In A Separate Peace, Finny's falling from the tree is the pivotal moment in the novel. It is the catalyst for the plot, conflicts, themes, etc. It leads to the examination of illusions, friendships, loyalties, competitions, and the disintegration of all of the above.
The pivotal passage follows:
Holding firmly to the trunk, I took a step toward him, and then my knees bent and I jounced the limb. Finny, his balance gone, swung his head around to look at me for an instant with extreme interest, and then he tumbled sideways, broke through the little branches below and hit the bank with a sickening, unnatural thud. It was the first clumsy physical action I had ever seen him make. With unthinking sureness I moved out on the limb and jumped into the river, every trace of my fear of this forgotten.
With Finny turning to look at Gene with interest, the passage creates a particularly poignant scene. With the sickening, unnatural thud and Gene diving without fear, the passage showcases the hideous nature of what Gene does.
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