John Knowles

I dislike Phineas, because he is a bad influence to Gene and leads him to make poor decisions that he wouldn't have made on his own. In the first chapter, Finny convinces Gene to jump off the tree. While Gene is on the branch, Finny yells "You can't stand around admiring the view. Jump!"(17) and Gene does, and makes his first dangerous decision, against his better judgement. In chapter 2, Gene jumps off the tree again, still under pressure by Finny. Although he makes it out unscathed, he almost…

Gene’s Rebirth Parallel to the ancient greek phoenix Gene rose from his ashes and was reborn into a new being. In the book A Separate Peace Gene declaring that he and Finny are enemies shapes Gene into only a fragment of who he use to be. Before this Gene and Finny were as close as brothers, but afterwards they hated each other. A shared passion that followed Finny to his grave. The change in Gene after he and Finny declare war on each other is Genes most pivotal moment as it affects him then…

Discovering One’s Self: Identity as a Theme Within Of Water and The Spirit by Malidoma Patrice Somé Malidoma Somé’s memoir, Of Water and the Spirit, details the life and coming of age of a young boy abducted from his Dagara village in Burkina Faso to be immersed in the White man’s Jesuit seminary school. The book explores the dichotomy of two cultures: European and Dagara, which although seemingly contradictory, coexist within Malidoma Somé. Somé struggles endlessly with self-identity in his…

In chapter 1 of A Separate Peace, the narrator, whom has yet to be named, begins telling of when he last visited his school of his high school years, which happened to be during World War II. It had been fifteen years since his last appearance. On his trip of touring the school for the first time since his departure, he had wanted to see two specific places. One of these places turns out to be a tree near the edge of a river, where he and his friends, more specifically his best friend, Phineas…

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…

The two best friends; Ponyboy and Johnny, both have similarities and differences. Ponyboy and Johnny had a huge impact on the book. The storyline would be complete different if Ponyboy and Johnny were not included. There are a few similarities between the two boys, one being they were both not into fighting. They fought because they had to. Ponyboy stated, “Why do I fight? I thought, and couldn’t think of any good reason for fighting except self defense.” (pg. 120) Ponyboy didn’t fight just…

The novelette "Flowers for Algernon", and the movie Charly, both recount of a man named Charlie Gordon, who struggles with a mental disability. This young man later experiences a procedure that is intended to increase his knowledge. He later discovers that this procedure's effects are only temporary. Although "Flowers for Algernon" and Charly are similar in conflict, they greatly differ in their characters and setting. To begin with, the conflict between "Flowers for Algernon" and Charly is…

Throughout A Separate Peace, Knowles uses juxtaposition to develop the characters of Gene and Phineas, also known as Finny. They are always with each other, and Gene even juxtaposes himself against Finny multiple times in the book. Consequently, these contrasts between them help establish their character; who they really are. One example of juxtaposition would be how Gene and Finny performed in school. Each of the boys had something they excelled at. For Finny, it was athletics; for Gene is…

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…

In the novel “A Separate piece” John Knowles uses setting to foreshadow the events that were to take place. By including the tree, Knowles introduces danger to the plot. By including extensive descriptions about the seasons, Knowles allows us to predict the change in energy and mood that takes place after finny breaks his leg. Knowles also uses the existence of the war in his foreshadowing. By allowing readers a guess at what is going to happen in the book, Knowles creates suspense and builds…