A Separate Peace

Literary Analysis of A Separate Peace What do you think the most and the most meaningful theme or themes for you? In this book—A Separate Peace—it talks a lot about friendship between Finny and Gene, who are the main characters and have diverse personalities for each of them in the book. However, even though they have different personalities, they maintained a very positive friendship, which didn’t long too. Later in the book, they have some conflicts that lead to their end because one of the…

Title and Author: A Separate Peace, by John Knowles Setting and Historical Context: 1942-1943, World War II; Devon School, New Hampshire, Vermont (Leper’s home) Major Characters and Descriptions (external, internal, motivation) [3-5 characters]: Gene Forrester: narrator, protagonist of the novel, thoughtful, intelligent, competitive, has a love-hate relationship with his best friend Phineas (“Finny”), adores and envies Finny, insecure, uncomfortable with his own self Phineas (“Finny”):…

This piece of artwork is based upon the book, A Separate Peace by John Knowles. A Separate Peace is a story of two best friends, Gene and Finny. The two friends differ in the way that Gene excels at academics, while Finny thrives in athletics. Although it seems that the contrasting fields of excellence would allow their to be harmony between the boys, Gene becomes envious of Finny and grows to resent him due to his athletic capabilities. Finny is oblivious to Gene’s hatred and still thinks of…

A Separate Peace The novel A Separate Peace was written by John Knowles. A Separate Peace tells the story of a young man Gene Forrester who attends a boarding school (Devon) during World War II. At the start of the novel Gene is visiting the school as an adult, and then flashes back to Gene when he was a teenager. At the start of the flashback, Gene’s closest friend at Devon, Finny, is daring Gene to jump off of a tree, into one of the of the rivers on the school grounds. Gene does jump off of…

In Separate Peace the characters battle with their identity. Gene is one of the many characters that struggles to be himself, instead he tries to be other people. Given that Gene has a hard time with his identity, he tries to be someone he is not: Gene tries to be Finny. Finny can be described as athletic, outgoing, and a risk taker, all things that Gene does not possess. Although Gene is far from Finny’s qualities he tries to duplicate them. Gene said “I decided to put on his clothes…

World War II as a Symbol in A Separate Peace In A Separate Peace, John Knowles uses World War II to symbolize denial of conflict and feelings, the reality of impending adulthood, and internal conflict in the minds of Gene and Finny. The war and the question of whether or not to enlist are omnipresent worries in the minds of the boys at the Devon School in New Hampshire. Although World War II is a major conflict in the novel, the various forms of strife it symbolizes are much more significant in…

A Separate Peace begins in the summer of 1942, set at the Devon School in New Hampshire. It is told from the point of view of Gene Forrester. During the summer session of 1942, he becomes friends with his reckless roommate Finny, or Phineas. Finny persuades Gene into jumping out of a tree into a river, and the two friends start a secret society based on this ritual. After Finny broke a school swimming record on his first try, Gene becomes jealous of his athletic abilities. Gene suspects that…

In the novel A Separate Peace by John Knowls, there are signs of jealousy and naiveté that causes problems for the two main characters. Despite the fact Finny is too naive to realize how his best friend, Gene, is jealous of him it then “destroys” him. When all he is trying to do is forget about the dreadful war and stay youthful, which isn’t so easy to do. One of the main issues is Phineas is so energetic and cheery he doesn’t realize what Gene’s jealousy is doing to him. He keeps on going on…

In John Knowles’s A Separate Peace, the author focuses on the painful and sometimes difficult transition to adulthood in an adolescent character named Gene Forrester. Gene has a nonconformist friend called Phineas, or Finny, who is extremely physically talented, but does not do well in school. Gene, on the other hand, is very conventional, does well in school, and always follows the rules. He becomes intensely jealous of Finny’s athletic talent and makes him fall out of a tree and shatter his…

“I always try to make the setting fit the story I have in mind.” - Author Tony Hillerman. A Separate Peace by John Knowles is about a group of boys at an all boys boarding school called Devon during WWII and their hardships as their easy going summer session ways change into the winter war-stricken ways. The setting of the book influences many of the boys to behave differently than they would if there was no war going on. The setting is a major factor in what kind of a person someone becomes,…