In A Separate Peace by John Knowles there are two characters that really stick out past the rest. One of them is Gene Forrester, an intellectual nerdy kid that is devoted more to his studies and academic skills rather than his athletic skills. What I like about Gene is his academic success and his dedication to studying, while still having the ability to play multiple kinds of sports exceptionally well. His intuitive attitude towards every subject of life is something I dislike. He doesn’t seem like a very funny person considering that his thoughts aren’t really evoking to me. I enjoy being around people that can make everyone laugh, and Gene doesn’t fit in that area.

The other character is Phineas, but the students at the school just call him Finny. Finny is a foil to Gene considering that his athletic abilities are incredibly good, yet his academics are terrible. I like his athletic ability and his natural instinct to play any sport imaginable, even the ones that are freshly made up in his mind. One thing that I dislike about Finny is his attitude towards academics, as he believes that they don’t matter at all. He thinks that sports are the only meaning in life up until his “accident.”