The Separate Peace Research Paper

Gene’s trust towards Finny first subtly comes through after returning from Leper’s house. “I wanted to see Phineas, and only Phineas. With him there was no conflict except between athletes… This was the only conflict he had ever believed in.” (Knowles, 152)When Gene returns from Leper’s house, all he wants to do is see

John Knowles’ “A Separate Peace” takes place at a boarding school during World War II. Best friends Gene and Finny have been inseparable during their time at the Devon School. This is until reality hits Gene, and he slowly starts to realize that he is inferior to his best friend. Through the unbalanced friendship between two teenagers in “A Separate Peace,” Knowles illustrates that a loss of identity may be present in a relationship if there is an unequal amount of power.

“Envy is ignorance, imitation is suicide” (Emerson 370-372). A Separate Peace written by John Knowles in New Hampshire. Gene Forrester’s was a young boy that attended Devon school during the summer, he was considered smart, conformist, and jealous. A Separate Peace emulates three major literary traditions.

The novel, A Separate Peace, by John Knowles is an edge of the seat read and an American Classic. It takes place during World War II, which in itself can be enticing. Gene and Phineas create this emotional bond that cannot be broken but only strengthened. This novel teaches the world of what a reality check can truly be when in fact you don’t know what is truly around the next corner. Knowles creates the ultimate spine tingling book that will keep you in between the covers. From the novel, Gene is inspired by many, but the most influential person upon Gene is Phineas and here is a few reasons to my logic.

I stared at the clock waiting anxiously for our collegian, Giancarlo, to open the door and tell us that it was time to go. So was my whole squad, Sebastian was twitching while waiting for the bell to ring, Nick stared at Mr. Gibaldi ecstatically, his eyes wide open jotting down notes as if writing every word Mr. Gibaldi had stated. Nick was always exuberant, even at the worst times, like jug, the time he is most enthusiastic, is in class. Javier was staring outside his window looking at the girls, day dreaming as if he was hypnotized. Victor, like me, was staring at the clock. Artem was napping on his desk wishing he did not have class, Maxim had a grin on his face and was staring at me, Jonibek was also taking down notes. Mr. Gibaldi, otherwise known by me as, Godzilla, called on me, I stopped looking at the ceiling and stared in his eyes, the black eyes of the devil, he was like a dark god staring into my soul telling me that if I answer this question incorrectly, he will kill me with his blade. He asked me, “ Tommy, what do you interpret is the main, ongoing theme in A Separate Peace?” I quaked in dismay, knowing that if I got that question incorrect he would know that I was day dreaming during his entire class, I knew I was screwed, everyone stared at me.

A Separate Peace by John Knowles is a novel about a teenaged boy named Gene Forrester at the Devon School in 1942 who is just trying to find himself. With the help of his best friend Phineas, Gene finally does it. Although, no success is without its obstacles. Gene goes through many problems, but there was one large fall he had to take. Much like the “Fall of Man”, the story of the Garden of Eden, Gene’s failure in the summer of 1942 led to a humongous consequence. The two stories are similar in atmosphere, mood, and the consciousness of their main characters. The summer of 1942 at the Devon School was a second “Fall of Man”.

One of the two most important obstacles to peace is which side has Jerusalem has their capital?

As the novel opens, Gene Forrester returns to Devon, the New Hampshire boarding school he attended during World War II. Gene has not seen Devon for 15 years, and so he notices the ways in which the school has changed since he was a student there. Strangely, the school seems newer, but perhaps, he thinks, the buildings are just better taken care of now that the war is over.

