A Separate View

John Knowles' beautiful coming-of-age tale, "A Separate Peace," is written in the main character, Gene Forester's point of view. Throughout the novel readers find themselves falling in love with the charismatic best friend, Phineas. As any adolescent will, Gene encounters obstacles that leave him and his opinions somewhat muddled. His thoughts and state of mind affect how readers view certain scenes in the novel. In his hysteria, Gene makes wild assumptions that misguide readers. We are lacking a second opinion. There are many minor controversial scenes in this book that leave the reader wondering what Phineas is thinking. I took it upon myself to select 2 scenes in which Phineas' true intentions are not clear. In addition to that, I wrote an extra scene, that cannot be found in the book. This scene brings some sort of justice to Finny's untimely death- In the final scene I attempt to depict Finny's last moments.