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Foreshadowing In John Knowles 'A Separate Peace'

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Foreshadowed Answers to Our Questions “Nothing endures, not a tree, not love, not even death by violence” (Knowles 14). John Knowles famous quote in his work A Separate Peace does more than leave a lasting memory. Set in the New England preparatory school Devon, the novel focuses primarily on the relationship between Gene and Phineas. Knowles uses foreshadowing, especially in the first chapters to answer questions about the relationship Gene and Finny have. Those moments answer questions about their bond that are left hanging at the end of the novel. Knowles inserts foreshadowing in key places, particularly in the first chapters. When Gene revisits the school, he notices that the places that once caused awful things in his life now had noticeable …show more content…

(11) Gene remembers the moment when Finny fell down these stairs and broke his leg once again. It all started when Gene let his jealousy boil over him. “I took a step towards him, and then my knees bent and I jounced the limb...he (Finny) hit the ground with an unnatural thud” (60). This had been foreshadowed on the trip Gene had back to Devon as well. “It had loomed in my memory as a huge lone spike dominating the riverbank, forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk” (13). When Gene referred to the tree as an “artillery piece” it is assumed that this tree may have caused destruction. The foreshadowing continues as the story moves on. Gene and Finny seem as though they are best friends, but it is starting to go downhill. Gene envies Finny for being able to escape any punishment with his charm. Originally, Gene is fine with that characteristic because to him jealousy was no big deal. “I couldn’t help envying him a little, which was perfectly normal. There was no harm in envying your best friend” (25). Though the more Finny gets away with his shenanigans, Gene realizes that he wants to see someone punish Finny as he later states, “This time, he wasn’t getting away with it. I could feel myself becoming unexpectedly excited at that” (27). This is the turning point in their relationship as Gene sees he is starting to form a different relationship with

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