1. A Separate Peace Conflicts Within the Novel
By: Maren, Stephen and Heather

2. Introduction
A Separate Peace by John Knowles is a novel filled with complex internal, external and interpersonal conflicts which are driven through the main characters Finny and Gene.
Throughout the novel both characters have their own experience of the ups and downs which arise from jealousy, ignorance, and love.

3. Sub-Conflicts
The two sub-conflicts in the novel are Gene versus Brinker and Gene versus Leper.
Despite not necessarily being in the spotlight, both of these interpersonal conflicts add to the already ongoing conflicts within and surrounding Gene and Finny.

4. Main Conflicts
Some of the more obvious conflicts in the novel include; Gene versus Finny, Devon versus the war around them, and most prominently, Gene versus himself.
Each of these main conflicts develops and is developed by the others which leads to more sadness and loss of identity than any of them would have expected.

5. Gene vs. Brinker
Throughout the novel Brinker can be seen as someone who goes to great lengths to know the truth about people and their intentions.
This becomes difficult for Gene when Brinker accuses him of jouncing the limb and then says “You fixed it.. The truth will out”.
Brinker also pushes Gene to the limit by taking the joke a bit too far, telling the other boys that he has brought over “a prisoner accused of killing his roommate”. This really angers Gene and allows his true colors to show as he snaps at Brinker.
These help develop the conflict by exposing Gene’s insecurity and guilt about hurting Finny.

6. Gene vs. Leper
To the other boys, Leper was just a quiet, peaceful, nature- loving boy, until he shocks them all by becoming the first boy at Devon to enlist in the army. Later in the novel Gene finds him in the wilderness in a complete state of paranoia and anxiety. In this part of the book, Gene gives an important quote regarding the war and it’s harmful effects stating “If Leper was psycho.. The army had done it to him.. And we were all on the brink of the army”.
Leper then accuses him of breaking Finny’s leg, causing Gene to be unable to hold his “inner savage” in, physically assaulting Leper and proving him to be right about Gene’s aggression issues.
Gene lashing out at Leper showcases his inability to accept his actions and his savage behavior.

7. Devon vs. The War
At the beginning of the book we are told that the story takes place during World War Two in 1942 to 1943.
When it comes to the War itself, each of the boys have a very different way of dealing with it. Gene experiences many conflicting feelings on whether to join up while for most of the novel Finny refuses to believe that there is a War at all. The War started to become a major weight on all of the boys’ lives as they were faced with the option of enlisting. A good example of this is in Chapter 8 when Gene says “the war swept over us like a wave at the seashore, gathering power and size”.
The element of war in the novel creates a much darker mood that contributes heavily to Gene’s internal conflict regarding what decision he was going to make. This also ties in with his conflict with Finny due to the fact that Finny is so passionately against the idea of there being a war.

8. Gene vs. Finny/ Gene vs. Himself
Gene and Finny’s tumultuous friendship is very significant in this novel due to the fact that it sets up all of the main events that occur.
In the beginning of the novel we can see right away that their friendship is fueled by Gene’s envy and competitiveness towards Finny. Despite Gene being very intelligent and doing well in school, he always felt below Finny because of his athleticism, charm, and ability to talk his way out of any situation.
Gene’s paranoiac jealousy can be seen when he comes to a realization about Finny in which he says, “He had never been jealous of me for a second. I was not the same quality as he”.

9. The first major development in the novel is also stemmed from Gene’s jealousy, where he jounces the limb, causing Finny to fall out of the tree and break his leg.
This then sparks a change in Gene’s character, changing his jealousy into guilt and denial about the fact that he is savage driven by impulse.
He then battles back and forth with himself on whether or not to tell Finny the truth about the incident. When he decides to do so, he takes it back almost immediately and then a few days later tells Finny that he “no longer feels crazy anymore”. This shows his internal conflict regarding how he’s not really properly dealing with the aftermath of the incident.

10. Later on in the novel when Finny dies, Gene goes through another change in character where he goes through a major release of both negative and positive energy in his life.
While at the funeral service, Gene makes a reference that really highlights the strange but still very present bond between the boys, saying that “Finny’s funeral felt like his own”. Even in the moment of Finny’s passing, the boys are still symbolically a big part of each other.
Years later when the Gene as the narrator is reflecting back on his life at Devon, he says “My war ended before I ever put on a uniform... I killed my enemy at school”. This ending statement really shows how in the end, Gene was able to fight off and destroy the constant inner conflict he had with himself involving Finny, the War, and his self- identity, so in the end he could finally have some sort of peace.

11. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bM7d NBYpIR8

12. Discussion Questions
Which of the conflicts do you think helped advance the plot the most? Which one was the most prevalent?
Was there any way for some of these conflicts to be solved earlier or more quickly?
Does Gene deserve to get away with what he did to Finny? Does Brinker have the right to make a trial?