A Separate Peace by John Knowles - Overview and Analysis
A Separate Peace by John Knowles is a compelling coming-of-age novel set in 1942 at an elite boarding school in New Hampshire during WWII. The story follows the protagonist, Gene, as he navigates complex relationships with his best friend Finny and other classmates amidst internal and external conflicts. Through themes of friendship, identity, and the impact of war, the novel delves into the process of maturation and self-discovery. With a backdrop of historical events, the narrative explores the tensions between individual desires and societal expectations, making it a timeless and thought-provoking read.
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A Separate Peace BY JOHN KNOWLES
Background Bildungsroman a novel that details the maturation of a character; a novel dealing with one s formative years and spiritual/moral education Also known as coming of age novel Narrator is an adult (33) looking back on his 16-18 year old self First person narrator: restates childhood through adult eyes Examines the process of growing up and the events that that lead to maturation Narrator is returning to his boarding school to compare his emotional status now to that of 15 years earlier Style: Flashback shifting backward in time
Author John Knowles Born in 1926 (means he was 16 in 1942, just like Gene) Like the main characters in the novel, Knowles attended an elite New Hampshire boarding school, Phillips Exeter Academy Went into military after graduation Air Force A Separate Peace was first published in 1960 Knowles first novel--> made him a literary success Passed away in 2001; wrote over 10 novels in his career, none as successful as his first, A Separate Peace
Setting 1942 Summer Devon School, New Hampshire Elite boarding school for boys Less than a year after Pearl Harbor attack United States in now involved in WWII Decision for teen boys Should they enlist or wait to be drafted into the service? All qualified men 18-35 were expected to serve in the armed services Rationing meant people had to go without basic items
Character List Gene Forrester Narrator tells the story as a flashback Intelligent and competitive Phineas Finny Gene s roommate and best friend Handsome, athletic, extremely likable Elwin Leper Lepellier Classmate of Gene and Finny Quiet, peaceful, nature lover Brinker Hadley Foil to Finny Charismatic and outgoing leader Conservative and rule follower
Conflicts Internal conflicts Novel explores the two conflicting forces within us The creative, expressive force vs. the conservative rule following force This conflict is symbolically represented in the personalities of Gene and Finny, and Gene s conflicted feelings about Finny External Conflicts Impact of WWII on young Americans Wait to be drafted or enlist?
Themes Understanding conflict within yourself is a necessary part of growing up. Friendship grows through conflict, resolving differences, forgiveness, and accepting strengths and weaknesses of each other. A person s own insecurities may cause him to misinterpret a friend s words or actions. Personal joys and pains are felt more strongly than even public events, such as war.
Chapter 1 Frame story: a story which begins in the present but then flashes back to the main story, which is in the past Gene returns to Devon School after 15 years How does the school appear to him? Like a museum preserved by some considerate hand with varnish and wax (10). What feeling does he remember most strongly from his time at Devon? Fear Looking back I could see with great clarity the fear I had lived in (10) What two places does he associate with that fear? The stairs in the First Academy Building The tree by the river In the main story (flashback), what does jumping the tree prepare them for? War When they torpedo the troopship preparing them for war
Chapter 2 Who is Mr. Prud homme? Substitute Master (Teacher) for the Summer Session Why is he upset with the boys? They have missed dinner 9 times Excuses Finny gives? Swimming Wrestling match Watching the sunset Had to see friends ***real reason: wanted to jump from tree Why does Prud homme let the boys off without punishment? The boys, who will soon be drafted or enlisting to fight, remind the adults of what life should be like at 16 Careless and wild
Chapter 2 Who is Mr. Patch-Withers? Substitute head master for the summer Hosts the tea for the Upper Middlers (Junior Class) Examine Gene s first feelings of jealousy Primarily jealous of Finny s ability to get away with anything Missing dinner Tie as a belt/pink shirt
Chapter 3 This chapter serves as the beginning of Gene s self analysis Motif: a dominant or distinct feature that keeps reappearing in a literary work Water how many times do we hear the boys think about water or go near the water? Jumping off the tree limb into the river Blitzball ends at the river Swimming pool Finny breaks the record Trip to the ocean Water BAPTIZES Gene all trips to the water lead Gene to have a revelation or to recognize a truth
Chapter 3 Revelations Gene has? Gene thinks Finny has an edge on him because he saved him from falling Gene questions why Finny wants to keep the pool record a secret Gene feels that this causes a separation between him and Finny he s too unusual for rivalry In what ways is Finny a spontaneous person? Creation of Blitzball Creation of Super Suicide Society recruits more members in this chapter Breaking the pool record Trip to the beach
Chapter 4 Opens with boys still at beach Gene needs to be back by 10 for Trig test Finny chooses to swim, boys nearly get back late, and Gene fails the test Conflicting attitudes regarding academics Gene wants to do well, even possibly be the valedictorian Gene feels it evens out the rivalry between him and Finny We would both be even. (Finny best at sports, Gene best at academics
Chapter 4 Doesn t want to admit this to Finny Finny points out a key difference between him and Gene You never waste time. That s why I have to waste it for you. This begins Gene s questioning of Finny s motives He perceives that Finny is trying to sabotage Gene s grades on purpose by distracting him Night before French Exam Suicide Society meeting Leper is finally going to jump from the tree Gene is very annoyed because he needs to study Finny is surprised by this He assumed that academic excellence comes as easily to Gene as athletic excellence comes to him Gene agrees to go double leap to start the meeting Gene jounces the limb Finny falls with a sickening thud
Chapter 4 Activity Was it an accident or did Gene jounce the limb on purpose to make Finny fall? With your table groups, create a case for either accident or on purpose For accident: Find 5 quotations from the text that make you feel that Gene jounced the limb by accident. Look for evidence of Gene s feelings of friendship and love for Finny. For each quotation, write a brief explanation of how that helps to prove that Gene jounced the limb by accident For on purpose: Find 5 quotations from the text that make you feel that Gene jounced the limb on purpose. Look for evidence of Gene s feelings of jealousy or rivalry with Phineas. For each quotation, write a brief explanation of how that helps to prove that Gene did jounce the limb on purpose.
