Coming Of Age In John Knowles A Separate Peace

Words: 588

Pages: 3

Open Document

In the book A Separate Peace by John Knowles, which takes place around World War Two, Finny and Gene, the main characters, experience jealousy, duty, and change in their road to coming of age. These characters go through many tragic moments together, just to find out who they really are through coming of age.

Throughout the book, Gene and Finny go through many hardships, especially being jealous of each other. After Finny takes Gene out to the tree, Gene starts to ask himself if Finny was “... getting some kind of hold over me?” (Knowles 32). After this, Gene starts to question what Finny’s intent is, and believes that “Finny had deliberately set out to wreck my studies…” (Knowles 45), because Finny isn’t doing great in school. This leads to Gene jouncing the limb of a tree that Finny is on, only to have him fall and shatter his leg, making him immobile for some time. After this incident, Gene tells himself that he did it on accident instead of it being out of enmity and jealousy. …show more content…
This feeling of duty is so dramatic, with even nurses, maids, and other staff at the school starting to leave to join the war efforts. This change affects all of the students, even making them consider enlisting for the army. One other student, Leper, who is the smallest, weakest, and most scared kid, goes out to enlist in the army. After Leper leaves for the army, Gene debates whether to join or wait for the army. Finny then starts to believe that “The fat old men who don’t want us crowding them out of their jobs.” (Knowles 115) are making up the war. This theory comes to his mind mostly because of his life changing after he becomes shortly immobilized after shattering his leg. Finny wanted to join the war, but he can’t because of his injury, causing him to realize that his life will be different than others’

Coming Of Age In John Knowles A Separate Peace

Do you ever notice how some people have two sides? This is the case in A SeparatePeace by John Knowles. A Separate Peace is about two boys that have to deal with the warinvading their school, Devon, and their coming of age. One of the main characters in A SeparatePeace is Finny. In this novel, Finny is a magnetic, charismatic character whom people cannothelp but liking, but he is also manipulative, immature, and self-centered. He is not nearly asinnocent as he seems.In the novel, Finny is a very…

Words 490 - Pages 2

John Knowles 'A Separate Peace': Coming Of Age

A Separate Peace by John Knowles is a coming of age story. During, the book the main characters Finny and Gene become adults through different events in their lives. Overall, Gene comes of age through jealousy, grief, and mentoring during this tumultuous time in his young life. In the beginning of the book, the overarching theme was jealous. Jealousy was evident from the very beginning between the two friend. It was clear that Finny was more, athletic, a better leader, and is more organized; compared…

Words 261 - Pages 2

John Knowles '' A Separate Peace'

John Knowles is an American Author who was born in Fairmont, West Virginia on September 16, 1926. He left West Virginia at age fifteen to attend Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire when World War II was going on. Once he graduated in 1945, he enlisted in “the U.S. Army Air Force Aviation Cadet Program. He eventually became a pilot but was discharged after eight months” (“John Knowles”). He attended Yale and worked on the alumni magazine once he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in 1949. He…

Words 867 - Pages 4

Essay APUSH Book Review 2

Book Review #2 A Separate Peace by John Knowles John Knowles’ critically acclaimed novel, A Separate Peace captures the psychological mindset of a boy as he transitions from childhood to adulthood. A Separate Peace is told through a series of flashbacks, as Gene Forrester, now an adult, recalls the pleasant, but also painful memories spent at Devon. The plot and setting of A Separate Peace were largely inspired by Knowles’ own experiences at Exeter. Knowles wrote A Separate Peace to explore the rivalry…

Words 1100 - Pages 5

Comparing Animal Farm 'And John Knowles A Separate Peace'

Farm there are gradual transformations that take place; such as the pigs into humans, which contributes to characterization. A Separate Peace, by John Knowles, is a coming of age story which focusses on the creation of inner enemies. It is through the changing of the seasons that the characters of A Separate Peace themselves are able to grow and mature. Both Orwell and Knowles use the motif of transformation to further develop their characters. The pigs, as a whole, in Animal Farm represent the more…

Words 690 - Pages 3

A Separate Peace By John Knowles: An Analysis

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…

Words 1155 - Pages 5

Evil In John Knowles 'A Separate Peace'

One typically imagines evil in the form of some sort of villain or monster, but either can rarely be found in day to day living. A Separate Peace by John Knowles is a fictional novel that focuses on the evils of transitioning from teenager to adult. In a tacit way, it is understood that this evil is both that that exists in the world and the in human heart. Throughout the book, the characters are vulnerable in their changing times, and it is then that inner evil most often strikes. The currency of…

Words 913 - Pages 4

Advy And Jealousy In John Knowles A Separate Peace

manner. Subconscious is part of the mind that a person does not have control over, however the subconscious can influence one's actions and feelings. Some actions are very common breathing is one subconscious action. In the coming of age novel A Separate Peace by John Knowles in the summer of 1942, the protagonist, Gene Forrester is a Lower Middler who goes to Devon Prep School located in New Hampshire. Gene and his friend Phineas, also known as Finny, are up on a tree above a river about to start…

Words 627 - Pages 3

A Separate Peace Analysis

War Is a Bore Although John Knowles’ 1959 novel, A Separate Peace, may mask itself to the ignorant eye as a clichéd sob story revolving around one boy’s mistakes, the story exemplifies Gene’s inescapable odyssey on a path where all boys must soon trudge along, a path of war. Through the use of scenery and places, a route towards death and destruction can be unearthed from pleasant playing fields and endless forests. Creating rich atmospheres and vivid details, Knowles emits stimulating depictions…

Words 824 - Pages 4

A Separate Peace Literary Analysis

In the classic coming-of-age novel A Separate Peace by John Knowles set in England during World War 2, Gene and Phineas (also known as Finny) are very different which leads to Gene becoming jealous and paranoid while ultimately causes him to commit a violent act. The two boys are 16-year-old roommates at a Devon boarding school. Finny’s natural confidence and charisma attract people to him. His charm makes his roommate feel paranoid, and at one point suspicious of sabotage. As revenge, Gene permanently…

Words 323 - Pages 2