Gene’s Enemies Adam and Eve had a perfect Garden of Eden, until Eve ate the apple and contaminated the garden. In being tricked by the snake, Eve betrayed God’s word. Mankind has often betrayed others because of the darkness in their heart. In A Separate Peace, John Knowles uses Phineas as a sacrificial lamb to portray Gene’s savage side and demonstrate that peace can never be achieved at a worldwide level until …showed first 75 words of 1741 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1741 total…Gene becomes a sadder, but wiser, man. Gene’s experiences throughout the novel, along with Phineas’ death, contribute to his survival and progression as a person. Gene realizes the only enemy he ever had was himself, and becomes pure and Phineas-filled after he confronts and conquers himself. Knowles compares a New England prep school to the Garden of Eden to show man’s flawed nature and that man always ruins what he can not understand.