Chapter 5 Finny is in infirmary leg is shattered Implications: he will never play sports again Implication that doesn t even occur to Gene: Finny will be disqualified from service in the armed forces Gene feels guilty convinced he caused Finny s fall on purpose Strategies to handle guilt Tries to tell Finny Puts on Finny s clothes Waits for Finny to accuse him of doing it on purpose
Chapter 5 Finny s memory of the fall He just fell Admits he had a funny feeling when he looked at Gene, but apologizes to Gene for that feeling Gene realizes Finny was never trying to sabotage him at all Finny is sent home to Boston to recuperate Summer Session ends Gene returns for Winter Session Detours in Boston to visit Finny and confess Gene confesses and Finny refuses to believe it Gene then decides he will tell Finny the truth back at school
Chapter 6 Gene realizes the summer session has changed his approach to life Late to appointments No sports asst. manager for crew team usually job for a disabled student He is taking on characteristics of Finny Crew manager Quackenbush Bully unliked by most students at Devon Picks on Gene Fight because Quackenbush calls Gene maimed He fights for Finny
Chapter 6 Long distance call from Finny Tells Gene he must play sports for him Gene realizes part of him is Finny, but part is his own Secret purpose of jouncing the limb To become part of Finny Finny is partially dependent on Gene Gene can now become part of Finny s identity
Chapter 7 Brinker Hadley Center of excitement, most popular Accusing Gene (jokingly) of planning to get rid of Finny to have own room Dramatic Irony we, the reader, know that Gene did jounce the limb on purpose and feels responsible for Finny s accident, but Brinker doesn t know this Butt Room and Mock Trial Brinker Here s your prisoner, gentlemen, I am turning him over to the proper authorities. Verbal irony: Gene knows he is guilty, making him a prisoner of his own conscience
Chapter 7 Focus goes back to the War Apple picking and shoveling out railroad Leper seems to be oblivious to the war Cross country skiing and nature observing Brinker brags he will enlist tomorrow Gene admires his ability to make a decision and seems to be leaning in the same direction Finny returns to school Everything that had happened throughout the day faded like that first false snowfall of winter.
