Finny’s Fall A Separate Peace by John Knowles Jenna Krivansky, Roni Valentin, and Mariah Jardine

Thesis Statement John Knowles’ novel, A Separate Peace, utilizes Finny’s fall as a symbol of a casualty of war, jealously, and the boys’ loss of innocence.

Chapter 1 Context: Gene visits Devon Goes to see tree and marble staircase Quote: “In through swinging doors I reached a marble foyer, and stopped at the foot of a long white marble flight of stairs. Although they were old stairs, the worn moons in the middle of each step were not very deep. The marble must be unusually hard. That seemed very likely, only too likely, although with all my thought about these stairs this exceptional hardness had not occurred to me. It was surprising that I had overlooked that, crucial fact.” Significance : Foreshadowing to Finny’s Fall Fear of reliving the tragedy

Chapter 2 & 3 Context: Gene is mad and jealous the Finny can get out of getting in trouble. Gene almost falls out of the tree, and Finny “saves” him. Gene blames Finny for him almost falling out of the tree Quote: “If Finny hadn’t come up right behind me… if he hadn’t been there… I could have fallen on the bank and broken my back! If I had fallen awkwardly enough I could have been killed. Finny had practically saved my life.” Significance: Gene doesn’t see Finny as a hero because Finny was the reason Gene was in the tree in the first place.

Chapter 4 Context: Gene senses an unspoken competition and realizes that academics is the only area where Gene is better than Finny. Gene and Finny both go out onto the limb of the tree and Gene “accidently” jostles the tree and Finny falls out onto the bank. Quote: “Holding firmly to the trunk, I took a step toward him, and then my knees bent and I jounced the limb. Significance: This proves that Gene jealously overpower his “friendship” with Finny.

Chapter 11 Context: Brinker wants to uncover the truth about Finny’s fall, because he suspects something else happened. The boys hold a trial and question Finny and Gene. Finny gets upset and runs away Quote: “The words shocked Phineas into awareness. He whirled as though being attacked from behind. ‘You get the rest of the facts, Brinker!’ he cried. ‘You get all your facts!’ I had never seen Finny crying.” … “Then these separate sounds collided into the general tumult of his body falling clumsily down the white marble stairs.” Significance: The boys reveal who Gene truly is, Finny becomes extremely upset, runs away, and falls down the staircase.

Chapter 12 Context: The boys get Finny help, and the doctor says he broke his leg again. Gene appears at Finny’s window and it upsets Finny. Gene visits Finny the next day, the boys talk and Gene finally sees Finny for who he truly is, a peacemaker. Gene returns to find out Finny died. Quote: “I did not cry then or ever about Finny. I did not even cry 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.” Significance: Gene finally accepts that he did this to Finny, Gene’s jealously just got in the way of their friendship.

Conclusion In the novel, A Separate Peace, Finny’s fall symbolizes a casualty of war, jealousy, and the boys’ loss of innocence.