A Separate Peace: Chapter 4 Summary & Analysis

After their escapade to the beach, Gene resents Finny for causing him to fail his test. Of course, it isn’t just Finny’s fault that he didn’t study, since Gene could have decided to stay and focus on his schoolwork. In fact, he didn’t even protest when Finny suggested that they take their bikes to the beach. And yet, he now sees his own failure—his own decision to blow off his studies—as Finny’s fault, proving once again that his relationship with Finny fluctuates between admiration and scorn.

In the aftermath of his failed exam, Gene hatches a resentful theory that he and Finny are rivals. This, of course, is based on nothing but his own feelings of jealousy and competition, not necessarily on anything that Finny actually feels. And yet, his theory is convincing enough that it’s hard for him—and even for readers—to dismiss it. In this regard, he allows his frustration to completely destabilize his bond with Finny.

What makes Gene’s theory about his relationship with Finny so hard to ignore is that it makes sense. After all, it’s plausible that Finny doesn’t want him to become the valedictorian. Even if this were the case, though, it’s clear that Gene is taking the idea of their rivalry much more seriously than Finny. If Finny even did feel competitive in his friendship with Gene, it’s unlikely that he would obsess over it in the way that Gene does by applying himself so feverishly to his studies. This is because Finny’s brand of competition is generally good-natured and fun, whereas Gene’s is bitter and scornful. In other words, Gene’s envious streak threatens to upend his entire relationship with Finny, whereas Finny’s competitive side is casual and full of goodwill.

Gene’s tense behavior in this scene demonstrates the extent to which his sense of jealous rivalry has infected his relationship with Finny. Whereas Finny simply wants to have a good time, Gene wants to triumph over his friend. However, he can’t bring himself to let Finny go to the tree by himself, thinking that this would also be a form of losing. In turn, readers see just how obsessed he has become with the idea that he and Finny are rivals, letting the notion destroy his ability to simply get along with his friend.

Finally, Gene recognizes that Finny doesn’t see him as a rival. When Finny earnestly tells him to focus on his studies and compliments him for being good in school, he sees that his best friend has no interest in sabotaging his academic performance. In keeping with this, he realizes that Finny doesn’t see him as a competitor. Instead of seeing this as a good thing, though, he broods, thinking that Finny doesn’t think of him as a rival because he’s not good enough to be his rival. Of course, it’s more likely that Finny simply sees Gene as a close friend and therefore doesn’t harbor any animosity toward him, but Gene assumes the worst, thereby pitting himself against Finny even though Finny doesn’t have anything against him.

By telling Gene that it’s all right if he wants to stay in his dorm and study, Finny makes it clear that he doesn’t see him as a rival. As if to further demonstrate this, he suggests that they jump off the tree at the same time, clearly wanting to re-solidify their bond as best friends with nothing between them. However, both of these developments upset Gene because they make it clear that Finny doesn’t see him as a competitor—a thought that enrages him because he believes it means that Finny doesn’t think Gene could compete with him. These considerations are all relevant to this moment because it is unclear how, exactly, Finny falls. In his telling of the story, Gene simply states that his knees bend on the branch, destabilizing it. Whether or not this is intentional is hard to say, though Gene’s feelings of jealousy and resentment suggest that he might indeed have meant to send Finny hurdling to the riverbank.