Summary Of John Knowles A Separate Peace

A Separate Peace, a classic read worldwide discusses true feelings and the motivation of those. Gene, a young boy questioning his friendship with Phineas, who considers Gene as his best friend, struggles with internal conflict. “But something held me back. Perhaps I was stopped by that level of feeling, deeper than thought, which contains the truth.”(Knowles 48). Gene thought this directly after Phineas told him he was his best friend. He wanted to say it back, but could not, for he didn’t know if it was true. This action shows the reader the struggle of identity and holding friendships, without rivalry. John Knowles use of universal themes of identity and friendships, as well as modern connections, further enrich the purpose being the struggle

In the story, Gene constantly compares himself to Phineas, but knows Phineas is better than him resulting in jealousy. Gene and Finny were swimming , and Finny got bored and decided to attempt to break the school record. Upon successfully doing this, Finny asks Gene to keep quiet. “To keep silent about this amazing happening deepened this shock for me. It made Finny seem too unusual for—not friendship, but too unusual for rivalry. And there were few relationships among us at Devon not based on rivalry.”(Knowles 45). The quote itself shows Gene’s contemplation over his relationship with Finny. The author wants the reader to see how Gene struggles to have a friendship with Finny, so he results to a secret rivalry. The relational peace is

The conflict of the story comes from Gene slightly wiggling the branch, making Finny fall and shatter his leg. The guilt Gene deals with comes from this event. People begin realizing his secret and starting rumors. Both now, and when the book was written, rumors existed. The use of rumors, and guilty are one modern connection used to enhance the themes. The author includes the feelings of Gene, as well as the rumors and gossip of others, to allow the reader to relate, especially teenagers. As a teenager, guilt and gossip are fairly regular things to deal with. Gossip may lighten as one ages, but guilt can still be present. Knowles uses these feelings to allow the reader to relate to Gene, to not only understand his perspective, but to understand the theme of friendship, and identity. The book, was written during World War 2, as well as centered around it. The boys began enlisting, without realizing the dangers of war, both physically and mentally. Leper, one of the boys friends, hurries to enlist and later returns noticeably changed. The boys begin to outcast him, because of his differences. Knowles uses the situation of outcasting, since it will always exist in society. Outcasting happens to everyone, especially teenagers. Teenagers begin changing friends and interests, making some become outcasted by old friends. By outcasting Leper, Knowles shows readers