...world of a teenager is filled with complexity. A Separate Peace, written by John Knowles demonstrates how two teenage boys handle their inter-conflict and coming of age in their modern world during World War II. Finny is athletic, humorous, and represents the optimism and light of the situation, while Gene is fundamentally reserved, physically impressive, and portrays the dark, self-discriminating, and disturbed thoughts of an average teenage boy. Even though, the teens showed strength in both physical and mental aspects, Knowles use of symbolism and imagery help portray Finny as the weaker character. Gene and Phineas’ summer sessions at Devon were a time of freedom and peace. The teachers of Devon were lenient and Finny’s clever tongue allowed him to get away with anything. In the book, it was thought that the war was being fought to preserve the life they enjoyed. Teachers were more indulgent towards them than others, such as the seniors. Finny and Gene reminded them of what peace and life away from the destruction was like. Knowles creates a contrasting image of the summer joy and the tragic war zone. The war for the boys was a distant and almost laughable concept. However, the symbolic summer sessions of innocence and youth comes to an end with Phineas’ fall. Winter sessions began and were dark, disciplined, and filled with difficult work. It symbolized the burden of adulthood and the wartime. The imagery Knowles...
Words: 1095 - Pages: 5
...Water possesses different characteristics when in different forms. In A Separate Peace by John Knowles, a water motif shows the differences between ugliness and beauty. Knowles uses saltwater, freshwater, ice, and snow to represent different characteristics, when water is in different states. Knowles uses saltwater and freshwater to show the differences between beauty and ugliness within his characters. After Finny’s accident, he is told that he will never play sports again. Gene decides that he will not either, so he signs up to be the assistant crew manager. On the first day Gene and Quackenbush get into a fight and “catapul[t] into the water” (Knowles 79). Later, Gene showers “to wash off the sticky salt of the Naguamsett” (86). Falling...
Words: 922 - Pages: 4
...A Separate Peace is a historical realistic fiction novel written by John Knowles. Many themes are presented throughout the text. Using Gene’s thought, action, and feeling to provide evidence that title suggests guilt as one of the themes of the novel. The guilt begins in chapter four, when the boys would climb a tree and jump into the river below for the Super Suicide Society meeting to begin. Traditionally Gene and Finny climb the tree alone, but the boys had decided to climb together. Unfortunate circumstances occur as Gene jolts the branch; Finny falls and shatters his leg. Gene feels the need to tell Finny, but “It struck me that I was injuring him again. It occurred to me that this could be an even deeper injury than I had done before(Knowles,...
Words: 393 - Pages: 2
...are addicted, by traveling to be with the snow. Winter was a rough season in A Separate Peace written by John Knowles, because it is about unraveling the truth between Gene and Finny relationship. The relationship between Gene and Finny’s is put on the test by their friendship, their true personality, and the forgiveness between one another. Gene and Finny went to the Devon river, and at the river Finny told Gene, “we'll jump together to cement our partnership,” (Knowles 31). Knowles specifically uses the words “cement our partnership”, because he is trying to explain that Finny is telling Gene that when they jump off the tree together they become closer friends. Friendship is moreover shown when Knowles...
Words: 622 - Pages: 3
...A Separate Peace written by John Knowles, is about two best friends Gene and Phineas. They show friendship, jealousy, fear, and love but also guilt and hatred through their journey at Devon School. Throughout the novel you see how World War 2 plays a factor in the story its effects the personality of the boys. A Separate Peace is a novel that shows the complexity of friendship with two best friends and their journey throughout the story. While having a great friendship they show compassion for each other by pushing one another to be the best at what they’re good at but, it is also where jealousy comes in when one exceeds or is more successful than the other. “I could see through that. I was more and more certainly becoming the best student in the school; Phineas was without question the best athlete, so in that way we are even” (Knowles 55). This passage from the novel show that they are the best at what they’re good at which for Gene it is school and for Finny it is...
Words: 506 - Pages: 3
...A Separate Peace by John Knowles illustrates Gene Forrester’s struggles of isolation within the Devon Boarding School during World War II, as well as the ups and downs of his relationship with his best friend Phineas. Phineas’ natural ability to perform exceptionally in all he encounters creates a sense of separation between them, as Gene feels he cannot live up to the standards of his friend. Knowles’ detailed use of the tree and its surrounding landscape conveys how often times feelings of jealousy between close companions may lead to the forming of conflicting perspectives and the splitting of relationships. John Knowles forms a complex internal struggle within Gene where he attempts to be supportive of his friend while harboring a deep...
Words: 571 - Pages: 3
...In the novel, A Separate Peace, author John Knowles examined two characters, Gene Forrester and Finny, in which strong rivalry and even stronger friendship were analysed. John Knowles used the world around the boys to symbolize their relationship as it strengthened and weakened. This paper is going to explore the juxtapositions in the world of A Separate Peace that represented this rapport. The first of these comparisons are the differences between the summer session of Devon, the school these boys go to, and the winter session. The first few chapters of this book takes place during the summer session of Devon. During this impromptu school year, which was brought about by the school pushing the boys through high school faster so they may enlist...
Words: 470 - Pages: 2
...Charles Darwin once believed, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” For years many scientists have gathered data that supports this simple concept. It is inevitable that certain individuals will possess traits needed to thrive in society while others will fail to adapt. The world is constantly changing, and eventually ruthless reality will conquer opposition and determination. As Knowles’ characters of Leper, Finny, and Gene demonstrate in his novel A Separate Peace: only the fittest survive. For example, Knowles’ character of Leper demonstrates survival of the fittest. More specifically, when Leper watches a movie with troops skiing in...
