Youth In A Separate Peace

The Terrors of Youth There are many memories that may come to mind when someone speaks the word of adolescence. Some people recall times of gratification and innocent adventures, but for others the phrase “teenage years” holds horrific memories. For a section of the populace their “teen experiences” may be the most appalling time period, as they begin to undergo many changes. This concept of dark adolescence is present not only in the real world, but in the literary world as well. For example, in the novel A Separate Peace where a friendship turned in the wrong direction and a deadly war, mark the moments of growing up. While some readers believe that Phineas (Finny) and Gene’s separate peace shows the ingenuousness of youthful occurrences;

Towards the beginning of novel Gene and Finny create the “Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session”, and to be a part of the society it is necessary for them to leap from a tree limb, into the river. After the boys are already a part of the group, they go back to the tree at a later time to jump together. As Finny is standing on the edge of the branch, Gene shakes the branch out of envy for Phineas, causing Finny to fall awkwardly and break his leg. Later in the novel, Finny falls down the stairs in the school building, and re- breaks his leg. While his leg is being reset for the second time, some of his bone marrow seeps into his bloodstream, leading to his demise (Knowles). As many adolescents know, death is not an easy experience, and many will deal with the hard occurrence at some point in their process of growing up. Decease is a difficult tribulation, but especially during adolescent years and when the person has a close relationship with the deceased. For example, Phineas is Gene’s best friend through the novel, so it is an awful adolescence experience for Gene to watch his best friend pass on because of the break he causes in the first place. Gene becomes very upset when he learns about the death of his friend, and it takes him a long time to overcome the adolescent tribulation of death, as it is emotionally scarring.

Although some people may have these unsatisfactory recollections, they have few to reflect on, unlike many characters in A Separate Peace. For instance, the harsh memories Gene, Phineas, and Leper hold, relating to their time at Devon and periods in the war. To prove that adolescent experiences are not always amusing, Knowles uses times of tribulation, such as Lepers psychotic behavior, and Phineas’ detrimental accident to unveil an important message; the realization of