The Use of Flashback in A Separate Peace Essay

A Separate Peace is a novel told entirely in flashback, by a narratorGene Forresterwho is our only source of information regarding the events that he recounts. As the story develops, the initial trust that exists between reader and narrator gradually frays, as we realize that Gene, while probably not lying about the events of the story, is clearly withholding information about his own motivations for, or reactions to, the deeds of himself and others. This reservation is apparent in the way that he talks about his friendship with Finny in the first few chapters: though Gene initially declares Finny to be his best friend and claims that he is neither jealous nor resentful of the charismatic athlete, it soon becomes clear, through subtle asides and various inconsistent behaviors, that the relationship is actually marked by forceful envy and even hatred. When Finny and Gene illicitly spend the night at the beach, for example, Finny declares his happiness in the two boys' friendship; Gene, however, makes no such utterance.

At critical moments in the story, Gene simply describes external events without revealing his thoughts, emotions, and motivations. This disturbing lack permeates the climax of the novel, and we wait in vain for the narrator to tell us what passed through his head prior to and during the terrible moment of Finny's fall. Similarly, Gene's narration becomes dispassionate at the makeshift trial when it becomes clear that his secret crime will be revealed. Thus, throughout the novel, even as Gene is theoretically opening up to the reader, an important part of him remains sealed off.

Gene's status as an unreliable narrator creates a problem of sympathy that persists throughout the novel. Because it is Gene's perspective through which we see the story, Gene is the character with whom the reader most closely identifies. Yet, in his refusal to explain himself or the emotions and reasoning behind his perspective, he remains beyond our understanding, making it difficult for us to give him our wholehearted sympathy. Whether or not we think Gene has deliberately caused Finny's fall, we begin to feel increasingly alienated from him. Thus, even as we become ever more invested in the story's outcome, we become distrustful of its narrator.