A Separate Peace: Reading Journal A Separate Peace begins with Gene Forrester visiting his old prep school in New Hampshire, Devon school. Wandering through the campus, Gene makes his way to two distinct landmarks which he deems “fearful sites”: a flight of marble stairs and a scarred tree by the river. We are then launched into a flashback to his time here prior to and during World War II. Gene’s roommate Phineas tries to persuade his classmates to make a dangerous jump out of a tree into the river. Being the only willing participant, Gene and Finny become fast friends and the start a secret society based on this ritual. Phineas had the uncanny ability to charm his way out of the trouble he was always getting himself and Gene into. As the Summer Session continues, we see that …show more content…
Brinker Hadley, Devon’s resident overachiever, suggests to Gene that they enlist together, and Gene agrees. When Finny returns, he and Gene become incredibly close, both choosing to ignore Gene’s hysterical confession Finny begins grooming Gene to take his place as the school’s sports star, as Finny is clearly no longer able to, setting their sites on the 1944 Olympics (something Finny himself had aspired to prior to his fall). Finny declares that the war is nothing but a conspiracy by rich, fat, old men to keep young men from eclipsing the older authorities and claiming knowledge do to his sufferings. All the boys are surprised when a gentle, nature-loving boy named Leper Lepellier becomes the first one in their class to enlist, joining the Ski Troops. Finny organizes a winter carnival during which a telegram arrives for Gene from Leper, saying that he has “escaped” and desperately needs Gene to come to his home in Vermont. Gene goes to Vermont and finds that Leper has gone mad during the war, recounting frightening hallucinations he’s