A Separate Peace tells the story of Gene's painful but necessary growth into adulthood, a journey of deepening understanding about his responsibility and his place in a wider world. At the beginning of the novel, the young Gene stands unconcerned, self-absorbed, by the tree that will test his true nature. By the end, Gene has suffered and inflicted suffering, and he has grown into an understanding of his own dark motives. He has lost his innocence and has gained experience.
Gene's innocence at the opening of the novel represents a childlike happiness in conformity. By obeying the rules — occasionally rebelling mildly through sarcasm, "the protest of people who are weak" — Gene maintains a comfortable life, predictable and unthreatening, like Leper's dining room. In Devon, obedient to the rules, approved by the masters, Gene is safe, but he cannot grow. Growth can come only through conflict and struggle, and Gene's conformity acts as a shield against such challenges.
Finny breaks through Gene's shield of conformity, daring him to experience the world more directly, by breaking rules and creating new traditions. With Finny, Gene explores a life unbounded by familiar routines imposed by adults. The freedom exhilarates Gene at times — the first forbidden jump from the tree brings him to a new, heightened awareness of life — but uncertainty nags at him. Finny's whims disturb Gene's comfortable routine of study and proper behavior, habits of obedience that win the approval of adults.
