The Balancing Act of Order and Chaos: An Analysis of the Mind's Opposing Forces in A Separate Peace
The human mind is kept in balance by the existence of order and chaos. People must understand that without either force, humans would live in a skewed reality, not realizing that there is more to pure harmony or total devastation. John Knowles' core message in A Separate Peace is that all humans strive to attain order in a chaotic world, yet they do not realize how their search is futile, because they are trying to fight against reality; an impossible task.
Gene attempts to understand how Finny achieves harmony in his life, but his efforts only lead to personal self-destruction and chaos. Gene believes that Finny is trying to "become his equal…" (43) sparking the belief that anyone would dare try to challenge his mind is an enemy. Gene's obsession with his intellectual superiority eventually causes him to view all things inferior, including Finny. Gene starts to question everything spoken by Finny, and a silent hostility grows. Gene tries to assure himself of his dominance when he asks Finny if "he wouldn't mind…"(44) if he became Devon's best student. Finny claims to have no interest, but an inner chaos is starting to transform Gene's mind, and he continues to believe that Finny is hiding some malicious purpose. Gene's belief that Finny will try to undermine him ultimately leads him to thinking that Finny should somehow be killed. Gene's paranoia is finally unleashed when he pushes Finny from the tree. He tries to silence his evil thoughts once and for all by causing Finny to fall from the tree. Gene has now been overwhelmed by evil, and his life is now ruled by chaos. But by failing to notice that Finny was a true friend, Gene's paranoia takes over and plunges him into utter chaos.
Finny represented constant order in Gene's life, but after his accident he no longer seemed immortal or unbreakable. The lack of this order destroys the natural harmony Gene is used to, and sends him on a search to regain harmony within his life. Gene tries to become Finny and attain order by trying on his clothes. Gene believes that the clothes might hold some sort of mystical substance that allows Finny to acquire peace, but they yield no result. Gene is desperate to gain Finny's ability to channel the chaos around him and see it as something productive. Gene realizes that Finny has total command over his life when he learns that Finny would have "told him the truth" (58) concerning the horrific accident. Gene is so overwhelmed by Finny's openness and total control that he can't bring himself to admit his wrongdoing. This guilt continues to haunt Gene as he attempts to find order around him. As a result of this guilt, Gene believes it is his obligation to become Finny's defender in his basic conflicts. Gene tries to believe that he had fought Quackenbush "for Phineas" (72), and that he is holding up Finny's honor. But at the same time, he realizes that he is selfishly using Finny's spirit in a futile attempt to restore peace to himself. Gene's mind starts to work against him, allowing chaos to rule Gene's life.
Gene realizes that Finny is unique because he is the only person to have used the ability to find inner strength within him and find peace among the chaos in the world. Gene notes that "only Phineas was never afraid" (196) of the challenges in life. Finny never tried to fight the existence of chaos, and because of this was able to find harmony. Finny's undying spirit revealed to Gene that happiness is more than eliminating the chaos within one's life, and is instead being satisfied with how you deal with life's problems. On the other hand, Gene understands how others like Leper or Quackenbush are trapped by their chaotic minds and can not see the true peace that Finny attained. Both of them see the world in basic terms of enemies and allies, and their minds are closed to conflicting views. Finny saw the world as people who are confused, and should try to understand themselves. Gene finally comprehends the fact that no one else could be like Finny and that the only constant in our lives is actually chaos. Emotions such as anger, jealousy, and fear embody this chaos, and give it strength. They are balanced by the deepest emotions of the human heart, and it is through the heart that inner peace is achieved.
It is impossible to achieve peace with the world, as well as the mind. The search for harmony within the mind is reflective of the larger world, where thousands die vainly in the name of peace. The only way people can find inner peace is to realize that chaos is everlasting, and that attempting to rid oneself of it is a useless grasp at perfection.
Analysis
This example high school English essay is decently written and conveys its argument adequately. It brings in relevant examples and uses short quotes to try and make its point. This technique is effectively used in the third paragraph.
This sample literary analysis paper could be improved in two ways. First, its thesis comes across a tad generic and a bit overdramatic. It is a bit of a stretch to suggest that a book about two teenage boys is about humanity's attempt to find order in a world of chaos. However, the tone of the thesis could be toned down to suggest a similar theme: "Gene's futile quest for inner-peace in the wake of Finny's accident reveals the problems that occur when one tries to deny reality." In this improved thesis, the essay does not try to divine Knowles' meaning, but makes the discussion about the characters themselves. Making this change will also allow the author to remove sentences like "Gene finally comprehends the fact that no one else could be like Finny and that the only constant in our lives is actually chaos. Emotions such as anger, jealousy, and fear embody this chaos, and give it strength." These sentences are vague and could be strengthened to talk more about Gene and his problems.
Second, this example English essay suffers from a generic conclusion that does not even mention the novel. It also ends on the foreboding, too-dramatic note that "chaos is everlasting." A conclusion should first reflect upon the source material - in this case, A Separate Peace - and then decide how the reader can use this novel as a lens to view the world. Perhaps the author could have mentioned the novel's World War II context or how the adult narrator sees his situation now to add more depth - and real emotion - to the concluding paragraph.
809 words / 3 pages
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