John Knowles A Separate Peace and Struggle for Power :: Knowles Separate Peace Power Essays

gutter Knowles A Separate Peace and Struggle for PowerJohn Knowles A Separate Peace depicts many examples of how power isused. In A Separate Peace, two opposing book of factss struggle for their ownseparate might. Gene Forrester, the silent narrator, is weakened by hisstruggle for power. While, Phineas was inspired by his own power within. Thenovel conveys how peace sack up weaken or inspire during a kind war. Phineas, a natural rebel, is known as the best athlete in school. Forexample, he and three others come to look at a tree, which is considered amongthe Upper Middler students at Devon an impossibility. Phineas demonstrates hissupreme power by stating that the tree is, indeed, a cinch (p. 6). No UpperMiddler had dared to do the unthinkable, vaulting off a tree to land in ashallow river. Phineas is the first to do this. This single statement tells usmuch about him. He doesnt mind taking risks, enjoys intimidating others, andover exaggerates. It tells that he is very strong a nd powerful to be able to dowhat others can not do. The denotation of power is the capability of achievingsomething. Not only is Phineas achieving something from jumping off this tree,he is achieving power by gaining the respect of fellow classmates. Phineasspontaneity inspires many others to be like himself and jump off the tree.Another example of Phineas power is his character establishing scene ofdisrespect to the school by wearing his pink shirt and the Devon School tie ashis belt. We here, again, see him as the spontaneous individual who can getaway with anything (p.18). Phineas nature inspired Mr. Patch-Withers, ateacher at Devon. Phineas has an eloquence about himself, allowing him to get bywith so much. Phineas might have sort of enjoyed the punishment if it was donein some kind of novel and known way (p.20). Even with negative actions,Phineas can enjoy a situation if it presents something saucy and different. It isthis spontaneous and contradictory nature which Gene canno t understand andwhich ultimately contributes to his attempting to destroy Phineas.Gene Forrester, after being gone for fifteen years, returns to the DevonSchool to recollect his gone memories of the summer session when he was sixteenyears old. As stated before, Phineas was considered the best athlete in school,but Gene tried to compensate by being the best student in school. Genescontinuous competition with Phineas weakened his personality, hence causingGenes rebellion on Phineas. Gene begins to think that his purpose isto die part of Phineas (p.