A Separate Peace free essay sample

A book critique of this controversial novel by John Knowles about boarding school rights-of-passage. This paper focuses on three passages from the novel. By examining these passages the writer shows how each segment of Knowles work completes many tasks simultaneously each paints an experience, divulges character, conjures moods, promotes narrative, is vibrant with imagery, innovative in technique, and masterfully constructs theme. This passage re-creates the students experience at almost any school. Everyone, at least once, has envied someone elses gifts. At the same time, however, it shows that Gene is a much darker character, and much more involved in analysis of the world around him than Finny is. Furthermore, by using words like enmity and coldly, Knowles sets the macabre mood that must necessarily be present, in this the scene that creates an emotional foundation for Finnys fall. For, indeed, once Gene discovers that Finny does not share his deadly rivalry, his envy becomes stronger and more embittered, and it is during this second envy that Finny falls. Blitzball was made up by Finny so that he could be in control (Critical Analysis of A Separate Peace). : He has unconsciously invented a game, which brought out his own athletic pitch to their highest pitch. The odds were tremendously against the ball carrier, so that Phineas as driven to exceed himself practically every day when he carried the ball. To escape the wolf pack which all the other players became he created reverses and deceptions and acts of sheer mass hypnotism, which were, so extraordinary they surprised even him. (Knowles 39) The game in fact is Just a metaphor, created by Phineas to symbolize each of the boys individual struggles with the war. Finnys reality of the war comes into making up his own rules while eluding the real ones (Critical Analysis of A Separate Peace). Since Phineas was the creator of Blitzball e could make changes to his rules and have an excuse for it. Finny used his games as an excuse for the boys shaping up for the war (Knowles 28). Finny uses the war as an excuse for almost everything he did. When getting in trouble for misbehaving he vindics it with getting ready for the war (Knowles 15). Towards the middle of the novel we begin to scrutinize change in Finny. Before the accident Finny shows almost no interest in actually going to war, but once crippled and can no longer Join, he wants to, for one reason and one reason only: he cannot. Which proves to be a roblem for the once wide-eyed Phineas. He makes up for it by stating that the war simply Just is not real. He convinces Gene to forget the war and train for the Olympics with him: He drew me increasingly away from the butt room crowd into a world inhabited by Just himself and me, where there was no war at all, Just Phineas and me alone among all the people of the world, training for the Olympics of 1944. (Knowles 127) Finny is not scared of the fact that he cannot be a part of the war, rather he fears that everybody will be participating in the war and he will be left behind. So by onvincing Gene to prepare for the Olympics and not the war it assures that he will not be completely left out. Leading up to Phineas death, Finny starts to become more acceptant of the war and his fate brought to him by Gene. YouVe already shown me and I believe you(Knowles 191). In the end Finny is finally able to rap his head around the reality of the war and what has happened in his final year in Devon and lite It the war nad not been a part ot Phineas lite, thing could nave turned out differently for him. The war seems to have the greatest affect on Leper out of all the boys. Leper was a eaceful quiet boy. His initial attitude toward the war is that it cannot and dose not affect him. Leper does not enjoy partaking in activities with his friends. For instance, when the boys are playing Blitzball, a mock war game, Leper shows his disapproval of the war. Taken by surprise Leper looked up and shrank away from the ball, and voiced his first thought. A typical on I dont want it! (Knowles 39). Leper follows his own set of rules and is separate from the rest of the boys mostly. He is not as worked up about the war as his friends are. While the others are preparing for the war leper ould be found searching for beaver damn, cross country skiing or making sketches. But then when the Nordic ski troops depicted the war in a friendly light: Skiers in white shrouds winged down virgin slopes, silent as angles, and then, realistically, herringboned up again, but herringboned in cheerful, sunburned bands, with clear eyes and white teeth and chest full of vigor-laden mountain air. It was the cleanest image of the war I had ever seem (Knowles 124) The