A Separate Peace by John Knowles
"A Separate Peace" by John Knowles is a coming-of-age novel set during World War II, focused on the complexities of friendship, jealousy, and the loss of innocence. The story unfolds through the reflections of Gene Forrester as he revisits his time at the Devon School, particularly his relationship with his charismatic roommate, Phineas (Finny). The narrative starts in the summer of 1942, depicting an idyllic yet ultimately fragile world where the boys, largely detached from the war's horrors, engage in youthful exploits, including the daring "Super Suicide Society."
As Gene grapples with feelings of inadequacy and jealousy towards Finny, a tragic incident occurs, leading to Finny's severe injury, which profoundly alters their friendship and Gene's life trajectory. The novel explores themes of guilt, the nature of rivalry, and the internal and external conflicts faced by young men on the cusp of adulthood. As the boys confront the realities of war and their own limitations, the story culminates in a powerful examination of personal accountability and the struggle to find peace within oneself. The narrative ultimately suggests that the greatest battles may be those fought within.
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
First published: 1959
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Bildungsroman
Time of plot: 1942-1943 and 1958
Locale: New Hampshire
Principal characters
Gene Forrester , a man reflecting on his experience in preparatory schoolPhineas (Finny), , Gene’s best friendElwin “Leper” Lepellier andBrinker Hadley , their classmates
The Story
In 1958, Gene Forrester returns to his preparatory school, the Devon School, and reflects on the events that occurred there fifteen years prior. His memories start with the summer session of 1942 and end after a tragic event during the 1943 school year. Central to Gene’s reflections is his relationship with his roommate and best friend Phineas, who most people affectionately call “Finny.”
As a student, Gene is a far more dedicated and successful than Finny, but he feels threatened by Finny’s athleticism. Gene also envies his friend for several reasons, including his honesty and his ability to get away with almost anything; for example, school administrators rarely punish Finny since they are quelled by his sincere charm. Gene also proves subject to Finny’s charisma. The two often flout rules together, and in one instance they bike to the ocean. Here, Finny tells Gene that he considers Gene his best friend; Gene says nothing in return.
The summer of 1942 appears peaceful, and the students seem somehow apart from the rest of the world, which is plagued by the effects of World War II. On Finny’s initiative, some students form the Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session. The society’s members engage in daring actions, such as jumping from an enormous tree into the river below. Gene and Finny jump together, and Finny considers this jump symbolic of the solidarity of their friendship. Meanwhile, Gene’s feelings of jealousy toward Finny grow. Gene feels irritated by Finny dragging him to Suicide Society meetings every night, especially when Gene wants to spend the evenings studying. Gene suspects that Finny, who is already more athletically gifted than he is, wants to sabotage Gene’s academic studies so Gene will no longer best Finny in any way.
One night, Gene tells Finny he does not want to attend the society’s meeting and expects a poor reaction from Finny. Instead, Finny simply tells Gene not to come along; he assumes Gene’s scholastic abilities are natural and apologizes for preventing him from studying. Confident that Finny’s intentions are pure, Gene decides to attend the meeting after all. At the meeting, Gene and Finny again climb the tree and prepare to jump. Gene’s knees bend, the limb they are standing on trembles, and Finny plummets to the ground. The impact completely shatters the star athlete’s leg.
Finny returns to his hometown, and Gene visits him there. He tells Finny that he shook the tree limb purposefully, but Finny refuses to believe him. Now in their final year, the students feel the pressure of the war. One day after Gene and Brinker Hadley (an influential classmate) shovel out some train tracks buried in snow, they watch recruits pass by and are inspired by the young men, who are not much older than themselves. During their return trip to Devon, they run into Elwin “Leper” Lepellier, a shy boy with a love for nature and skiing. Leper has spent the day skiing; this disgusts Brinker, who feels his fellow students are not sufficiently concerned about the war. Brinker suddenly decides to enlist, and Gene decides to do the same. Gene changes his mind, however, when he notices that Finny has returned, confined to crutches.
Brinker also does not enlist but instead resigns from most of his extracurricular activities since, in the light of the war, they seem frivolous. Finny encourages Gene to improve his physical abilities, and Gene does, viewing the commitment as an obligation to Finny because he destroyed Finny’s physical prowess, even if unintentionally. The two roommates refuse to let Finny’s accident and whatever caused it affect their friendship.
After watching a film showing troops on skis, Leper enlists. His shocked classmates imagine shy Leper committing amazing feats for the Allies. Instead, Leper begins hallucinating and sees human limbs in arbitrary places. He deserts the US Army before he can be discharged and sneaks back to Devon.
Brinker tries to convince Gene that, for Finny’s own good, people must stop pitying him and make him confront the reality that he is crippled. Gene dislikes this suggestion. That evening, some of Brinker’s friends force Finny and Gene into a building where students dressed in robes begin questioning Finny and Gene. They stage a trial to divine how Finny fell from the tree. The two friends clearly do not want to discuss the matter, but the other students press them. They even call Leper as a witness. Finny yells suddenly that he does not care about the outcome of the trial and hobbles off on his crutches. A loud crash follows. Finny has fallen down a large staircase, breaking his leg for a second time.
Staff members take Finny to the infirmary, and Gene follows. Once Finny is alone, Gene attempts to talk to him. Outraged, Finny asks Gene what else of his Gene plans to break. Gene returns the next day, and Finny apologizes for the way he treated Gene, explaining that the catalyst for his anger was his rejection from all military branches. Finny has spent the last few months trying to enlist, but, because of his leg, no organization will allow him entrance. Crying, Finny asks Gene if it was just an impulse to shake the tree branch, and Gene says it was an accident. Finny believes him.
After class, Gene returns to the infirmary. The doctor informs him that while he was setting the broken bone some marrow made its way into Finny’s heart. As a result, Finny died. Gene does not cry for his friend. Instead, he reflects on how people and countries create their own enemies, as Gene once did with Finny. Gene remembers Finny for his sincerity and realizes the only enemy Gene had at school was himself.
Bibliography
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Bryant, Hallman Bell, ed. Understanding “A Separate Peace”: A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents. Westport: Greenwood, 2002. Print.
Coulter, Shannon E., and Susan L. Groenke. "A Differentiated Vocabulary Unit for John Knowles's A Separate Peace." English Journal 97.4 (2008): 26–32. Print.
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