A Separate Peace

In A Separate Peace, author John Knowles shows the inescapable consequences and effects the microcosmic war at Devon School has on the students. Gene Forrester becomes hostile and paranoid as he struggles to identify himself, Brinker Hadley also becomes hostile, but for reasons that are unidentified in the novel. Phineas is physically affected due to Gene’s jealousy, while Leper Lepellier is mentally affected from enlisting in World War II. Through these characters, Knowles describes man’s…

Who was Responsible for the Death of Finny Imagine having a best friend who’s life and future was ruined because of you. This is similar to what happened to Gene and Finny in, “A Separate Peace,” by John Knowles, but others were also involved. Finny’s life, in fact, was lost during an accident in this novel when he fell down stairs. The incident can be traced back when the super suicide society would jump off the tree limb over the summer. This tragic accident can be blamed on Gene since he…

The core of a relationship lives in mutual trust, and when it is gone, it is very difficult to get back. This holds true to Gene and Phineas, or Finny, in John Knowles’ novel A Separate Peace. Throughout the novel, Gene’s trust in Phineas waivers constantly, for no good reason other than his own cynicism and jealousy. He was jealous of Phineas’ athletic ability and charm over the faculty and students at The Devon School. With their relationship, Knowles demonstrates that people’s individual…

In A Separate Peace by John Knowles, two symbols that are key to the novel are the two rivers; Devon and Naguamsett. The Devon River is perceived to be immaculate and more pure than the Naguamsett, which Gene views himself as, and Finny as the perfect Devon. In the novel, Gene felt as if Finny was always the entertaining person and he was the complete opposite. The rivers were always compared to each other much like Gene and Finny. The Devon was often referred to as “… the fresh water…

A Separate Peace Have you ever read a book that showed true friendship throughout the whole book? In this essay I will be writing about how true friendship is shown in the book. A friend is considered to be person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection and a state of trust and support between each other. In A Separate Peace, there are two characters in this book which are Gene and Phineas that have a great bond with each other which is considered to be friendship. In…

help in recognizing who he or she truly is. The utilization of the knowledge they discover on their journey will determine the result of their battle. For this battle to even begin, a force of opposition must be present. In John Knowles novel A Separate Peace, he conveys the battle Gene Forrester goes through to discover himself. Gene’s battle occurs at the Devon School, where he discovers the existence of his enemy. Other characters in the novel such as Leper are going through similar battles…

“The closest friendships often involve intense rivalry.” The quote above is one of the many main themes in A Separate Peace. Rivalry and jealousy become two very important words in the novel. Gene and Finny become jealous of each other’s qualities. Gene strives to be class valedictorian and constantly worries about his studies, but wishes he could excel in sports like Finny. Finny, strives to become a superstar athlete at Devon and an Olympian. Finny doesn’t worry about his studies but wishes…

“A Seperate Peace” “A flower does not think of competing to the flower next to it. It just blooms” anonymous Contained in the book A Separate Peace by John Knowels seen through the main characters, is the lesson of how bitter competition can be. The competition between the boys started off as a healthy, little rivalry but soon turned sour when jealousy seeped into Gene's head. Doubting his best friend's intentions and believing he is his rival, in the competition of life, the contention turns…

A Separate Peace by John Knowles is a story about many different wars. Gene Forrester is in war inside of himself, the war the boys have to battle against the world in and outside their school, and the war between the nations and generations. These ideas support that war is caused by human flaws. Fear is a bad characteristic of humans because it drives people to do things that they usually would not do. Throughout the whole story, Gene continuously had battle a war within himself. He dealt…

John Knowles’s novel, A Separate Peace, takes place at the Devon School in 1959, and it is located in New Hampshire. This novel takes place during World War II, and even some of the main characters participate in the war at the end of the novel. This novel is told by Gene Forrester, and at a certain points of the novel, Knowles asks the audience to question his reliability as a narrator. Gene’s friend, Phineas, plays a large role in the novel because Gene is jealous of Finny for many reasons,…