ski troops painted an illusion of the war making it seem recognizable (Knowles 124). And like it had a friendly ace (Knowles 124). Leper of course was blinded by the propaganda and enlisted into the war. Unfortunately he did not even make it past boot camp before he went insane: A Section Eight Discharge is for the nuts in the service, the psychos, and the funny farm candidates. Now do you know what Im talking about? They give you a Section Eight Discharge, like a dishonorable mention only worse. You cant get a Job after that. Everybody wants to see your discharge, and once they see its a Section Eight they look at you kind of funny-the kind of expression youVe got on your face. Like you were looking at someone with their nose blown off but dont want them to know your disgusted- they look at you and then they say, Well, there doesnt seem to be an opening here at the present. Youre screwed for life, thats what A Section Eight Discharge means. (Knowles 144) Lepers image of the war was the complete opposite of what it really was. He thought that he understood the war but once he got there he went completely insane. He could not handle the pressure. Right after he ran away from the war, Leper confesses, That was when things started to change (Knowles 50), and everything began to be inside out (Knowles 150). After Lepers experience with the war he has a mental breakdown and becomes twisted and tormented by his basic training. Leper becomes paranoid, defensive, and bitter, lashing out at his friends. It is found that Leper does appear to have a mental illness and has turned into a violent person who is very angry- something tht Leper definetly wasnt before the war (Critical Analysis of A Separate Peace). Lepers horrible war experience causes him to become psychotic and completely mental. The war has a penetrating effect on Gene. First and fore most Genes relationship with Finny is affected by the war. Gene was a well-behaved boy who didnt break any rules. Finny was able to change and manipulate him. What was I doing up here anyway? Why did I let Finny talk me into stupid things like this? (Knowles 17). Gene is beginning to question his relationship with Finny. Gene is unable to figure out his feelings toward Finny, he does not know if Finny is helping him out or Just out to get him: Yes he had practically saved my life. He had also practically lost it for me. I wouldnt nave been on that damn limb except tor him. I wouldnt nave turned around, and so lost my balance, if he hadnt been there. I didnt need to feel any tremendous rush of gratitude toward Phineas. (Knowles 33) Gene is becoming more and more paranoid about Finny. He wanted to believe that he and Phineas were equal l was more and more certainty becoming the best student in the school; Phineas was with out question the best athlete, so in that way we were even (Knowles55). But his mind is molding his thoughts in a different way. He is unreasonably suspicious that Finny is out to get him. When Phineas always convinces Gene to skip out on his studies and articipate in the activities Finny wanted to do. Genes mind is so overwhelmed wit evidence that Finny is truly out to get him he cracks. l took a step toward him and then my knees bent and I Jounced the limb (Knowles 60). Genes instinctive Jouncing of the limb might represent a kind of self-defense: an unconscious attempt to destroy, or at least cripple, a dangerous uncontrollable part of himself- his shadow self (Gene and finny: Doubles). In the split second he was up on the limb with Finny his mind took over and he deliberately pushed him off. He may not have known what e was doing but the fact that he had convinced himself Finny was out to get him, basically killed his own best friend. After the accident that war starts to pressure Gene and twist his mind around. Gene makes a promise to finny after his fall that he will not begin to live[ing] by the rules (Knowles 63). How ever the new Gene does not care of the petty things like following the rules. Gene is unable to come to a conclusion on whether or not he caused Finnys fall. The revelation of Genes guilt and his refusal to admit it causes Finnys second fall, the accident that ultimately nds his life. Innocence to Experience in A Separate Peace). The new Gene finally thinks of the war as a reality. Phineas, Leper, and Gene, innocent young men are irrevocably affected by the war. In John Knowles novel A Separate Peace, Knowles reveals that anything good in life can be destroyed by the war, even if not directly involved with it. Three faultless boys lives get torn apart b y something as simple as a war. Although not directly referenced in the novel, it illustrates the effect that a war can have on anyones life, regardless the age or the location.