Theme Of Diversity In A Separate Peace

Expanding Diversity Everyone has their story— females, males, Caucasians, Hispanics, African-Americans, etc. In A Separate Peace, it seemed to focus on one group: young Caucasian men. What if the novel expanded its content to be more inclusive of different groups of people? If the plot of A Separate Peace were to be more diverse, it would become more interesting and would offer a true depiction of what took place during World War II. Being inclusive of different genders would’ve made the plot more honest and intriguing. As you know, there were many empowering female figures during World War II; “Before the war, relatively few women worked outside the home … when war was declared, millions of men were drafted to fight, and women needed to step in for men in untraditional women’s jobs …” (author unknown 1). In the novel, we learned how Leper was preparing to go to war; “You know what? I’m almost glad this war came along. It’s like a test, isn’t it … I’m going to enlist in the ski troops” (Knowles 117). Perhaps the plot could include

Racial violence was a huge part of World War II. It “contributed to making white and black Americans hostile competitors for living space, jobs, political influence, and social position … ” (Mixon 1). African-Americans and Caucasians were in a constant battle for these essentials, often resulting in fights. As you can recall, Gene goes to “preparatory school, the Devon school” (Adney 1). During the war, “Blacks in 1935 and again in 1943 attacked white property in their communities for failure to employ African Americans and reinvest in the community (Mixon 1). The whole book seemed to only have caucasian figures, even though there were so many races involved in the war. If Knowles were to incorporate African-Americans in the book having to battle for a property, (perhaps the Devon school property) the plot would become more