A Separate Peace :: Character Analysis, Phineas

Phineas, a main character in A Separate Peace, was a very athletic, cheerful young man. He was a friend through with(predicate) and through, and he was a buddy to everyone nigh him. That isnt the only thing Phineas was. Phineas represented an innocence beyond this public that no normal human can find. He had a distressfulness that was infused with exclusively his words and a joyfulness that could non be dampened. Finnys innocence is personified multitudes of times throughout the book. He shows bulky sincerity towards cistron when he tells cistron that cistron is his best friend on their mean solar day trip to the beach. (23) Finnys unhindered joy finds ways to manifest itself in obscure ways, such as when he wore the pink shirt and the attract belt. Well, weve got to do something to celebrate. (25) What most people find fright in, Finny finds excitement, such as when he jumps from the tree and founds the Summer Suicide Society. This is the most fun Ive had in week s. Whos next? (16) An example of Finnys innocence is showed through blitzball, the game he created with no teams, at that placefore without any losers of winners, but it was gobs of fun. (37-40) Though, with an innocence this perfect, there is bound to be corruption.Finnys innocence was rust by the jealousy and malice of his supposed best friend, Gene. Gene at first saw Finny as a good, but very powerful friend. Although, partway through the book, Gene began to despise Finny, thinking that Finny was only trying to be better than him. That way he, the great athlete, would be way ahead of me. It was all cold trickery, it was all calculated, it was all enmity. (53) In all actuality Finny was a great person as shown by the above paragraph. Now I knew that there never was and never could have been any rivalry between us. I was not of the same quality as he. (59) Eventually this jealousy from Gene towards Finnys perfection tried to wear away the wholeness Finny had found. Thi s shown when Gene shook the limb of the tree. (59-60) This breaks Finnys leg which ends, essentially, where his perfection originates from, his athletics. Sports are spotless for him, after an accident like that. Of course. (63) Finny still retained his innocence but, it was not the same as before.