A Separate Peace

From gene's experience with his own "enemy," what conclusions does he come to about enemies in general?

Also, what do you think Gene is suggesting about human nature in the last paragraph of the novel?

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Gradesaver looks at this experience in detail, and you might want to read through the entire summary and analysis for this chapter while formulating an answer. For a quick look, I have provided the section below, which relates directly to Gene's "enemy."

One of the final lessons, that Gene goes into on the last page, is how futile hate and fear both are; he cites Mr. Ludsbury, Brinker, and Leper as being misguided and losing a great deal in citing their own enemies and trying their best to defend against them. Gene says he has already killed his own enemy, and therefore has gotten rid of his hate and his fear. Gene's enemy must have been himself, or at least the part of himself that was so quick to lash out and hurt other people. He believes that he has buried his darker side, and from what the reader can tell, maybe he has. Hopefully Finny's influence is as strong with him as he insists, and he will never again let himself slip into carelessly harming someone who is almost part of himself.

Source(s)

http://www.gradesaver.com/a-separate-peace/study-guide/section5/