The Character of Phineas in A Separate Peace by John Knowles

A Separate Peace by John Knowles follows the temporarily intertwined lives of several young men in boarding school during World War 11 over a linear plot line. An adolescent called Phineas exerts a physical ability unparalleled by his fellow student body and a “larger than life” personality and persona. The events in the novel and the short-lived life of (arguably the main character) Phineas are narrated by his (Phineas’) best friend and roommate Gene Forrester, similar to the way Arthur Conan Doyle’s tales of Sherlock Holmes are told from the perspective of Dr, John Watson Phineas’ grand appearance and ability is narrated in impressive detail and similes by Gene Forrester throughout the novel.

On page 50, Gene watches Phineas awaken from sleep, his back arched on a dune with the sunset gaining color as consciousness returns to him, and thinks to himself “Phineas, still asleep on his dune, made me think of Lazarus, brought back to life by the touch of God” Gene compared, in the most literal sense.

Phineas waking up to resurrection by God Himself, Phineas, more than being touched by the omnipotent being, was compared to one in his own respect. On page 75, Gene described watching Phineas balance himself on the lip of a canoe, one leg extended behind him like ballet, Gene says, “Phineas in exaltation, balancing on one foot on the prow of a canoe like a river god, his raised arms invoking the air to support him, face transfigured, the body a complex set of balances and compensations, each muscle aligned in perfection with all the others to maintain this supreme fantasy of achievement, his skin glowing from immersions, his whole body hanging between river and sky as though he had transcended gravity and might be gently pushing upward with his foot, glide a little way higher and remain suspended in space, encompassing all the glory of summer and offering it to the sky.

Get quality help now

writer-Charlotte

Verified

Proficient in: A Separate Peace

4.7 (348)

“ Amazing as always, gave her a week to finish a big assignment and came through way ahead of time. ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

”

Phineas is clearly portrayed as larger than life in this instance, he is said to be above gravity altogether, It is unmistakably “larger than life” when polar magnetics are made obsolete. Gene makes an observation about Phineas’ voice on page 128 saying, “whe [Phineas] began in one of his voices, the low»pitched and evenly melodic one which for some reason always reminded me of a Rolls-Royce moving along a highway,” Phineas had a tone that calmed and hummed like the most expensive and classically known luxury vehicles in all of existence, this description paints Phineas as more superior than previously pictured.

Besides his outward appearance and sound, Phineas has a beyond compare personality, as well, Phineas breaks every hurtle set by societal standards and still manages to win the race, his individuality is shown in the description given to him by Gene Forresteri On page 133, Gene says, “You had to be rude at least sometimes and edgy often to be credited with “personality,” and without that accolade no one at Devon could be anyone. No one, with the exception of course of Phineas,” Phineas wields an impressive set of characteristics in A Separate Peace, including, but not limited to, being subject of holy resurrection, channeling a water deity and becoming immune to the theory of relativity, containing the soundtrack of a purring Rolls-Royce, and exerting an unequaled, unbreakable behavior. The character Gene Forrester describes Phineas as flawless, leaving the description of his own life secondary to the depiction of his friend’s.