Chapter 8 Gene and Finny s attitudes about the war Finny not part of the war; makes a joke about it war doesn t actually exist; made up by adults Gene disapproves of Finny s attitude, begins to develop his own ideas What changes Gene s mind about enlisting? Guilt about Finny needing his help Finny s first day back in classes Skip class and head to the Cage Finny looks pale, sweaty and unhealthy contrast with Finny the athlete of the summer session
Chapter 8 At the Cage, Finny argues with Gene about the war and admits he has suffered Gene still feels guilty Finny shares plan to coach Gene for the 1944 Olympics, which he had planned to compete in Chapter ends with Gene questioning war Finny can t be a part of the war (because of his accident), so he won t accept the war as real Gene begins to see that Finny is just a regular human being, not special
Chapter 9 Explains title of novel Finny creates a separate peace in which Gene can forget the war Their friendship, Finny s view of the war, Finny s plan to train Gene for Olympics separates them from others Leper is first boy to enlist Ski Troops recruiter comes to Devon Leper feels this is the best choice for him, better than being drafted Brinker is inspired by Leper and claims he will enlist too All the boys begin to attribute every Allied victory to Leper EXCEPT Finny
Chapter 9 Winter Carnival Not sanctioned by Devon School thought up by Finny Shows that Finny is losing touch with reality He assigns Leper a job, even though Leper s gone at basic training Burns a copy of The Iliad (about the Trojan War) to start carnival Symbolically burning the War itself doesn t exist to Finny Snow statues, ski jump, hard cider, decathlon Telegram from Leper Pleading for help escaped from the Army Ski Troops
Chapter 10 Gene visits Leper at Christmas location (home in Vermont) Leper having a mental/nervous break down AWOL: absent with out leave Accuses Gene of thinking he s psycho Admits he ran away because he was going to be discharged Section 8 Leper tells Gene that Gene is a savage underneath Like that time you knocked Finny out of the tree Like that time you crippled him for life Gene shoves Leper out of chair Leper questions if he is psycho or the Army is psycho tells Gene about hallucinations he has Men s faces changing into women s Gene runs away doesn t want to hear any more
Chapter 11 Gene wants to see Finny no conflict, except between athletes Doesn t tell Finny about Leper Snowball fight Gene notices Finny s weak condition Later, he asks if Finny if he should be taking chances like that Bones are supposed to be stronger after a break?? Brinker guesses the truth about Leper Equates Finny and Leper we ve already got two men sidelined for the Duration Finny agrees but Gene argues this dizzy war, this fake Finny finally, ironically, admits the war is real Sure. There isn t any war
Chapter 11 Gene still doesn t enlist Brinker knows it s because of Finny Says Gene pities him and implies it s because Gene caused the accident on purpose Gene reads Caesar translation to Finny Finny finally admits the War is real Leper s mental state has forced him to admit it is real Admits he saw Leper hiding in the bushes at chapel Mock Trial: Round Two Brinker takes Gene and Finny into Assembly Hall Has gathered audience and panel of judges Did Gene cause Finny s accident on purpose
Chapter 11 Mock Trial: Part Two Finny is questioned first lost balance and fell Questioned about where Gene was Finny says he thought he was at the bottom of the tree Gene agrees but then Finny remembers the double jump Finny tells Brinker he saw Leper Leper s testimony Uncharacteristically calm and collected Saw two people on limb and one jounced it Refuses to say who was on the limb Finny says he doesn t care, but rushes out in tears falls down the white marble stairs
Chapter 12 All the boys rush to get help for Finny Wrestling coach Phil Lantham Dr. Stanpole Brinker sends Gene to get a blanket wraps Finny in it Why doesn t Gene do this? He is afraid Finny will blame him for this accident Up to now, the only person who Finny allowed to help him or offer assistance to him was Gene Why? Finny saw Gene as an extension of himself Ludsbury orders all boys back to dormitory when Finny is taken to the infirmary Where does Gene go? The infirmary but he sits outside of Finny s window
Chapter 12 Why does Gene burst into laughter while sitting outside Finny s window? He starts imagining all the funny, crazy things Finny might be saying to the doctor, Lantham, and the nurse Gene climbs into window Finny tries to attack him and asks if he s come to break something else Gene does NOT help Finny when he falls out of bed Just apologizes and leaves Gene wanders around campus all night Feels like a roaming ghost Realizes he has no real separate identity from Finny Sleeps in the stadium
Chapter 12 Next morning note from Dr. Stanpole: bring Finny s things to infirmary Gene and Finny s final conversation Finny admits he s been denying the war because he CAN T be a part of it Letters to every branch of the service rejected by all because of his leg Gene tells him he NEVER would have been part of the war because he would have made friends with the enemies even rules of war wouldn t apply to Finny Finny cries and tells Gene it must have been a blind impulse that made him jounce the limb Something you do without thinking of the consequences Gene agrees
Chapter 12 Doctor tells Gene he is going to set the bone come back later after Finny is out of anesthesia Gene returns to infirmary Finny is dead Marrow leaked out of the bone and into blood stream Gene doesn t cry, even at Finny s funeral Can t cry when you feel like it s your own funeral
Chapter 13 School year ends graduation Devon donates Far Common to the war effort Parachute riggers school Brinker takes Gene to Butt Room to meet his father Mr. Brinker wishes he was younger so he could fight in the war Disgusted that Gene and Brinker are avoiding heavy conflict by joining Navy and Coast Guard Serve honorably lives will be defined by what you do in the war Brinker apologizes for his father and their generation Start wars that young men have to fight and die in Gene goes to locker room to pack up parachute riggers already there Gene knows he will do this soon, but glad it won t be at Devon
Chapter 13 Narration shifts to adult Gene Never killed anyone during the war His war was at Devon he killed his enemy there Who was his enemy? A part of himself his innocence Everyone in the world realizes something is hostile toward them, and that takes away your innocence. Each of the boys--Brinker, Quackenbush, Leper all had their own ways of dealing with this Quackenbush bullies others Brinker braggard who does nothing Leper descends into madness Only Finny, did not lose his innocence, because he never saw anyone as a true enemy
