A Separate Peace Theme Essay

A Separate Peace is a short novel about a group of high school boys that live during world war two but this story has deeper more complex meaning then that can be seen from the surface. In disguise of a “coming of age” story this novel contains very familiar biblical connections. These connections include the trial of Jesus, the fall of man from perfection, and the story of Cain and Abel. Knowles novel A Separate Peace contains biblical allegories, that become evident under a close examination.

A Separate Peace is a World War II setting book written by the author, John Knowles. A Separate Peace is an example of a bildungsroman, or a coming-of-age  novel. One of the main characters, Gene Forrester, is a perfect example of someone who is coming-of-age. As the  novel progresses, Gene  is transformed and impacted by many different experiences during his time at Devon High School.  In the book, A Separate Peace, Gene  becomes mature from his experiences from Finny’s death and Training for the Olympics; He also loses his innocence, and this teaches the reader about growing up and the idea of losing innocence.

A Separate Peace by John Knowles is generally surrounded around war. War can build some people up and then bury others six feet under the ground. One theme of this book is that war can take a toll on people in every type of way possible.

“He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have” (Socrates). Humans are selfish, they wish for more even when there is no more to give. This is shown in many books through parallels between texts. These parallels allow readers to become connected with the text on a deeper level. People must read in between the lines to get a clear understanding of the author's message. John Knowles, author of A Separate Peace, has woven an intelligent story which at a glance seems like the story of two boys friendship, but underneath explains the reason behind why people are ever jealous. Through the use of biblical allegories and character parallels, A Separate Peace, meticulously portrays the human impulse

War is a destructive force whose nature is to destroy all things and change lives forever. It is a whirlpool that sucks everything in and is fueled by hatred and violence. Whether one is directly involved in the battlefield or waiting to see the outcome, war has the capacity to affect all people. It can harden one beyond their years and force them to grow, seeing conflicting sides of good and evil. A Separate Peace by John Knowles narrates the story of young boys growing up with World War II as the backdrop. The war impacts them dramatically and is constantly thought about as they are coming of the age since they will soon be enlisted. However, not only are they living during an era of war but are also struggling with the war inside of themselves as they search for the truth within. Knowles depicts the ability of war to affect teenage boys in Devon, an English preparatory school, and transform them from carefree boys to troubled young men in search of their own separate peace.

In A Separate Peace, the author chooses to use conflicts to show the growth of a character. As a conflict happens there is some sort of growth which the character gains as a result. In fact, there are many conflicts throughout the story that shape the characters in unique ways including Genes jealousy of his best friend, Finny doing dangerous things, and Gene trying to live through Finny. Some conflicts result in good ways some result in bad and it changes the way the character is. The book is a good example of what it is like when a conflict happens in real life, by showing growth of a character after a conflict. The decisions made by the characters will either change them in positive or negative ways; that is an important message that the book tells quite well.

In conclusion, A Separate Peace is a novel with numerous themes and interpretations. With every theory, there is an explanation and a deeper meaning. The greatest part about books is being able to find all the possible themes and supporting them with aspects of the story. This novel can be interpreted as a coming of age story, a psychological story, or simply a story about good and evil. It’s all dependent on the evaluation of the

As said by Eric Burdon, “Inside each of us, there is a seed of good and evil. It’s a constant struggle as to which one will win. And one cannot exist without the other.” In A Separate Peace by John Knowles good and evil are present throughout the book. This quote supports the themes of A Separate Peace because Gene and Finny struggle with the decision between good and evil and are affected by those decisions, along with the characters themselves being similar to good and evil.

A Separate Peace, which was written by John Knowles, has many themes. They are interconnected throughout the book. The most clearly portrayed theme is fear. It seems to be connected with the themes of friendship, jealousy, and war. As World War II was occurring, fear had taken over Gene's life through these various themes. When he visited Devon fifteen years after leaving the school, Gene claimed, "I had lived in fear while attending the school and I can now feel fear's echo" (Knowles 10). He felt like he had gained a separate peace after escaping from this fear.

A Separate Peace, written by John Knowles, is a very complex book, which truly makes you think about the relationships you share. I recommend this book to anyone wanting to challenge their thinking or anyone looking for a great read.

Some friendships last forever and others do not but in the novel, A Separate Peace (1959) by John Knowles, displays a different kind of friendship. The reader throughout this novel was very entertained. This novel takes place at the Devon Preparatory School in the years of 1942-1943.

Peace is the absence of hostilities, such as war, self-doubt and guilt, disagreements with others, internal bitterness, and sickness. In the novel A Separate Peace, WW2 is raging in Europe and in the Pacific with men dying by the thousands each month, yet at the Vermont preparatory school of Devon a peace independent of the War exists where there at is no fear of death, loss of one’s sanity and conscience, and fear of degradation. This is all until a cloud of hostility forms over Devon and over the lives of the two main characters, Gene and Finny. Many times over the course of the novel, this cloud of hostility parts over the skies of Devon allowing for Peace to shine over the school and the boys, but only temporarily until the cloud of hostility

A Separate Peace tells the story of Gene's painful but necessary growth into adulthood, a journey of deepening understanding about his responsibility and his place in a wider world. At the beginning of the novel, the young Gene stands unconcerned, self-absorbed, by the tree that will test his true nature. By the end, Gene has suffered and inflicted suffering, and he has grown into an understanding of his own dark motives. He has lost his innocence and has gained experience.

A Separate Peace is an iconic coming-of-age novel written by John Knowles. This extraordinary work of literature successfully showcases the journey of self-consciousness by Gene Forrester, a reserved, shy teenager in the midst of a deadly war and how he rapidly progresses into adulthood with the cooperation of Phineas. It also highlights the quest of self-discovery and his emotional evolution throughout the novel, making him aware of his loss. Gene Forrester encountered a dramatic evolution throughout the chapters since he suffered from having an unbalanced, envied relationship with Phineas (his best friend), undergo an internal conflict, and the realization of his perception of the world, changing him drastically. These different situations are expressing a sense of self identity, uncertainty, jealousy, and unhealthy rivalry between Gene and Phineas, the characters involved in shaping the text and forming the storyline.

At the beginning, Gene is competitive and self-interested, but he changes throughout the book to become more kind and agreeable to others. Early in the book, Gene’s competitiveness and instinctive suspicion lead to a tragic accident that changes Finny’s life forever. Gene believes that Finny envies of Gene’s academic superiority. This belief festers and prompts Gene to cause Finny serious harm. Gene relates his