War touches everyone in some way; however, very few prefer to describe their involvement with it; yet John Knowles, the writer of A Separate Peace, touches upon many themes involving war. Knowles displays these themes and attitudes of war in his book, A Separate Peace. These attitudes are best displayed through the characterization of the main characters - Gene, Finny, and Leper.
Leper is the least important of the main characters, but his characterization still holds many important truths about war. Leper's joining of the war makes it seem impossible to the other Devon boys that the war is even real. He was a timid, harmless, peaceful student. What timid student jumps at the chance to join a war? The Devon boys thought it was impossible for a war to be real if a peaceful student like Leper joined it by stating, "For a few days the war was more unimaginable than ever" (Gene 118). They joked about Leper's involvement in the war, putting him in every important war headline in the news. "We talked about Leper's stand at Stalingrad, Leper on the Burma Road, Leper's convoy to Archangel; we surmised that the crisis over the leadership of the Free French would be resolved by the appointment of neither de Gaulle nor Giraud but Lepellier; we knew, better than the newspapers, that it was not the Big Three but the Big Four who were running the war" (Gene 118). However, Leper contacts Gene and tells him of his horrific stories about the war later in the story. He tells of gruesome stories about furniture turning into body parts, a woman's head on a man's body, a corporal approaching him with a leg in his hand. These horrific visions that Gene learns about prove that Leper has gone insane. Moreover, Leper's enlistment in war makes the war seem unreal and impossible, but ironically, his downward spiral to insanity makes the war seem more real than ever for the Devon boys, especially Finny.
So they created a separate peace. ... Finny found his separate peace within his denial. ... This is where Gene and Finny find a separate peace. ... He wished to clear his separate peace. ... Finny received his separate peace by denying the war and staying in his childhood innocence. ...
Separate Peace In John Knowles book A Separate Peace he communicates how the war in him was taking its toll on him. ... The characters, Gene and Finny, are the opposing forces in a struggle between the reality of war (World War II) and a separate peace. ... This is the start of a separate peace. ... Finny has created a separate peace at Devon that he substitutes for the real war. ... This is Finny's separate peace because it lacks the real characteristics of the real war. ...
A Separate Peace is a mind riveting novel dealing with adolescent development and one boy's struggle to understand himself and the world in times of turmoil. ... I feel that the novel A Separate Peace is truly focused on two wars. ... I think it is interesting that John Knowles named his novel A Separate Peace. "A separate peace" refers to the Devon School that Gene attends. ... A Separate Peace is definitely a mind bending novel. ...
A "Separate Peace" (published in 1960) takes place during the Second World War in a New England Prep School called Devon (based on Phillips Exeter Academy). ... The main characters Gene and Finny are always struggling between the "separate peace" and the real war. ... The war in Europe took away the peace from the boys, affected them, and influenced them to be ready for what was coming to them. ... Even thought he tried to hide it by making the Separate Peace, in which he and Gene practiced for Olympics. ... Even Finny who was thought to be in a "Separate Peace" admitted the reality of th...
A Separate Peace Symbols are often used throughout the novel A Separate Peace, to help the reader distinguish between who or what is moral and immoral. ... The Devon River symbolized peace because the war did not really affect the people in Devon, but the Naguamsett River represented Europe where the war was taking place with all the battles. ... He was trying to make it seem like he was infected with the filth, which represented the war and wanted to clean him so he could keep his innocence and peace. Therefore, these two rivers helped readers get to know two things...
A Separate Peace was written by active author John Knowles from his real experiences and personal struggles. ... The primary setting of A Separate Peace is at the Devon School. ... A Separate Peace considers two conflicts: man against man and man against himself. ... The style of A Separate Peace is realistic. ... I would recommend A Separate Peace to everyone who has eyes to read it or someone to read it to them. ...
A Separate Peace was written by active author John Knowles from his real experiences and personal struggles. ... The primary setting of A Separate Peace is at the Devon School. ... A Separate Peace considers two conflicts: man against man and man against himself. ... The style of A Separate Peace is realistic. ... I would recommend A Separate Peace to everyone who has eyes to read it or someone to read it to them. ...
In general the setting is its own separate peace. ... The winter carnival is an example that shows the students at the school creating their own separate peace. ... Finny successfully creates his own separate peace by creating a fantasy world. ... In this novel, A Separate Peace is shown through different examples. ... A separate peace for some is what resolves a problem that can have an effect on someone's life. ...
A Separate Peace By: John Knowles Introduction A Separate Peace is a novel about war, but happens to focus more on the war within the human heart. ... A Separate Peace was written by John Knowles and was published in 1959. ... Body Plot A Separate Peace is about Gene Forrester and the conflicts that he faces throughout his high school career. ... Characters The main character of A Separate Peace is Gene Forrester. ... In A Separate Peace, the villain varies. ...
