According to the dictionary, friendship is defined by a shared personal relationship between two people and contains feelings of trust, faith, and concern for one and other. In the novel, A Separate Peace by John Knowles, friendship is associated with trust, betrayal, jealousy, codependency, forgiveness, and competition based on the relationship between Finny and Gene. Friendship has its ups and downs, but Knowles’ definition of friendship closely resembles the definition of friendship in the dictionary.
The relationship between Gene and Phineas is influenced by actions and consequences. It changes and evolves immensely over time and is filtered by changing perceptions. Gene constantly evaluates himself and is extremely …show more content…
I would have talked about that, but they would not, and I would not talk
Taylor 3 about Phineas in any other way (12.14). This quote in my opinion resembles one of Gene’s greatest moments throughout the novel of loyalty to his friend. He reveres Finny in a way he never did when he was alive by treating Finny’s death honestly and Gene had to protect himself.
These quotes previously stated in the paragraphs above demonstrate examples of how John Knowles defines friendship in the novel A Separate Peace. Friendship in this novel is associated with trust, betrayal, jealousy, codependency, forgiveness, and competition based on the relationship between Finny and Gene. Knowles’ engages the reader in his way of manipulating ones feelings into witnessing different scenarios and how each character in the novel copes with each situation. We conflict after conflict, he greatly shows the tremendous ups and downs that is the true reality of relationships, and in this case, friendship. In conclusion, Knowles’ definition of friendship closely resembles the definition of friendship in the