in Finny's triumphant shirt, that I would never stumble through the the confusions of my own character again" (Knowles 54)... This quote shows how with Finny's friendship, Gene would never have been able to be so relieved and so confident about himself and everything that he does.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #3

A person can never know themselves or grow without being influenced by another. We see ourselves in others and learn about ourselves through them as well. Through interaction we learn and grow as people. In "A Separate Peace", the narrator, Gene, is envious of his best friend, Phineas. Gene almost puts Phineas on the pedestal of a God and values him more than himself. When Phineas is injured and has him play sports in his place, Gene admits to himself "..and I lost a part of myself to him then, and a soaring sense of freedom revealed that this must have been my purpose from the first: to become a part of Phineas." (Knowles 85). Gene is a weak person, defeated by envy, therefore he grew into Phineas rather than beside him. Without Phineas around, Gene had no one to lean on and became his own person. He began doing things that he knew Phineas would disapprove of and going his own way. When Phineas died however, Gene admits that he grew to see Phineas as himself rather than himself as Phineas. "I did not cry then or ever about Finny. I did not cry even when I stood watching him being lowered into his family's strait-laced burial ground outside of Boston. I could not escape a feeling that this was my own funeral, and you do not cry in that case." (Knowles 194). Gene may have been seeing this as the death of his old self also, the self that relied on Phineas. Gene grew to understand that there is a world beyond him and much more to himself than Phineas.

# data[].attributes.headline
Adog2468                                            Prompt 1                                                       I think that Finny is a good friend to Gene. Although Gene's envy was growing inside him, Finny was still a good friend to Gene. Now that Finny is dead, Gene now accepts Finny as a friend no that he is dead then he was alive. "None of them accused me of being responsible for what had happened to Phineas, either because they could not believe it or else because they could not understand it. I would have talked about that, but they would not, and I would not talk about Phineas any other way (Knowles, pg. 197). This quote reveals that Gene is more loyal to his friend now then when he was alive. "What was I doing up here anyway? Why did I let Finny talk me into stupid things like this? Was he getting some kind of hold over me?" ( Knowles, pg. 5) This quote means that Gene thought that he was starting to get jealous of Phinny.

# data[].attributes.subject
Adog2468                                            Prompt 1                                                       I think that Finny is a good friend to Gene. Although Gene's envy was growing inside him, Finny was still a good friend to Gene. Now that Finny is dead, Gene now accepts Finny as a friend no that he is dead then he was alive. "None of them accused me of being responsible for what had happened to Phineas, either because they could not believe it or else because they could not understand it. I would have talked about that, but they would not, and I would not talk about Phineas any other way (Knowles, pg. 197). This quote reveals that Gene is more loyal to his friend now then when he was alive. "What was I doing up here anyway? Why did I let Finny talk me into stupid things like this? Was he getting some kind of hold over me?" ( Knowles, pg. 5) This quote means that Gene thought that he was starting to get jealous of Phinny.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1

Not all friendships go smoothly, but these are the friendships that have lasting impacts. Finny was a great friend to gene, but gene and finny could not take each other seriously. For example gene say " I said a lot of things sarcastically that summer; that was my sarcastic summer"(Knowles 15). This proves that finny could never be serious with gene because of his sarcastic responses. If finny could never be on a serious note with his best friend. Gene was always being pushed by finny to do things he didn't want to do. Genen wasn't always in favor of this. One example is " I took a step towards him, and then my knees bend and I jounced the limb." (Knowles 60). This is the part of the novel where the two friends were supposed  to jump from the tree together, but instead gene caused finny to fall.I believe these character were meant for each other.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1

People today tend to go through friends more than ever, they find out something about their personality and just walk away from it. I think that Finny could be a good friend to Gene if they could get over the jealously between them. Gene say, "I was beginning to see that Phineas could get away with anything. I couldn't help envying him that a little, which was perfectly normal. There was no harm in envying even your best friend a little"(Knowles 20). The statement Knowles is making about friendships is a true friendship can overcome anything in the end. "It's you, pale, 'Finny said to me at last, 'just you and me.' He and I started back across the fields, preceding the others like two seigners"(Knowles 38-9). The author was just trying to show what every friendship goes through and how to stay out of toxic situations,

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1

Friendship is an important factor in everyone's lives. Funny was Gene's best friend. He was admired by all. "He could also shine at many other things, with people for instance, the others in our dormitory, the faculty; in fact, if you stopped to think about it, Finny could shine with everyone, he attracted everyone he met" (40). Everyone loved Finny because he not only tried to make himself better, but everyone else too. Knowles is trying to show how important it is for friends to support each other. "The figure of Phineas was set against the bulk of the tree; he shouted now and then, but these sounds too were quickly absorbed and expelled" (119). Finny was encouraging Gene, while he trained for the Olympics because Finny could not. Friendship should be cherished because without friends, motivation is harder to find and tasks are harder to achieve.

