#1 Summary of the Plot

In A Separate Peace, Gene Forrestor narrates the story from fifteen years retrospect. Gene starts telling stories about how him and Finny always broke the rules, and then he starts to tell about the tree jumping. The tree jumping turns into a nightly thing and Gene thinks Finny is trying to take him away from his studies so he can be better than him. Gene becomes angry at this thought and pushes Finny out of the tree to cause him to break his leg.

Then the novel moves to the semester where Finny is not at Devon. While Finny is gone, Gene tries to go tell Finny that he purposely pushed him out of the tree, but Finny did not want to admit that his friend tried to hurt him, so Gene left and went back to Devon. Finny comes back the winter semester and tells Gene that he is apart of him. Finny trains Gene up to be ready for the 1944 olympics, which was a dream of Finny’s. One night, Brinker and a group of guys come and bring Gene and Finny to the assembly hall to be trailed. Brinker wanted Finny to know that Gene meant to hurt him. Once Finny found out about this, he stormed out of the room and ended up falling down the stairs and breaking his leg again. Finny later dies during the surgery to prepare his leg. Gene does not feel any emotion towards Finny’s death, but he rather feels peace, because he killed his enemy.

ASP #2 Significance of Title

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.

ASP #8 Opposite Words

Hate/Love 

Throughout this novel you see a hate and love relationship between Gene and Finny. Gene hated that Finny was better than him, but he also displayed love to him by helping him whenever he was crippled and needed help.

Peace/Violence

In this novel, the symbol of the tree reveals peace and violence. The tree is where Gene intentionally tried to kill, or injure, Finny. The tree is also the place where Gene goes to find his ” separate peace.”

Power/Submission

Throughout the plot of this novel, you see the theme of power and submission come into play, but the theme is backwards. The power is the students of Devon, while the teachers submit to them. For example, Finny and Gene went to the beach and stayed the night there. This was against the rules, and when the headmaster came to confront them about it, Finny talks to hi and they don’t get in trouble.

Honesty/Deceit

In this novel, honesty and deceit is relevant. The honesty is more relevant with Finny than with Gene. Gene is the more deceitful person. Finny comes out and tells Gene that he needs him. Finny finds stability in Gene and he tells Gene that also. Gene keeps secrets away from Finny. Gene did not want Finny to know that he made him fall, but if it wasn’t for his guilt, he would’ve never told him.

Isolation/Acceptance

Leper is the prime example of isolation. He always felt left out. He was an outcast, and his name even symbolizes him as an outcast. Leper was never really ask to come and do things with the group. That’s why he went off to the army early, because he wanted to be accepted into a group. Leper also wanted to be accepted. He went off to the army thinking he was going to be in a “brotherhood”, but he still felt isolated. In my opinion, him being isolated all his life is what drove him into a nut case.

ASP #5 Major Change in Main Character

In John Knowles historic novel, A Separate Peace, Knowles reveals a major change in a major character named Phineas. Phineas, also known as Finny, had a physical and a emotional major change. Finny was an athlete. He was the best athlete at Devon. He was the football stud, and he broke the swimming record without any training. He just decided to go for a swim and he beat it. During this time period of his life, he had confidence, vigor, and swagger. He walked around the campus with a walk that was like no other walk anybody had on campus. You could tell that he was an athlete, but one event caused a major change in his physical and emotional abilities. One evening, Finny and Gene decided to go jump out of a tree. That night, Gene made Finny fall out of the tree, and he ended up breaking his leg. When Finny came back to Devon, he was on crutches. He could not walk the same way he originally walked. He also could not play sports. His life was basically taken away from him. Finny also had to ask Gene for help whenever he could not do something. This hurt Finny emotionally, because he never had to ask someone for help. This took away his confidence, vigor, and his swagger. Finny changed physically and emotionally.

