The Indivisible Bond in Frienship - 906 Words

The first deaf and blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree, Helen Keller, once claimed, â€Å"I would rather walk with a friend in the dark, than alone in the light.† She offers to willingly sacrifice her happiness in order to be with a companion. Likewise, Gene and Finny, two major characters in A Separate Peace by John Knowles, will definitely state the same. In a school where adolescents make their closest friends and during a time the country endures hardships and troubles, Gene Forrester, an intellectual and reserved 17-year-old, becomes roommates and best friends with an exuberant and audacious school athlete, Phineas (a.k.a. Finny). During their years at the all-boys boarding school, these teenagers go through hindrances in their†¦show more content†¦Lastly, as Phineas asserts that he will train Gene for the Olympics, â€Å"†¦[Gene] went along, as [he] always did, with any new invention of Finny’s†, and he states that â€Å"there was no harm in taking aim even if the target was a dream† (108). Gene realizes that Finny’s theory appears implausible; however, he continues to act as if Finny’s idea is the truth. Once again, Phineas pushes Gene away from the truth and pulls him closer to the ideas that he wants Gene to believe, and as Gene trusts his faith in Phineas, Gene symbolizes an adherent of Finny. In addition, the liaison that the two friends share is a necessity in their lives. Once Finny returns from his convalescence and not long after Finny discovers Gene’s thoughts about going into war, Gene realizes, â€Å"Phineas was shocked at the idea of my leaving. In some way he needed me. He needed me† (98). Feeling abandoned Phineas gazes at his best friend in bewilderment and uncertainty. Finny needs Gene in his life so that he will not feel the changes in his life after his accident. Only Gene chooses to disregard Finny’s misfortune and only he treats Phineas the same. F urthermore, once Gene hears about Finny’s death, he mutters, â€Å"I did not cry then or ever about Finny†¦ I could not escape a feeling that this was my own funeral, and you do not cry in that case† (184). Phineas completes Gene’s life. Gene spends his whole school year struggling to impress and satisfy him, and