Analysis of Phineas and Gene´s Friendship Essay - 609 Words

Competition and rivalry have the ability to make people shine and accomplish things they never thought possible, and the ability to bring a person’s dark side and get them to do terrible things. Phineas and Gene’s friendship is viewed very differently by each of them. Where Phineas sees Gene as his best friend Gene sees Phineas as a competitor. Gene sees him as someone trying to keep him from being successful in school. This warped view of their relationship is the cause of many of the eventual problems of the novel and arguably the death of Phineas. Competition between peers makes people strive to try and be better than their opponents, and can be healthy or unhealthy depending on the competitors and their responses to the competition.†¦show more content†¦Sometimes this causes built up resentment and eventually could cause both of the friends to be hurt because of one rash decision like shaking a tree branch. While only Phineas was physically hurt Gene was in an emotional battle with himself about what he has done to Finny and what he thinks of him. Eventually the other boys at Devon find out Gene shook the tree branch, which causes them to lose respect of him. The thought of shaking Phineas out of a tree would have never normally crossed Gene’s mind but him viewing Phineas as a competitor instead of a friend made the idea seem fine for the split second it took for him to shake the branch. The idea hit him just like when he thinks about stealing the doctor’s car. He only even thinks about shaking the limb for an instant, a single life changing moment, and with â€Å"some kind of blind impulse†, as Phineas describes it, he shakes the branch. In contrast when he â€Å"idly considered stealing† a car even if he thinks about it for a second he can decide not to after the first few steps. Once the tree branch is shaken Phineas’ fate is sealed. Competition and rivalry can cause people to replace trust in each other with protection from each other and cause them to build up walls to separate and protect themselves from their competitors. Not everyone constructs these fortresses of secrets and distrust. Some people are open and trusting ofShow MoreRelatedThemes And Symbols In The Red Badge Of Courage992 Words   |  4 Pagestheir wedding to represent the new life, that they are starting together. In the novel, The Red Badge of Courage, written by Stephen Crane, a boy named Henry Fleming learns to face his fears. In the novel, A Separate Peace, written by John Knowles, Gene goes back to his old school and recalls the events that happened to him while he was in school. Both novels have an important symbol that contributes to the theme. Symbolically speaking, Crane’s novel shows symbolism through an idea known as the redRead MoreLiterary Criticism : The Free Encyclopedia 7351 Words   |  30 Pagesnovel is sometimes used interchangeably with Bildungsroman, but its use is usually wider and less technical. The birth of the Bildungsroman is normally dated to the publication of Wilhelm Meister s Apprenticeship by Johann Wolfgang Goethe in 1795–96,[8] or, sometimes, to Christoph Martin Wieland s Geschichte des Agathon of 1767.[9] Although the Bildungsroman arose in Germany, it has had extensive influence first in Europe and later throughout the world. Thomas Carlyle translated Goethe’s novelRead MoreAbnormal Psychology Terms9960 Words   |  40 Pagessurvey of psychotherapists found that more than three-quarters of them reported being in therapy themselves at least once, and that they 63. a therapist treating a client diagnosed with borderline personality disorder worked out the following analysis. the parents probably did not want children in the first place. the child just was not accepted. the child developed low self-esteem, dependency, and an inability to cope with separation. the therapists theoretical orientation is probably a therapistRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 Pagesand permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. To obtain permission(s) to use material from this work, please submit a written request to Pearson Education, Inc., Permissions Department, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458, or you may fax your request to 201-236-3290. Many of the designati ons by manufacturers