A punishment that is “greater than I can bear” is only achieved from a sinful and grand offense. In the Book of Genesis located in the holy bible Abel and Cain are two brothers who praise the lord. While Abel is favored and treated with respect from God Cain resents for him he is not granted any. Similarly in the novel A Separate Peace by John Knowles Gene and Finny are two brothers from different mothers, they share the same clothes and thoughts as one another. All though they may be “siblings” their personalities clash.…
These words are among Gene’s final musings in the novel, as he reflects on the meaning of his experiences at Devon and then in the war. He suggests that every human being, at a certain point in his or her life, decides that the world is a fundamentally hostile place and subsequently finds enemies to fight with and kill. He believes that for most of his classmates, this moment came with fighting in World War II, with real enemies—but for himself, it came before the onset of military violence or the arrival of army-issued weapons; Gene fought his war while still at Devon.…
Religion has been a primary belief presented throughout American history. The belief is represented in Patrick Henry's “Speech to the Virginia Convention” and Troy Duffy’s film, The Boondock Saints. Henry wanted to demonstrate that going to war with the British would be what is best for the country and does not go against their religion. The Boondock Saints shows that one can do anything as long as their religion allows it. Although the “Speech to the Virginia Convention” and The Boondock Saints are from different time periods, both pieces represent the idea of religion.…
We take it back to the times of world war 2, we see two best friends and a boarding school named Devon, just living life to the fullest. One boy is named Gene the other Phineas(also called Finny), they are your common roommates, Finny being the wild one, and Gene being the studier. Over time though, Gene starts to notice that Finny's popularity to get out of anything and making these activities is to wreck his studies. Genes envy towards Finny gets turned into a huge bulge of anger built up in him that one day gets released. In the novel A Separate Peace, the author, John knowles, reveals a friendship that is slowly broken from envy and anger.…
In the novel A Separate Peace, John Knowles diagrams the human heart, and the world in diversity of good and evil. The main characters Gene, and Finny display to the reader deep philosophy. The philosophic idea of A Separate Peace explains the quality of the world, good and evil can affect and control the human mind and heart. In consonance with the bible for christianity, when Eve was bamboozled from picking from the apple tree, evil had became a factor to human nature, and in conjunction with the human heart.…
In John Knowles, fictional novel, A Separate Peace the author shifts the mood of the book to have readers make the realization that love is different for each character. The author wants the reader to know that each character has different inner struggles and thoughts. Finny is dealing with his disability and Gene is still feeling guilty about the accident. When Finny returns to Devon, he is happy to see Gene.…
“ When you love something it loves you back in whatever way it has to love” (Knowles, pg. 111). The novel A Separate Peace focuses on the special bond between the two main characters, Gene and Phineas. Although these two have little in common, they stick together and often obsess over one another. This leads the reader to believe that there are ulterior motives in relation to their close friendship. The relationship between Gene and Phineas is one more than normal friendship because of the blatant obsession Gene held for Phineas, Gene’s confusing emotions towards Phineas, and the way in which Phineas is described to the reader.…
The different type of Religion in Fifth Business Expressed in many ways, religion is a substantial motif in Robertson Davies Fifth Business. Even when hidden in deep meaning, It is represented through many distinct characters, events and themes. It is a crucial part all through out Dunny 's life and every thing he experiences circulates back to his spirituality. However, Dunny is not the only character intrigued by the divine. Amasa and Boy Staunton are characters used to signify two other major types of religion: Fundamentalism and scripture twisting.…
Ulysses S. Grant once said, “Hold fast to the Bible. To the influence of this Book we are indebted for all the progress made in true civilization and to this we must look as our guide in the future.” In his novel, The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck uses the universality of the Bible to make the account of the migrant’s plight applicable and understandable to all readers. By using Biblical references, Steinbeck is able to put the major themes and motifs of his novel into a framework to which all can relate. Steinbeck uses allusions* to the following: biblical characters, such as Jim Casy as a Christ figure, biblical events, such as comparing the migrants’ exodus to the exodus of the Jews, and teachings found in the Bible, such as the brotherhood…
In classic novels, relationships developed between the main character and leading personas tend to depict a prominent theme that the readers can relate to. In the novel, A Separate Peace, negative aspects of Finny and Gene’s friendship are the main topic. Gene, the self-doubtful main character who is envious by nature, struggles with repressing his true personality with the hopes to become more pure and vibrant; he coveted the idea of become more like his potent best friend Phineas.…
In times of sorrow, especially the loss of a loved one, some people turn to religion. In many ways, religion can be helpful to cope with a death, but other times it can be abused; used to submerge in and forget the outside world. In the novel A Death In The Family, written by James Agee, Mary is an abuser of religion. In addition to being used for self-medicating, religion is displayed in a negative light throughout the novel. An overcasting theme in many scenes, a disreputable view of faith is at the heart of this book.…
When The Savage argues with the Controller about why the lack of God and faith is everything wrong with the society, he expresses his feelings about his faith when he states, “... God’s the reason for everything noble and fine and heroic.” (237) However, Mustapha has a very different beliefs. As those in most religions find solace in their beliefs and turn to their deity in times of struggle, Mustapha says that is obsolete now.…
The Divine Dramatist, written by Harry S. Stout contains an overview of the life of George Whitefield and accounts the rise of modern evangelism. The claim that the author makes is that George Whitefield is rightly labeled Anglo-America’s first modern celebrity. Throughout his book, Stout explains how the genius and passion of Whitefield helped the church. Specifically, in the eighteenth century, as there was a growing desire to see the inherited ideas of sermons come alive in ways that would compel the rapidly changing landscape of America. The book is comprised of an introduction as well as fifteen chapters outlining the life, work, and impact George Whitefield had on evangelicalism.…
He used allusion and appeal to faith in an attempt to relate to the audience through topics they are passionate about, and create a sense of unity between him and the…
Can people really predict what will happen in the future? Numerous people will thoroughly debate yes or no, but when reading literature it’s certainly possible. Although, in literature fortune-telling is referred to as foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is a warning or indication of a future event in a piece of literature. In literature, the use of foreshadowing is a very efficient way to add dramatic tension and build anticipation in a story.…