John Knowles gave this novel this specific title, A Separate Peace. Without knowing what this book is about, you could guess and say that the main character finds his “separate peace.” Gene does find his separate peace. Gene’s separate peace is not finishing the war, but more defeating his enemy at Devon. As Gene continues to put all his effort into Finny, Gene finally has enough. Gene gets so stressed about being “apart of Finny” that he decides to hurt him. In Gene hurting Finny, Gene finds peace. Gene is guilty about hurting his friend, but he is more peaceful. As Finny is away recovering from his injury, Gene finds some more peace and it involves Finny again. Gene decides to put on Finny’s clothes and he acts like him. Somehow this act gives him peace about himself. He feels as if he were Finny at that specific moment in time. Towards the end of the book, Finny dies, and with his death, Gene achieves his separate peace. With Finny’s death, Gene’s guilt and competitiveness also died. It is as if a part of Gene died that day also. Gene finally reached his separate peace when Finny died.

The Devon school is also an example of a separate peace. Devon is isolated from the war. The school is where the boys find their peace from the war. They know the war is real, but they have never experienced it, so they do not know anything but peace.