Literary Analysis Of A Separate Peace By John Knowles

People are colliding into battles continuously around the globe. It's not always a physical brawl between two armed forces but it also occur mentally and emotionally. On page 139 of A Separate Peace, a quote was mentioned by Gene, "...because it seemed clear that wars were not made by generations and theirs special stupidities but that wars were made instead by something ignorant in the human heart..." This quote can relate to the novel, a personal experience and another literary work.

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.

An Explanation of Internal Conflict In his novel, A Separate Peace, author John Knowles implements an army of literary devices to lure and capture a reader’s interest. If one were to turn to a single page in this novel, he/she would find several devices. A heavily recurring theme is the internal conflict of the characters throughout the story. Knowles incorporates the theme of inner conflict into several characters, not just a single, well rounded character, such as Gene.

depths, emotions to the characters, plot and theme in the book. The devices are used

In life, humans go through a point in their life where they struggle or have to fight for something; Whether it be fighting for money, food, shelter,a special someone or life. In John Knowles's novel, A Separate Peace, he quotes for Gene, “...my war ended before I even put on a uniform; I was on active duty all my time at school; I killed my enemy there.” As you continue to read on, although it was caused by Finny...unintentionally. You’ll realize that Gene’s enemy was his insecurities, his feelings, …. maybe even himself.

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.

Conflict often has harmful effects, including causing death and destruction, so it is usually viewed negatively. However, conflict can also bring out positive traits in people, and the people involved in it may be respected. “Bayonet Charge” imagines a soldier’s experience in battle. “The Charge of The Light Brigade” recounts the story of the charge made by the Light Brigade in the Battle of Balaclava.

In the novel, “A Separate Peace” by John Knowles, the seasons develop actions and characters in the story. The story takes place at an all-boys boarding school in New Hampshire during World War II based off of the author’s previous experiences at a boarding school. The two main characters, Finny and Gene, experience character development alongside different seasons. In written works, seasons are commonly used to symbolically represent a change in the character’s personalities. The nature or setting of the story is used to specifically evolve Finny and Gene in seasons such as the summer, autumn, and winter. Each season change also generates an entirely different mood.

In the novel, The Separate Peace, by John Knowles, a new character named Brinker Hadley was introduced. Brinker does not seem like most of the people Gene knows, “His face was all straight lines-eyebrows, mouth, nose, everything-and he carried his six feet of height straight as well. He looked but happened not to be athletic, being too busy with politics, arrangements, and offices” (Knowles 87). I was a little surprised that he was not athletic because most of the people Gene know are. Brinker and Gene seem to get along well. I think they get along well because they almost have similar interest and both are not really athletic. Leper is one of Gene’s old friends who he kind of catches up with. He is kind of in his own world and doing his own thing.

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.

Best friends share a special bond. The bond of friendship is a strong bond, and it is often unbreakable. Best friends, by definition, are supportive and loving toward each other no matter the circumstance. What happens, though, when one friend begins to grow jealous of the other? Does the friendship persevere or does the friendship fall apart? In A Separate Peace by John Knowles, two best friends appear to have this unbreakable bond of friendship . Finny and Gene are two boys trying to survive their teenage years at The Devon School. The two are best friends until the unthinkable happens. Gene begins to grow jealous and envious towards Finny. The jealousy and envy take Gene to a dark place he has never imagined.. He does something that he can

A Separate Peace, written by John Knowles, tells a story narrated by the main character Gene Forrester who revisits his boarding school called Devon in New Hampshire and uncovers the emotions surrounding that place. As he recalls events from his childhood, taking place during World War 2, he tells the story of him and his friend named Phineas, or Finny. Memories unfold from the past and Gene’s narration shows his hidden thoughts behind their friendship. The author uses several literary techniques to give clues as to why Gene put Finny to harm by making Finny fall off a limb of a tree and what conflicts their friendship lead to afterward. Despite the usual trust in a familiar friendship, using figurative language to demonstrate Gene’s inner

Tragedies are an essential part of current literature. Though they might be heartbreaking, tragedies teach their readers life lessons that are hard to find anywhere else. Besides the tragic storyline, tragedies incorporate elements of forgiveness, compassion, and blitheness. John Knowles teaches the readers those lessons with his acclaimed novel A Separate Peace, where he adds tragic elements to his story to add meaning to the novel. Various elements of tragedy are crucial to the plot of A Separate Peace by John Knowles; the struggle between good and evil, catharsis, and tragic waste all create a dramatic atmosphere that adds deeper meaning to the novel.

It shows conflict as war includes guns and other weapons. Setting is also important in the short story “The Most Dangerous Game” by Rich Connell. The setting in the story creates conflict because he is stuck on an island. It creates conflict because he is stuck on the island. An example would be when he swam