Summary Of The Novel 'A Separate Peace' By John Knowles

The ability to sustain relationships and adapt to society often depends on a person’s perspective, personality, and motivations. In the novel A Separate Peace, by John Knowles, the main characters are Gene Forester and Phineas. Knowles portrays Finny as the light to Gene’s dark side, the yin to his yang. Knowles creation of characters with opposing personalities helps to further develop the novel.
The most prominent character in A Separate Peace is Gene Forrester. In the novel, Gene is grown up and reflecting on his time at Devon. As a teenager, Gene was smart and studious, but he also had a dark side. He had impulses he couldn’t control nor expect, and afterwards he couldn’t explain why he did what he did. An example of a spur of the moment