"A Separate Peace"

Book Review # 117584

English > Analysis
Literature > American

"A Separate Peace"

An examination of the relationship between the protagonists in the novel, "A Separate Peace," written by John Knowles.

888 words () | 2 sources | MLA | 2009 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses "A Separate Peace," John Knowles' first published novel. The paper discusses the plot of the story and the characters within it and focuses primarily on the relationship between two boys - Finny and Gene. The paper concludes that the story is about war between best friends - the loss of innocence and the importance of having to go through the battle.

From the Paper:

"But was Finny Gene's enemy? The implication is that, yes, he was; Finny was this great sort of presence that seemed to always have a hold on Gene. Finny never hurt Gene, but Gene believed, because of Finny's superior nature, that he was out to destroy him. Perhaps what Gene is talking about when he said he killed his enemy at Devon was not that he killed Finny, his enemy (even though that might seem like the plausible theory). Perhaps Gene was referring to himself as the enemy; his childhood self was his enemy and he killed him when he made mistakes and had to live with the recourse of those mistakes."

Sample of Sources Used:

Knowles, John. A Separate Peace. Bantam Books. 1969.
WITHERINGTON, PAUL. "Knowles, John 1926-: Critical Essay". 2005. October 1 2008. http://www.bookrags.com/criticism/knowles-john-1926-crit3_9/>