Gene and Phineas in "A Seperate Peace" by John Knowle

In John Knowles's A Separate Peace, Gene is not the same quality character that Phineas happens to be. Gene and Phineas are best friends at the Devon School, and Gene, angry because of Phineas' athletic talent and social abilities, "jounced the limb" (Knowles, 53) in order to knock Finny out of the tree. This is similar to the story of Cain and Abel in the King James Bible. Cain and Abel are brothers, the sons of Adam and Eve, and both make sacrifices to the Lord. But Cain, like Gene, becomes jealous of the gifts his brother gives to God. …