ASP #10 General Review of Book

This novel, A Separate Peace, written by John Knowles was a good book in my opinion. I really liked how the book was told from a flashback. Finny was the one character that intrigued me. He was an athlete who was humble about his abilities. For example, whenever he broke the schools swimming record, he didn’t want anybody to know about it. The jumping off the tree was one of my favorite events that took place in this novel. I also liked Leper. I know he wasn’t a major character in the novel, but he gave the book a sense of humor. He was a nut case who all he did was make you scared, or he made you laugh. I love how Knowles chose the characters names. for example, Leper stands for the people who were outcasted with leprosy. Gene Forester is a foreshadowing of him and Finny in the tree. Forester, what is in the forest… trees. That is genius. I also liked how Knowles used the marble stairs to foreshadow the death, or the next injury Finny has. As an overall opinion on the novel, I will say that it is a good novel. It is not my favorite, but it is a good novel.

ASP #6 10 Favorite Phrases/Quotes

1)”The class above, seniors, draft-bait, practically soldiers, rushed ahead of us toward the war. They were caught up in accelerated courses and first-aid programs and a physical hardening regimen, which included jumping from this tree.”

This is one of my favorite quotes in the book. At first, I didn’t think this quote meant anything, but as you continue to read, you realize that this quote foreshadows the jumping from the tree, which is a major part of this novel.

2) “What was I doing up here anyway? Why did I let Finny talk me into stupid things like this? Was he getting some kind of hold over me?”

This quote is important in the novel. This quote foreshadows the coming of a rivalry between Finny and Gene. Finny was controlling Gene physically and intellectually. Gene is finally realizing that Finny is the dominate person.

3)”Phineas was a poor deceiver, having had no practice.”

For Finny to be a poor deceiver, is for him to not be himself. Finny during the summer session deceived everyone he came into contact with. He would deceive the teachers so he wouldn’t get in trouble. Finny changed after the injury. He wasn’t the normal Finny anymore.

4)”Stranded in this mill town railroad yard while the whole world was converging elsewhere, we seemed to be nothing but children playing among heroic men”

Gene realized that he wasn’t prepared for war. He knew that this was a war for brave men, and he knew he couldn’t defeat one person… Finny.

5)”Naturally I don’t believe books and I don’t believe teachers, but I do believe-it’s important for me to believe you [Gene]. Christ, I’ve got to believe you, at least. I know you better than anybody”

Finny found stability in Gene. That’s why Finny always wanted to bring Gene everywhere. Gene is Finny’s best friend, even though Gene tried to kill him.

6) “Your war memories will be with you forever, you’ll be asked about them thousands of times after the war is over.”

Gene doesn’t want to have all these war memories of shooting people, and your friends dying, but these war memories will never stay with him. The war memories that will stay with him are the memories of his war at Devon against Finny.

7) “it seemed clear that wars were not made by generations and their special stupidities, but that wars were made instead by something ignorant in the human heart”

Gene realizes that wars were actually made by the foolishness and stupidity of human beings. Gene figured out that his war with Finny was out of selfish ambition and ignorance.

8) “He [Finny] had never been jealous of me for a second. Now I knew that there never was and never could have been any rivalry between us. I was not of the same quality as he”

This quote is a great quote, because Gene realizes that Finny was never trying to be better than him. Gene knew Finny never had the intentions of out doing him, but because he thought he was, he did something he regrets.

9) “He possessed an extra vigor, a heightened confidence in himself, a serene capacity for affection which saved him. Nothing as he was growing up at home, nothing at Devon, nothing even about the war had broken his harmonious and natural unity.”

This quote reveals that Finny had a special quality about him. He had confidence and swagger, but after his injury, he didn’t have that same confidence and swagger he once had.

10)  “I lost part of myself to him then, and a soaring sense of freedom revealed that this must have been my purpose from the first: to become a part of Phineas”

Gene always wanted to beat Finny, but the one thing he didn’t want to happen is for him to become part of Finny. This quote reveals that Gene has accepted the fact that his only purpose in life is to submit to Finny.

