Analyzing John Knowles A Separate Peace

The book, "A Separate Peace," by John Knowles can be interpreted more than one way. You can take it literally, or look into the symbolic meaning of the landmarks of the Devon school, including the two "fearful sites" Gene visited in the beginning. As stated in the book by Gene, everything in the time period revolved around the war. This includes the great symbolism used, so mainly the tree, the Devon River, and the Naguamsett River. The Devon and Naguamsett Rivers both run through the campus of Devon. They are exact opposites (pg. 40).

Carl Jung, the very first pioneer who discovered human collective unconsciousness, including archetypes, once said, “An archetype is something like an old watercourse along which the water of life flowed for a time, digging a deep channel for itself. The longer it flowed the deeper the channel, and the more likely it is that sooner or later the water will return.” An archetype is the universal patterns and behaviors that represent a typical human experience that is passed down from generations to generations, creating its originality. In “A Separate Peace”, John Knowles uses many archetypes to enrich the personality of his characters, especially Gene and Finny based on common human experiences. By embodying the archetypes of the Fall from Innocence, the Unhealable, and the Crossroads in “A Separate Peace,” John Knowles was successful in establishing the theme for the novel which implies that the guilt which is begotten from one’s deceitful actions would remain as an irrecoverable wound overtime.

were taking everyone they could. They were taking even boys under sixteen which were the easiest to train and without any family responsibilities. Some of the new soldiers stayed at

They probably wanted the students to enlist so that they would not have to. Paul remembers when Kantorek, his old teacher, came up to him and his friends. "I can see him now, as he used to glare at us through his spectacles and say in a moving voice: Won't you join up, Comrades? (15)" Paul even said that he was tricked by these comments. Many parents disgusted Paul because he can not believe that they were so willing to let their children go to war and most likely die at a young age. Now Paul learned from the past and realizes that society tricks you into doing what they want, but now the war has opened his eyes.

The students were taught fighting was something good. War was an adventure. When being soldiers, the students did not have to attend school and they want to fight for their fatherland.

The topic of war is hard to imagine from the perspective of one who hasn't experienced it. Literature makes it accessible for the reader to explore the themes of war. Owen and Remarque both dipcik what war was like for one who has never gone through it. Men in both All Quiet on the Western Front and “Dulce Et Decorum” experience betrayal of youth, horrors of war and feelings of camaraderie.

In the novel, Gene, Finny, Leper, and others fear enlisting for World War II after they graduate. Gene says that many of the teachers "loosened their grip" on the boys, knowing what lay ahead of them after they graduate. As the school year progressed, the boys anxiety increased. They all knew what was coming up, though none of them wanted to accept

Few Americans that were drafted, however, did attend their injunction. Thomas Yager, Robert Laufer, Mark Gallops, PhD’s in psychiatry, confirmed that men who did attend, experienced several behavioral and emotional problems. Of these that attended, behavioral and emotional problems produced in the men who fought, usually went AWOL (absent without leave) and escaped to Canada through underground railroad tunnels whom were helped by anti-war supporters. Multitudinous amounts of young men attended college to avoid the draft; college students building their future were not permitted to be drafted in the war. Damien de Walque, a Senior Economist in the Development Research Group, believes that, “During the Vietnam War, college attendance provided a strategy to avoid the draft in the 1960’s.” As a result, families that could not afford college, were drafted into the war. College campuses became a crucible for anti-war protests. Students actualized protests against an unjust war at numerous college campuses, conceiving extreme amounts of tension across the nation. Kent State University is the most known anti-war protest college where students set fire to the ROTC building. Several students were killed, even those not involved in the protest. As protests increased, populous amounts of Americans had new judgement to evade the draft. Draft resistance became a day to day thing accumulating the struggle for war to be

In A Separate Peace by John Knowles, a recurring theme is emotions. Set during World War Two, in a boarding school in America, teenage boys face the threat of going to war. Emotions are always high and often distorted by fear and uncertainty.

Less than one percent of all Americans are enlisted in the military. An even smaller percentage of high school students are enlisted. Students are thought to be incompetent, and not mature enough to decide on enlisting in the military. However, students should be allowed to join the military. The military offers many benefits students can use to help their future. The protection of our country is not overlooked for recruits; they are awarded many personal benefits as well. Tuition assistance, job training, and many benefits that help prepare recruits for occupations while enlisted. Not only are students getting great benefits, but they are also in a small group of professional workers.

Historical events can play an important role in a person's life.  In A Separate Peace, the whole atmosphere at the Devon School changed as World War II progressed.  The boys either eagerly awaited the draft, enlisted in the area of war they wanted, or did not want to go at all.  The students at the school created new activities for enjoyment since the customary past times could not be played due to a lack of materials.  When a friend "returns" from the war, the boys at Devon got a real sense of what the war was like.  The boys learned that going to war was not all fun and games like they had anticipated.  The influence World War II had on the characters in A

For the characters in A Separate Peace by John Knowles, a coming-of-age fictional novel, the stress of enlisting in World War II greatly impacts their motives. This story is told as a flashback from the perspective of a young boy named Gene that attends a boarding school, Devon. This school sits astride two rivers, the Devon, and the Naguamsett. The Devon, a river that is clean and brings fun and youthful memories to Gene flows into the Naguamsett, a dirty and ugly river. These bodies of water can represent the shift from childhood to adulthood. How the happy and innocent mind of a young adult begins to experience new things and starts to recognize the negative aspects of reality Gene and his best friends struggle to recognize the negative effects of the war, as they have not yet experienced it for themselves. Their struggle to grow and mature is met with multiple conflicts. The most extreme of these conflicts occurs at the end of the story, when Gene’s best friend, Phineas, also known as Finny, dies in the middle of a surgery. In A Separate Peace by John Knowles, Brinker is most responsible for Phineas’ death because of his desire for justice, his dependence on others, and his lack of pity for Finny.

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.

In the First World War people wanted the young men to go to war, but

Of the films that addressed this subject, the majority seemed to advocate that young men volunteered for the War out of how of duty and loyalty to their nice country. One