Essay about Finny in "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles.

The Finny Factor Phineas's death is the repercussion of Gene's rivalry with him. Gene is convinced that he and Finny are rivals, and that Finny is trying to undermine his success. Gene shook the tree limb, causing Finny to fall, and eventually to die. Gene is not the only factor in Finny's death but he begins a domino effect leading up the unfortunate accident which causes Finny's death. Finny is a fortunate boy, he had …

…they happen; Gene was probably not even the main reason why Finny died. The doctor, Brinker, Gene, Finny's parents, the headmaster, and Leper all played varying roles in the tragedy. Maybe Finny threw himself down the stairs in self-pity, and that is the cause, but there is no way to know. If we say any one person solely killed Finny we are merely letting the myriad of people who aided his death escape the blame.