September 12th ASP Quote Response

On page 53 of the novel A Separate Peace, Gene thinks to himself, "You and Phineas are even already. You are even in enmity. You are both coldly driving ahead for yourselves alone. You did hate him for breaking that school swimming record, but so what? He hated you for getting an A in every course but one last term.” (53). This quote is the pinnacle point of Gene's conspiratorial rivalry against Finny. At this point, Gene is desperately trying to rectify his deep contempt and rivalry for his best friend. He tells himself that they are both equal, both trying mercilessly to get ahead, so that makes Gene feel better. At this point, he has not discovered that his ill will for Finny is unrequited. As long as Gene can keep telling himself that he and Finny are both against one another, he can, in his mind keep trying to bring Finny down and get ahead. Gene hated Finny for breaking the swimming record because upon smashing the Devon School all time record, Finny needed no recognition. While Gene would have wanted to bask in the glory, notify the papers, and tell everyone he knew, Finny simply continued on with his day, as if nothing extraordinary had occurred. He believes that in return for this hatred, Finny must hate him for getting an A in almost every class. However, Gene is dead wrong. Finny is such a good person that he is pleased when others succeed, especially his friends, so he is very happy for Gene. While Gene may believe that Finny's antics are merely to keep him from being able to study, that was never Finny's intention. He always just believed that ability was natural, like his own. He did not understand that Gene had to work for what he earned. In fact, the very next passage in the book Gene states, "You would have had an A in that one except for him."(53) Gene goes so far as to directly lay the blame on Finny. This adds to the fire burning within him and makes the rivalry all the more real for him. These two quotes are important because they highlight Gene's cold hearted feelings for Finny and pave the way for the events to come.