In the Literary Criticism “Counterpoint”, by James M. Mellard, the critic analyzes the juxtaposition between components in the novel, A Separate Peace, by John Knowles. Mellard strongly suggests to his readers how Knowles uses “counterpoint in character development, symbolism, plot and structure” (Mellard 56), which brings forth the ultimate question of how does counterpoint support A Separate Peace’s “ultimate theme” (56). The fundamental answer to this proposed question, in the eyes of Mellard, is that contrasting concepts are used to prove Knowles’ portrayal of diminished innocence and the path to maturity.
At his first point, Mellard illustrates how counterpoint is the greatest technique in Knowles’ arsenal of fiction based writing approaches.…