"A Separate Peace" Ch 1-5 Response

Gene and Finny had a very special, unique, kind of friendship. There were many aspects in which they were very different, yet, it seemed that these differences helped them get along. When it came to sports, Finny was a natural athlete who assumed he would always win, while Gene had to work a little bit harder, and he was much more modest about his success. In school, Gene was always focused on getting good grades while Finny didn't care about his schoolwork at all. Finny had a way with words, and he was always able to talk himself out of any obstacles that may stand in his way. On the contrary, Gene didn't really like breaking the rules, but he always did whatever Finny told him and stood in the background while Finny saved the day.
On the surface, their friendship seemed perfect. However, if you look a little bit deeper, you would be able to see some conflicting feelings Gene had about Finny. Deep down, Gene suspected that Finny was jealous of his accomplishments. While Finny had always been great at sports, Gene's forte was in school. If Gene ended up becoming first in their class, he would have, theoretically, have one-upped Finny.
It is easy to tell that Gene is much more emotionally mature than Finny. While Gene is worried about his schoolwork and making good grades, all Finny wants to do is go play a game of blitzball or play around in the river. While Gene had a few conflicting emotions when it came to his friendship with Finny, he is still more mature, overall.