This is, first and foremost, a character story. Gene and Finny are central to the plot, and to this end the author develops the characters with piercing clarity. Finny's genuineness sets him apart from his peers, Gene included, who tend to act more in accordance with the way they think would be acceptable to others, instead of what is acceptable to themselves. Finny follows his heart in all his ways, and his achievements are a reflection of his love for life. In contrast, Gene is repressed, his achievements based on what others believe to be important. As a result, they are of no importance to him, because he sees himself to be lacking that unique, genuine quality.

The friendship which develops between Gene and Finny is beautifully drawn, woven with skill into the mundanity of everyday existence. The tragic turn it takes sends the rest of the plot, though outwardly inocuous, hurtling toward disaster and a darkness beyond imagining. 'A Separate Peace' explores the evil in the human heart, using this tale of betrayal as a parallel to the war raging in the world at the same time. While this may invite comparison with 'Lord of the Flies', they are in fact extremely different. 'Lord of the Flies' contends that humans are evil by nature. In 'A Separate Peace', humanity is shown to have a dark side, the cause of tremendous horror and suffering. And yet, there is hope offered in this book for humanity. Evil is not the be-all and end-all of our existence. For even as Gene must confront the evil within himself, a light shines through: the genuine love he has for his friend. Which is why Finny wept at the end of the book--not for himself, but for the betrayal of that loyalty and love which he had always known existed.

This only scratches the surface of the depth to be found in this masterpiece. However, I don't recommend over-analyzing the metaphors and similies and whatnot. I read this book without a class or a teacher, did not learn the significance of the metaphors, and probably for this reason more than anything else, loved the book. For the teachers who disparage the book as 'too boring'--perhaps if you would try to see the book as something more than an exercise in metaphors, both you and your students would benefit. The true power of this book lies in its clear rendering of the immensity and the frailty of human nature, the many shadings of light and dark which together create a human being. In the author's own words, this book penetrates to "that level of feeling, deeper than thought, which contains the truth."


I have yet to read a good argument in favor of this book   September 26, 2000
 15 out of 23 found this review helpful

Why, Lord, WHY has this novel become required reading for today's youth? John Knowles' book fails as a powerful examination of guilt (if we're going to make high school students read this, then why not "Apt Pupil?"), of friendship and betrayal (try Peter Shaffer's "Amadeus" for starters), nor of boarding school life (as if this remains a significant topic of study...but go ahead and read "Maurice"). You can also entertain your students with film adaptations of these alternate suggestions.

I'm quite surprised that so many people seem to have had emotional experiences with this book. I know I'm not alone in finding the characters of "A Separate Peace" thinly drawn- which makes it that much harder to care when Finny takes the big spill out of the tree. There was no affecting tragedy in this book as far as I'm concerned.

I think that for any of the numerous aspects of this book that are praised you can find much better examples elsewhere, perhaps even more relevant ones. How about Fitzgerald's beautifully written "This Side of Paradise?" We could also delve further into the gay undercurrent of Knowles's book and read Paul Monette's vastly superior "Becoming A Man: Half a Life Story," or the aforementioned "Maurice" by E.M. Forster. I'm sorry but as we all know there are so many wonderful novels, and I think it's a shame that so many students keep getting stuck with this one.


A Separate Peace   October 10, 2000
 14 out of 14 found this review helpful

This summer i was assigned to read A Separate Peace for outside reading. I have very busy summers and I don't like to read that much. I thought I would just bore my way through this book like I've always done before with other summer reading books. As I started this book though, I got more and more into it and really started to enjoy it. The main character of this book is Gene Forrester. He is telling us the story in his point of view which is first person. He has gone back to the school, Devon, after fifteen years to try to put what happened there behind him so he could go on with his life. Gene shows us that there is evil lurking every where because we see the potential of evil in the human heart through him. Finny is another very important character. Gene and him are best friends though two very different people. Finny has trouble in school but is excellent on any playing field and is almost too perfect. While we see evil and jealousy through Gene, all we see is honesty, innocense, and loyalty from Finny. The story takes place in the school Devon. Devon is an example of a small microcosm, which is a small world contained in itself. The war is going on outside the school while there is a small war going on under the surface at Devon. Gene is jealous of Finny and thinks Finny feels the same way but he finds out that he doesn't and that Finny is too good to be jealous. There is a tree which they jump from. This tree symbolizes the tree of knowledge and Gene's loss of innocense. As Gene and Finny were on the tree about to make the first double jump, Gene made Finny lose his balance and fall to the ground crushing his leg. Finny falls physically while Gene falls mentally and spiritually. Finny will never be able to play sports again or go to the war and he doesn't know that Gene caused the accident. Gene and Finny are still very good friends but there are many things throughout the story that foreshadows a trial that brings out the truth. Brinker sets up the trial and the truth wouldn't have come out except for Leper. Leper was a shy guy that kept mainly to himself. He had to gone to the war and became crazy. Leper was the only one that had seen Gene make Finny fall from the tree. When Leper was testifying Finny ran out of the room and fell down the stairs breaking his leg again. As Finny was in surgery, a piece of bone marrow got into his blood stream and stopped his heart which killed him. Gene feels like it is his funeral when he attends Finny's because he realizes that he caused Finny's death. I thought the author did a very good job writing this book. He shows us the potential of evil in the human heart and many other things. Many people can relate what has happened in this book to something that has happened to them. The author also did a very good job foreshadowing which keeps us reading and interested.


Beautifully written   February 15, 2004
 12 out of 12 found this review helpful

A separate peace, written by John Knowles, is set in a boarding school in New Hampshire during World War II. This book is a remarkable novel mainly about a unique friendship between the two main characters, Gene and Phineas. Gene is a shy, reserved intellectual, while Phineas is an outgoing, lively athlete. However the disparity between their personalities has a mysterious force that pulls them together. The friendship portrayed by Knowles is amazingly real- they waiver between hate and friends as mini-conflicts arise between them.
The campus of this school was situated out of the reaches of the war; most of the students are not bothered by whats happening in the outside world. However, as the students neared graduation and the truth slowly unveiled itself, it shattered the tranquility within the campus, and the students were suddenly faced with the shocking reality. A seemingly small incident had progressed into a huge conflict that ultimately was entirely comprised of evil.

This book is well designed and controlled. At critical times in the story, Knowles is careful not to reveal too much, which leaves the reader in suspense with the urge to read on. In my opinion, there isnt a definite plot (not saying its a flaw of the book). In fact, the novel is written somewhat like a diary. Even so, Knowles perspective towards the war is timeless, and his masterpiece would appeal to most people who read this touching story.