Themes

War

War is one of the primary themes of this novel. War represents not only the war in the world in 1944, the year that the story is situated in, but also the war within oneself during the process of maturity. The brutality of war is shown in the need for conscription, the PTSD suffered by Leper and the way the peaceful boy was turned into a bitter version of himself, the deception that military recruiters employ in order to rope young men into throwing their lives into the pit of war, and the dire atmosphere that life in a boarding school can have.

War in this novel entails the fight to break the walls within, the resistance to seemingly opposing perspectives, the struggle to be better, the dilemma of whether to fight or flee, and the battle against personal bias and hate. The novel paints a vivid picture of these personal battles in the process of emotional, intellectual and interpersonal maturity.

Friendship

The theme of friendship is intertwined with that of war. The same colors of war are well-overlapped with those of friendship, which include some of the very same themes of passion and hate, and fighting and fleeing from confrontation. The book also puts two unlikely friends, with completely disproportionate ideologies together in the same room, forcing a bond of friendship between them. The book also portrays two versions of friendships, one of absolute loyalty and trust, which is portrayed by Finny, and one of toxicity, portrayed by Gene. Gene is dependent on Finny to escape from reality, but is also unwilling to follow him. He tries to usurp Finny position, but instead realizes that not only can he fill Finny’s shoes, he also needs Finny. Finny also needs Gene in order to build his own world together, and he believes Gene, despite differing interests and skills, is the same as him when it comes to their association with each other. Gene’s jouncing of the limb should have brought Finny back to the reality of relationships, that friendships can get tainted by competitiveness, jealousy and hate. The friendship between Leper and Gene is also another example of a twisted friendship. Leper trusts Gene enough to ask him to come meet him at his Christmas home, but he also provokes Gene. After being assaulted by Gene, he goes back to inviting Gene for lunch. Both the friendship between Finny and Gene and the friendship between Leper and Gene are affected by trauma, showing that Finny’s ideal friendship does not exist.

Peace

Peace is the ultimate desire of all the boys in Devon. Each boy has his own version of peace, a separate peace, and take refuge there. Finny’s version of peace comes from his love of sports, his festive activities and his disregard for rules. Gene finds peace in Finny’s fantastical world. Chet finds his peace in his academic pursuit. Leper, as a naturalist, finds his peace but exploring nature. Brinker finds peace in action. But all their versions of peace are broken. Finny’s peace is broken by his accident and when he sees the insane Leper, thus being forced to accept that the war is real. Gene’s peace is broken by his internal struggles concerning Finny and by Finny’s acceptance of reality, thus forcing Gene out of the refuge of fantasy. Leper’s peace is broken when he is tricked into enlisting and the trauma of war mentally damages him. Brinker’s peace is shattered when his notions of actions fail to bring the desired consequences. Ultimately, as the adult Gene says, the only way to find peace is to not escape from reality, but to accept it, and Finny, who seemed the most detached from reality in the beginning of the novel, becomes the first to accept reality and find peace.