 

 

 

ASP #9 Theme

In John Knowles novel, A Separate Peace, he reveals a theme of jealousy among the characters. Gene is jealous of Finny, because Gene wants to be as successful as Finny in athletics. Finny is jealous of Gene, because Finny wants to be as successful as Gene academically. Gene puts on Finny’s clothes just so he can feel like he is Finny. For example, “I decided to put on his clothes. ” Gene wants to be just like Finny in almost all ways. Gene wants to be noticed. Gene wants to be a stud athlete, while he keeps his grades up and becomes valedictorian. Finny wants to be just like Gene academically. Even though the book never specifically says Finny is jealous of Gene academically, the book does say that Finny begins to study more. For example,”The new attacks of studying were his emergency measures to save himself.” Finny knew that Gene was trying to be the valedictorian of the school, and Finny felt that as a threat to him. This theme of jealousy between Finny and Gene makes a rivalry between each other. Gene wanted to beat Finny academically, and Finny wanted to beat Gene in athletics. As this rivalry becomes more relevant, Finny starts to study, because he feels threatened by Gene. The theme of jealousy is everywhere throughout this novel. It is very relevant between Finny and Gene.

ASP #7 3 Truths about Human Natures

Selfishness

“You are both coldly driving ahead for yourselves alone.”

As you can see from the quote above, both Finny and Gene were selfish towards each other. Selfishness is one truth about human nature. Naturally humans are selfish. Take a baby for example. The baby is always crying needing food, or they always want attention. I know the baby needs the mother and father to survive, but that is where selfishness slips into our heart and mind. Gene always wanted to be better than Finny. He wanted to be the valedictorian of the school. He wanted people to like him. Finny wanted to be the best athlete the school has ever seen. He didn’t let anybody get in his way of being the best. He always broke the rules and brought people down with him. Naturally, every human dead, living, and the people in the future will be selfish. Selfishness can be found in the most humble person in the world. One truth about human nature is that all humans are selfish.

Guilt

” I spent as much time as I could alone in our room, trying to empty my mind of every thought, to forget where I was, even who I was.”

Guilt is another truth about human nature. Gene feels guilty about the “accident” that happened with Finny. Although Gene really caused Finny to fall, he is trying to make himself think that it was not his fault. This is the usual reaction that a person has when they are guilty. They try to deny what has happened just to cope with life. Guilt is another thing all humans deal with. Guilt is another truth about the human nature.

Friendship

“It’s you, pal,” Finny said to me at last, “just you and me.” He and I started back across the fields, preceding the others like two seigneurs.”

Humans are meant to be in a relationship. If that is found in a guy girl relationship, or a friendship. All humans are meant to be in a relationship. Gene and Finny are good friends.  They are meant for each other. Finny brings Gene out of his comfort zone, while Gene brings Finny out of his comfort zone academically. The human nature is made to be in relationships. Friendship is another truth about human nature.

ASP #3 Setting and Genre

In John Knowles, A Separate Peace, the setting is set in the New Hampshire area, along the Devon and Naguamsett rivers. The main setting is set at a military prep school called Devon military prep. At the beginning of the book Gene, the narrator, goes back to a certain tree. This tree is not an ordinary tree. This tree is the main setting towards the beginning of the novel. The tree is where the boys, Gene and Finny, jumped out of the tree. The book then goes to the swimming pool where Finny decides to take a swim. When he swam, he ended up beating the schools swimming record. The novel then goes to the Butt Room. The Butt Room is very dark and nasty. This room is where the kids go to have a smoke, and talk about other peoples’ problems. Gene goes down there to defend himself from what all the other kids were proposing about what Gene did to Finny. The boys thought that Gene purposely pushed Finny off the tree, but Gene defends himself with a lie.

The genre of this novel is coming-of-age/ tragedy fiction. Although this novel is relevant to the forty’s, it is still considered fictional, because all the characters are fictional.