Arts and Humanities Commons^™

To Be A Friend: An Analysis Of Phineas’ Character, Joy Qiu '16

2013 Fall Semester

19^th century poet Ralph Waldo Emerson famously observed that "the only way to have a friend is to be one." His statement suggests that friendship is a two-way street, requiring contributions and sacrifices from all members to qualify as a genuine bond. However, in A Separate Peace, by John Knowles, the relationship between Gene and Phineas demonstrates that Emerson’s definition does not always hold true. As each boy struggles with his own inner turmoil and sense of identity on the brink of World War II, their friendship becomes unstable and incredibly one-sided – Gene constantly questions Phineas’ motives, …