# data[].attributes.body
I think Finny is a good friend to Gene because he doesn't know that Gene is even jealous of him and pushes Gene to go outside his comfort zone. However, I think Gene would be better off without Finny so he can focus on being himself. Finny can be a bad friend without knowing because Gene thinks to himself, "What was I doing up her anyway? Why did I let Finny talk me into stupid things like this? Was he getting some kind of hold over me" (Knowles 17). With Gene thinking this, it shoes Finny does control him in a certain way and Finny doesn't always let him be open to what he wants and who he is. But, Finny can be a good friend because Gene thinks, "...If he hadn't been there... I could have fallen on the bank and broken my back" (Knowles 32). Gene is implying that although Finny might get him into dangerous situations, he is a trust worthy friend and does help him and saves him from trouble.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1

Although Finny is a good friend to Gene, Gene would be better off without Finny. Gene's envy for Finny makes their friendship toxic. "I couldn't help envying him that a little, which was perfectly normal" (25). Gene realizes what he does to Finny is wrong and he would rather live with shame then hurt Finny. "It struck me then that I was injuring him agin. it occurred to me that this could be an even deeper injury than what I had done before. I would have to back out of it, I would have to disown it" (70). Gene tries to be a good friend to Finny, just as Finny is a good friend to Gene, but his insecurities get in the way of their friendship. With Genes insecurities and jealousy of Finny I think it would be better if Finny was not in Gene's life.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #2

Throughout life, you will find that change is inevitable. Gene Forrester, a young teen, realizes that to move forward in life he must mature. With a war waging both internally and externally, he figures out he must learn to grow up. "To enlist. To slam the door impulsively on the past, to shed everything down to my last bit of clothing, to break the pattern of my life... this war would be deadly." (Knowles 52) This is such a powerful quote because it shows Gene's character development in the story. Gene had jealousy issues when it came to Finny and believed things such as "He had never been jealous of me for a second. Now I never there never was and never will be any rivalry between us. I was not the same quality as he." (Knowles 27) However, Gene later accepts his difficulties and overcomes them which overall makes him a better person.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1

Finny is an ok friend to Gene, but he always forces Gene to do things he doesn't want to. Finny also distracted Gene from his studies, and Gene was very dedicated about his studies. "You want to be head of the class, valedictorian, so you can make a speech on Graduation Day—in Latin or something boring like that probably—and be the boy wonder of the school. I know you." (Knowles 51) This shows how Finny thinks Genes time and effort is pointless. I don't think he would be better off without Finny because Finny causes him to work harder in my opinion. Knowles is saying that everybody has their own talents and some peoples talents strengthen others.

Knowles, John. A Separate Peace. John Knowles, Inc. 1987, p.51.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1

Finny and Gene meeting and becoming friends is most likely one of the better things that could've happened to Gene. I believe Gene needed Finny as a friend more that Finny needed Gene. Finny is a great friend to Gene because he always supported him and pushed him to do his best. We learn  that Gene appreciated his friendship, "It was quite a compliment to me, as a matter of fact, to have such a person to choose me for his best friend" (Knowles 29). Gene also needs Finny's support because of how fearful he is, "Preserved along with it, like stale are in an unopened room, was the well known fear which had surrounded and filled those days, so much of it that I hadn't even known it was there (Knowles 10). Without Finny's support, I think Gene's fear would be much greater. I believe Finny is a great friend to Gene. Knowles is stating that there isn't a friendship If you don't have each other to lean on.

