A Seperate Peace is set at a boys' boarding school during the early years of World War 2. Gene Forrester, is a quiet intellectual. He is lonely and looking for someone to latch onto. Phineas, also known as "Finny", is the schools best athlete. Cunning and handsome as he is Gene soon becomes attached to him creating a wonderful friendsome. Soon envy and hatred come into the scene followed by in overwhelming sense of guilt.
That empty space in Gene is filled when Phineas befriends him. Gene soon identifies himself with Phineas. After Finny urges Gene take a perilous jump off of a branch into a river the Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session is formed based on this dangerous ritual. Gene soon begins do regret the fact he identified himself with Phineas. He realizes that he is living in Phineas' shadow. Gene becomes envious of Phineas' superior athletic ability, his way of being able to talk himself out of problems, and his tremendous personality. This chilling envy grows inside of him to the point that he begins to think Finny is using the secret society meeting to distract him from his studies, the one place where Gene excels. This conviction drives Gene to perform and action he will immediately regret.
While at one of the suicide society's meetings Phineas decides it would be interesting if he and Gene performed a double jump into the river off of the tree branch. When the two are about to jump Gene's chilling envy towards Phineas forces him to jounce the limb thus knocking off Phineas. Phineas falls to the ground with a sickening thud resulting in a shattered knee in return ending Phineas' sports career indefinitely. The tragedy is immediately thought of as an accident and no fingers are pointed at Gene.
The summer session ends and after Gene's brief vacation home he stops by Phineas' house and explains what really happened in that tree, but Phineas refuses to believe Gene so he ends up taking back his confession and continues on his way to school. By this time now World War 2 is in full swing and Brinker Hadley and Gene decide to enlist in the military. Gene's decision is soon changed when he arrives at his dorm to find that Phineas has indeed return thus changing Brinker's decision as well.
Finny explains to Gene his dreams of once being in the Olympics but now since he no longer can do that Gene agrees to let Phineas train him for the 1944 Olympics. Leper Lepellier, a gentle, nature-loving boy surprises the class when he ends up being the first to enlist from Devon. While at a winter carnival, that Finny has organized, Gene receives a telegram from Leper saying that he needs help and that he escaped from the military. While in Vermont with Leper Gene comes to believe that Leper has been driven mad. Leper, being present at the Phineas' accident, reveals to Gene that he knows the truth about what really happened. This makes Gene anxious. Lepers ranting makes Gene nervous about what could happen with his potential military life.
Brinker, who had always had a suspicion about what really happened in that tree, decides he wants to get to the bottom of things. He then organizes a hearing which Phineas and Gene were summoned to without warning. Finny is still unable to speak conclusively about the incident while Gene still says he does not properly recall the memory. The boys now decide to bring in the recently returned Leper. While Leper begins to reveal the truth Phineas declares he does not care about the facts and hurries out of the room. In this rush Phineas trips and falls down the stairs and breaks his leg once again.
Gene's attempts to sneak over to the school's infirmary are destroyed when Phineas immediately sends him away. The next day Gene returns to the infirmary and accepts full responsibility for everything and apologizes for the tragedy which he occurred. Phineas accepts his apology and Gene is then asked to leave while Phineas has his surgery. He later returns to find the coldest news he has ever heard. During the surgery bone marrow escapes into Phineas' bloodstream and instantly kills him.
The rest of the main characters and Gene go on to serve in rather safe areas of the military. Gene admits that he still carries a part of Phineas with him. With Phineas gone Gene begins to realize that have that constant enmity that plagues the human race. Phineas was omitted from this plague, Phineas was immune.
That empty space in Gene is filled when Phineas befriends him. Gene soon identifies himself with Phineas. After Finny urges Gene take a perilous jump off of a branch into a river the Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session is formed based on this dangerous ritual. Gene soon begins do regret the fact he identified himself with Phineas. He realizes that he is living in Phineas' shadow. Gene becomes envious of Phineas' superior athletic ability, his way of being able to talk himself out of problems, and his tremendous personality. This chilling envy grows inside of him to the point that he begins to think Finny is using the secret society meeting to distract him from his studies, the one place where Gene excels. This conviction drives Gene to perform and action he will immediately regret.
While at one of the suicide society's meetings Phineas decides it would be interesting if he and Gene performed a double jump into the river off of the tree branch. When the two are about to jump Gene's chilling envy towards Phineas forces him to jounce the limb thus knocking off Phineas. Phineas falls to the ground with a sickening thud resulting in a shattered knee in return ending Phineas' sports career indefinitely. The tragedy is immediately thought of as an accident and no fingers are pointed at Gene.
The summer session ends and after Gene's brief vacation home he stops by Phineas' house and explains what really happened in that tree, but Phineas refuses to believe Gene so he ends up taking back his confession and continues on his way to school. By this time now World War 2 is in full swing and Brinker Hadley and Gene decide to enlist in the military. Gene's decision is soon changed when he arrives at his dorm to find that Phineas has indeed return thus changing Brinker's decision as well.
Finny explains to Gene his dreams of once being in the Olympics but now since he no longer can do that Gene agrees to let Phineas train him for the 1944 Olympics. Leper Lepellier, a gentle, nature-loving boy surprises the class when he ends up being the first to enlist from Devon. While at a winter carnival, that Finny has organized, Gene receives a telegram from Leper saying that he needs help and that he escaped from the military. While in Vermont with Leper Gene comes to believe that Leper has been driven mad. Leper, being present at the Phineas' accident, reveals to Gene that he knows the truth about what really happened. This makes Gene anxious. Lepers ranting makes Gene nervous about what could happen with his potential military life.
Brinker, who had always had a suspicion about what really happened in that tree, decides he wants to get to the bottom of things. He then organizes a hearing which Phineas and Gene were summoned to without warning. Finny is still unable to speak conclusively about the incident while Gene still says he does not properly recall the memory. The boys now decide to bring in the recently returned Leper. While Leper begins to reveal the truth Phineas declares he does not care about the facts and hurries out of the room. In this rush Phineas trips and falls down the stairs and breaks his leg once again.
Gene's attempts to sneak over to the school's infirmary are destroyed when Phineas immediately sends him away. The next day Gene returns to the infirmary and accepts full responsibility for everything and apologizes for the tragedy which he occurred. Phineas accepts his apology and Gene is then asked to leave while Phineas has his surgery. He later returns to find the coldest news he has ever heard. During the surgery bone marrow escapes into Phineas' bloodstream and instantly kills him.
The rest of the main characters and Gene go on to serve in rather safe areas of the military. Gene admits that he still carries a part of Phineas with him. With Phineas gone Gene begins to realize that have that constant enmity that plagues the human race. Phineas was omitted from this plague, Phineas was immune.
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