A Separate Peace By John Knowles: An Analysis

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The teenage years of life are filled with strong bonds with those around you as well as self discovery amidst what can be a vast sea of emotions. In these years you decide who you want to be in life as you develop both physically and mentally. In John Knowles’ A Separate Peace, he raises the question “How does war affect that development in adolescent minds”. He attempts to answer this question through a look into the life of Gene Forrester as he reminisces about his years spent at Devon and the experiences and friendships that were had there. It’s through these experiences we see the toll of war on young minds as they grow and walk the path to adulthood.
One of the greatest effects of the war on the boys of Devon is an increased sense of competition in their relationships. What started as innocent admiration of each other’s skills between Gene and Phineas quickly developed into very heated, mostly one-sided competition. Normally, high school rivalries are a good way to push both parties to be the best they can, but in the high stress environment the boys inhabit, those rivalries can escalate very quickly. Gene’s attitude towards Phineas’ physical prowess changed from his initial indifference “I didn’t really think about it myself. What difference did it make? It was just a game.” (Knowles 32), to a later hatred of Phineas’ skills. “ You are even in enmity […] You did hate him for breaking that school swimming record, but so what? He hated you for getting an A in every course but …show more content…
Through the mix of normal teenage life and preparations to be sent off to war, Knowles gives some answers to that question. In a way his novel serves as a look into the minds of those that had only a few years to be kids before joining the thousands of others in the same
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