Agents of Peace are not afraid to be seen as different. In my opinion, they are not afraid to go sit with the kid who is sitting alone. They are happy to help others. And while I believe they have their own forms of beliefs that can be polarizing, they do not force their beliefs on anyone. Instead of spilling hate due to religion and values, they come from a place of love and care. Keeping this in mind, to be a peace agent, I am not afraid to be myself. True, not everyone will like who I am as a person, nor will they agree with all my beliefs. However, in my experience, being myself will bring more peace than hate. As an Agent of Peace, I am not worried about being seen as weird. Peace is keeping everyone included without causing fights. I

In a world that is always evolving, there seems to be more and more violence and terror in the streets. Peace is rarely found in our world of cruelty and treacherous things. Some people are trying to bring peace into this world. and those people are peacemakers. And into a world that is ugly with hate, he sends us as peacemakers.

The reading I have most enjoyed in the past year is A Separate Peace by John Knowles. This book tells a story about a young boy who is going away to high school. I felt like I could really relate to this boy and the feelings he had about going to a new place for the first time. In the story the boy has a best friend. He does everything with this boy but he is secretly jealous of him. The author does a good job showing the realities of friendship and how things aren’t always happy all the time. This book showed how jealously can take over, cloud people’s judgments and lead to serious consequences. I enjoyed this story because even though it was written in 1959 it is still relevant today. Although times have changed people and friendships never

Neil Perry’s suicide was an effect of his own parents total disregard for their sons true feelings. Mr. Keating teaches Neil that he should pursue his passion and try to open up to his father. He teaches Neil that he should take control of his life. Neil later takes his life in attempt to have some sort of control. Neil's decision to end his life was the cause of his desire to be free.

Mr Perry is among the characters to blame for Neil’s death. Throughout the film, it is clear that he had no concerns about what his son wanted in life. Instead, he creates high expectations which only fill his own past regrets and missed opportunities. He never considers that Neil may want to fulfill a career besides medicine. From the beginning of the film, Neil is known for having high expectations applied by his realist father. When Mr Perry talks to Neil about quitting the school annual, the close up side shot of them facing each other shows a lot of tension. Neil is trapped against the wall. This reveals his sense of vulnerability to the audience. When his father finally leaves, Neil is exasperated and his smile fades. Further, even though Neil achieves top scores in all his subjects, his father disapproves of his passion for acting and

A Separate Peace by John Knowles follow the late high school experience of two high school boys, Gene Forrester and his best friend Phineas, in the midst of WWII. This coming-of-age novel explores the impact of WWII on those who were aware of the war, yet not fully involved in it. While the war affects all those in the school, its effects are most visible in the mind of Gene. Much of the actions of the main characters can be described in a quote by Eric Burdon, that “Inside each of us, there is a seed of both good and evil. It’s a constant struggle as to which one will win. And one cannot exist without the other”. Gene’s fluctuations between friend and foe, as well as Phineas’ disposition and untimely death both reflect the ideas of the quote, and while the actions of other main characters do not necessarily conform to the same standards, the quote accurately reflects the novel.

In A Separate Peace, a coming-of-age novel by John Knowles, Gene creates an imaginary enmity between him and Finny that confuses his identity with an envious subconscious. In the novel, Gene Forrester, the protagonist, battles with internal conflict involving his identity and emotions towards his best friend, Phineas, also known as Finny. Gene develops envy towards his best friend and believes in an enmity between them that does not exist, which leads to external conflict between the two. Throughout the novel, Gene creates the most conflict that separates him from Finny, ultimately leading to Finny’s demise. Examples of these conflicts, both real and imaginary, have been provided by Gene’s thoughts as the narrator. One of the first signs of internal conflict involving Finny can be recognized when Finny calls Gene his best friend, to which Gene does not respond. As Gene states, “Perhaps I was stopped by that level of feeling deeper than thought, which contains the truth” (Knowles 48). The internal conflict has already begun, onsetting many more conflicts to come. Gene does not consider Finny his best friend due to Gene’s latent jealousy towards Finny’s charm and wit. An example of external conflict as a result of Gene’s internal conflict can be derived from the scene where Gene realizes that Finny has no ill will towards him, and that all enmity between them has been a figure of Gene’s imagination. Gene thinks Finny makes an effort to distract him from his studies so Finny