Separate Peace

And then surfaced the call to adventure, related to the Hero Journey archetype. But, take his life and all his downfalls, what is to be realized is that Finny, Gene's "roommate and best friend" (32), had all Gene does except Gene's downfalls, like sports for example, were Finny's superiorities. Because of this, Gene turns out to become very jealous of Finny and discovered his "deadly rivalry" (46) for him. As this rivalry began and grew, Gene entered into the new unknown world. And the crossing of the of the threshold occurs when Gene .
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             "jounced the limb. Finny, his balance gone.hit the bank with a sickening, unnatural thud" (52). .
             Now completely in the new world, Gene began to encounter a large variety of difficult intellectual tests and trials. All of a sudden, Gene was filled with feelings of guilt, uncertainty, unstability, confusion, and new responsibilities. At first, Gene felt he had nothing to do with Finny's fall and at one time even asked Finny, "Do you remember what made you fall" (57)? But this denial began to grow and causes Gene to live a harsh summer "spent in an atmosphere of reverie and unreality." (59). Then, when Finny acknowledged the idea that there was a slight possibility that Gene could have jounced the limb, Gene returned to his dorm room, and wondered to himself, "could it be that he might be right? Had I really and definitely and knowingly done it after all? I couldn't remember, I couldn't think" (62). This began to show Gene's guilt, confusion, and guilt towards Finny's fall. But, as more intellectually difficult trials surfaced, and the guilt increased, Gene started to feel like he was part of Finny. What was done to Finny is done to him. When Finny is told he can no longer participate in sports, Gene "wanted no more of sports. they were barred from him, as though when Dr. Stanpole said, "Sports are .
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             finished" he had been speaking to him" (76), instead of Finny.