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Analysis Of A Separate Peace By John Knowles

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A Separate Peace is a novel written by John Knowles that revolves around Gene Forrester, and his friend Phineas. The novel takes place during World War II at a boarding school called Devon in New Hampshire. While on the tree limb, Gene jounced the limb they were standing on and caused Finny to fall off and break his leg. A mock trial occurred and Gene is accused of purposefully jouncing the limb causing Finny to fall and break his leg. During this mock trial, Finny refuses to believe that Gene jounced the limb on purpose and rushes out of the room. He then falls down the stairs breaking his leg a second time. While the doctor was setting his bone back into place, some bone marrow escaped and went into his heart causing Finny to eventually die. …show more content…

The entire time Finny and Gene are boarding at the Devon School, WWII is taking place. There are students enlisting and being drafted into the war and are surround by stress because they are worrying about being involved in the war. “The far common could be seen from my room, and early in June, I stood at the window and watched the war moving in to occupy it” (196). This quote is showing how resources at Devon School were being occupied and handed over to the unforgiving war. War, a scary thought and even a scarier reality during this time period. “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” (27). This makes the war a reality for Gene, unescapable. Because this quote explains how the upperclassmen can be seen getting ready for the very war he fears. “Bombs in Central Europe were completely unreal to us here, not because we couldn't imagine it […] but because our place here was too fair for us to accept something like that” 44. This is a quote that helps to explain what happened during WWII, in which one of the things that did happen was the bombs being dropped over Central Europe. It’s a scary thought to picture, but to many people’s dismay, it actually happened. It is evident to them that war is unavoidable no matter how hard they try to avoid

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