Words: 846 - Pages: 4
...The assessment of competition among friends can be analyzed between Phineas and Gene from A Separate Peace by John Knowles. Within the novel, the rivalry between these two friends is presented in a way that demonstrates the importance of friendly competition. Competition between peers is healthy because it increases the will to want to do better than the others therefore empowering themselves, the bond between the people might grow stronger, and when the competition finally stops everyone can look back at what they have done together. Amongst a group of people the want to do better grows with the steady competition between themselves. “I was more and more certainly becoming the best student, in the school; Phineas was without the question the best athlete… The new attacks of studying were his emergency measures to save himself. I redoubled my effort”(Knowles, pg.55). Gene has convinced himself that Phineas is out to bring him down. Consequently making himself work harder to prove to Phineas he is better. At some point in everyone’s life they have needed to face someone else and try their absolute best to beat. This obstacle could seem like your greatest opposition, but quite possibly end up helping you later on. As the competition progresses so does the people involved, even thriving together. “He drew me increasingly away...
Words: 496 - Pages: 2
...In A Separate Peace, John Knowles portrays the thought that choices have consequences. This book is about two friends who go to a tree to jump off this limb and one of them, Gene, jounces the limb and Finny falls of and shatters his leg. A while after Finny is going down these marble stairs and he falls and breaks it again. When trying to set it in place the marrow of his bone goes to his heart and kills him. Gene had to live with the consequence of his action. The way he presents the theme is through two characters and two settings/symbols. Leper Lepellier decides to be in the war and his consequence was the he goes psycho. Gene goes to check up on Leper at his house and see how he is doing. Leper is looking out the window so Gene comes in and talks about rooms of Leper’s house. Leper says what his favorite room is and why and Gene says something back that Leper gets mad about: “Force sprang into his expression for the first time. ‘What’s she got to be pleased about!’” (142). Leper changes into a meaner and fiercer person than before he signs up for the war and “escapes” it. This shows...
Words: 758 - Pages: 4
...friends. During Devon’s summer session the boys experience an easygoing environment where they can avoid the rules and they deny the fact that WWII is going on. During the winter session, though, the boys experience a strict environment that brings to their attention to the reality that they may soon be drafted into the military. In chapter nine of this novel, A Separate Peace, by John Knowles, the boys of Devon put on a carnival in order to escape the hardships of life and the depression of winter. Although the festivities of the Winter Carnival suggest that the boys have been successful in creating a separate peace, Knowles’ use of war imagery in describing the setting, the prizes, and the...
Words: 1153 - Pages: 5
...Friendships are the best way to connect one person to another. Once a pair has agreed into a friendship has a hold on their hopes, promises and deepest desires. Throughout the novel, A Separate Peace by John Knowles, Gene and Finny always seem to be stuck at the hip. Many comment on their close friendship, but it isn’t as strong as many would perceive. Gene and Finny’s friendship isn’t strong and filled with many insecurities. After the incident that caused Finny to be badly injured in the leg, Gene dresses himself in Finny’s clothing. He notes that it made him feel like a nobleman or a Spanish grandee. Gene then no longer sees himself as himself, but as a recreation of Finny. Gene states on page 62, “That I would never stumble through the...
Words: 483 - Pages: 2
...story is often classified as a tragedy, A Separate Peace by John Knowles is an optimistic novel. It leaves readers with an understanding that Gene and Finny’s relationship ended on a relatively good note, and teaches the audience lessons of the redemption of peace and the acceptance of what isn’t perfect. Many readers conclude that, because Finny died, the relationship was automatically torn to pieces. However, the last scene between Finny and Gene before Finny went into surgery proves otherwise. The two boys revisited the mock trial and what was revealed, and fell into and conversation of hurried explanations and sincere apologies. They were able to sort everything out before it was too late. For instance, the last thing that Finny told Gene was “I believe you. It’s okay...
Words: 596 - Pages: 3
...Gene’s discovery and story In the story “A separate Peace” by John Knowles, Gene has his moments in glory. Gene though wants something more, to win against the enemy who is Finny. The story is about Gene going to Devon school, struggling through jealousy, and exhibits compulsive outbursts that impact him and others around him. Gene feels compulsive towards Finny but then leads to jealousy throughout their relationship. In the story, Gene does many things that are unforgettable and gets away with it so therefore he is compulsive and jealous of Finny. Gene has jealousy towards Finny because Gene thinks that Finny is trying to sabotage him so he can’t study and try to be the top student in the class. Once Gene hears this, he gets so mad that when they usually jump off the high tree and into water, Gene jounced the limb so Finny will fall. For example, Finny said, “It was just some kind of blind impulse you had in the tree there, you didn’t know what you were doing were you, was that it?” (pages roughly 44-46/53/52/59-60) Then Gene couldn’t believe that Finny finally knew what it was and so then Finny forgave Gene. Later the next day, Finny died in the surgery of fixing...
Words: 418 - Pages: 2
...judged. In the novel by John Knowles, he tells the story of a friendship between Gene and Phineas. They start their friendship as classmates at Devon School, during World War II, and during their time they learn many things about themselves and each other. In the novel, A Separate Peace, Gene learns through his friendship with Finny that he possesses athletic potential, that he cannot let jealousy get in the way of friendship, and that being honest can strengthen the bond between friends; therefore, people learn more about themselves through relationships than they do about others. Gene learns, in A Separate Peace, that Finny is...
Words: 1243 - Pages: 5