# data[].attributes.body
As children grow and experience more things they learn and mature from each lesson. Gene for example experiences a lot of things which change him and his actions throughout the story. For example, when Finny dies, Gene feels bad and starts training for the olympics for Finny. He says, " But I always jumped . Otherwise I would have lost face with Phineas and that would have been unthinkable"(pg.34). This shows that Gene wants to do the best he can for Phineas. He also states', I was subject to the dictates of my mind, which gave

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #2

Genes grow in the book is a traumatic and expoitonal. At the beginning of the book he is afriad of the world, and wants to give up on it. Then he met finny, a boy that changed his view of the world. But when he hurts finny and makes him on able to handle it " At his touch I lost all hope of controlling myself.". Then he other friend goes to war goes insane, and his other friends dies at the end. The point I making is the Gene had to grow up in order to survive what life was throwing at him.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1

When Finny and Gene meet at Devon School, they develop a unique friendship. In A Separate Peace, Gene says, "Why did I let Finny talk me into stupid things like this? Was he getting some kind of hold over me?" (Knowles 17). The quote above explains how Gene thinks that Finny is trying to sabotage him, but Finny just wants to have fun and hang out.  Gene also says, "This time he wasn't going to get away with it. I could feel myself becoming unexpectedly excited at that" (Knowles 27). When Finny breaks the swimming record, Gene is jealous of him and wants him to not succeed. I think Finny is a good friend for Gene because he was trying to get Gene out of his comfort zone, so he could live his life. Gene was overly jealous of Finny that he was slow to realize that.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1

Gene would be better off without Finny because he isn't used to not having a rivalry with someone. When Gene states "I knew that there never was and never could have been any rivalry between us. I was not of the same quality as he. I couldn’t stand this." (Knowles 28). He basically says that he is jealous of Finny's athletic talents. The statement about friendship Knowles is trying to make that friendships have struggles, but you have to overcome those struggles to carry on. This basically means that friendships aren't always sunshine, they can be dark and dangerous.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #3

It is possible to gain self knowledge from others. Gene learned about himself from Finny. Gene sees himself getting jealous of Finny many times in the book. The narrator said "I was beginning to see that Phineas could get away with anything. I couldn't help envying him that a little..." (Knowles 20). From Gene's jealousy came self acceptance. In the book it says "To keep silent about this amazing happening deepened this shock for me. It made Finny seem too unusual for—not friendship, but too unusual for rivalry. And there were few relationships among us at Devon not based on rivalry." (Knowles 63) which shows Gene finally realizing that being Finny isn't as good as it seems. Gene in the end was finally able to except that he is who he is and doesn't have to be anyone but himself.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #2
As kids grow up in the world they have to make changes in there life, they also have to change themselves in a mental and physical way. In the beginning of the book Gene had it rough but after finny broke his leg he got over his jealousy for finny. And when finny died Gene became his own person. "I was beginning to see that Phineas could get away with anhthing

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1
In a way, Finny is a good friend to Gene, but Gene does not realize it. Gene is too worried about making his image look just as good as Finny's. In the text, the narrator says, "Yes, he had practically saved my life. He had also practically lost it for me. I wouldn't have been on that limb except for him"(33). This text is revealing that Gene is greatful that Finny saved his life, but is also mad at him for forcing him onto the limb in the first place. Gene, I believe, would be better off without Finny because he would not have to compete so hard against him and he could focus more on his studies. Finny leads Gene into a lot of plans that could seriously injure him. In this part of the text, it says, "If Finny hadn't come up right behind me...if he hadn't been there...I couldhave  fallen on the bank and broke my back!"(32) This sentence reveals both that Gene needs Finny , but is still not into doing everything Finny does.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1

I do not think that Finny is a good friend to Gene because funny is a bad role model to Gene. Gene would be a better friend because Gene tries to be a good person and can lead Finny to be a good person as well. Honestly, gene is probably better off without Finny because of his reputation. Knowles is saying that friendship is important, but when placed with the wrong people, things can get out of hand. "... I had brushed on the limb shook me again. If Finny hadn't come up right behind me... If he hadn't been there... I could have fallen..." (Knowles 31 and 32). Knowles is saying that Finny saved his life so their best friends, but things start getting worse as time progresses.

# data[].attributes.body
Prompt #1

I do not think that Finny I'd s good friend to Gene because Finny is a bad role model to Gene

# data[].attributes.body
1) Is Finny a good friend to Gene or would Gene be better

off without Finny in his life? Moreover, what statement is Knowles making about friendship?

2) How does Gene's growth and change during the course of the novel illustrate a central theme of the text? Explain.

3) Is it possible for us to gain self-knowledge through others? Explain how the narrator's relationship with Finny brings the narrator to a fuller understanding of himself.