Herbert Hoover once said, “Older men declare war but it is the youth who must fight and die.” The older generations have societal control, and much of the legislation they draft and the statements they declare are made without the wellbeing of youth in mind. In A Separate Peace, this war is WWII. For the boys of Devon, it came during a time of vulnerability. They were still trying to fit into themselves when they started being told how they were to fit into a war. John Knowles uses these internal conflicts to represent the commonplace struggles youths face while growing up during times of hardship.
The years of 16 and 17 are crucial points in our adolescence.
It is the time of self discovery, when one finds their place in society. The war …show more content…
This definition can be applied to the “Separate Peace” that John Knowles references. Due to the imposition that WWII puts on the students’ chances to live out their teenage years, the boys feel the need to create an atmosphere in which they can hold onto their adolescence. An example of this atmosphere is the “Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session” (Knowles 24). In this “society”, Finny, Gene, and 4 other boys essentially disregard all authority and meet every night to perform boyish schemes such as jumping out of the tree by the Devon River. However, the most prominent example of this atmosphere is Phineas himself, who seems to cause commotion wherever he goes. Finny constantly talks his way out of punishment for things such as cutting class and sneaking off to the beach. Not only does he impact the Devon staff, but he makes a mark on the student body as well. As founder of the Super Suicide Society, Phineas is the one to come up with jumping out of the tree, as well as the one to create Blitzball, a chaotic game with no definite rules. As Gene once said, “Finny was the essence of this careless peace” (Knowles 17). By writing Phineas as a vibrant and childlike character, Knowles uses Phineas as the embodiment of the “Separate Peace”, and a representation of the need for joy amidst devastation. This builds upon A Separate Peace’s overall theme of how growing up during times of conflict can affect teens and their coping
The years of 16 and 17 are crucial points in our adolescence.
It is the time of self discovery, when one finds their place in society. The war …show more content…
This definition can be applied to the “Separate Peace” that John Knowles references. Due to the imposition that WWII puts on the students’ chances to live out their teenage years, the boys feel the need to create an atmosphere in which they can hold onto their adolescence. An example of this atmosphere is the “Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session” (Knowles 24). In this “society”, Finny, Gene, and 4 other boys essentially disregard all authority and meet every night to perform boyish schemes such as jumping out of the tree by the Devon River. However, the most prominent example of this atmosphere is Phineas himself, who seems to cause commotion wherever he goes. Finny constantly talks his way out of punishment for things such as cutting class and sneaking off to the beach. Not only does he impact the Devon staff, but he makes a mark on the student body as well. As founder of the Super Suicide Society, Phineas is the one to come up with jumping out of the tree, as well as the one to create Blitzball, a chaotic game with no definite rules. As Gene once said, “Finny was the essence of this careless peace” (Knowles 17). By writing Phineas as a vibrant and childlike character, Knowles uses Phineas as the embodiment of the “Separate Peace”, and a representation of the need for joy amidst devastation. This builds upon A Separate Peace’s overall theme of how growing up during times of conflict can affect teens and their coping