A Separate Peace

A Separate Peace

A Separate Peace by John Knowles, ISBN 978-0-7432-5397-0, Secker & Warburg 1959

Plot Summary:

The book begins with Gene Forrester returning to his old prep school, Devon, fifteen years after he graduated. He visits some sites on campus that have some special meaning to him, and then Gene begins to recall the summer of 1942 when he was 16. Gene describes his best friend Phineas, or Finny, as an outgoing and athletic boy. He’s the opposite of who Gene was, a shy and academically focused student. Despite being opposites, the two are best friends. Gene is sometimes jealous of Finny because of his strength and popularity. Finny has an idea to make the summer memorable by creating the “Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session.” The initiation into the group is the “suicide” part: each member is required to jump off a high tree into the Devon River. When Gene and Finny are on the branch about to make their jump, Gene’s envy takes over and he shakes the branch, causing Finny to fall and shatter his leg. Finny then learns that he won’t be able to play sports anymore, which is the one thing he loves. Gene must spend the rest of the summer trying to reconcile his feelings about Finny and come to terms with who he is as a person.

Critical Evaluation:

This novel is told mainly in flashback, which allows the reader to see Gene’s motivations and actions as a young man and how they’ve affected his life as an adult. The story deals with many of the conventional themes found in young adult literature: friendship, envy, love, and regret. What makes this story different from others of its kind is the intimate relationship between Gene and Finny. The boys never speak of more than a platonic friendship and it’s not made clear that either of them feels anything other than that for each other, but the tone of Gene’s words and memories suggest that he was deeply in love with Finny. While the words on the page show that Gene’s envy and frustration came from Finny being a more well liked and attractive boy, the subtext is that Gene’s resentment stems from a deep and secret love that he’s too ashamed to express. The author is able to effectively convey the pain and loneliness Gene feels without actually spelling it out to the reader. Despite the fact that envy is a major theme in the book, the world only appears once. Instead, the emotions of the characters are described in the way they move, in how their eyes meet someone else’s, and how they treat each other. Knowles has created a golden boy in Finny, and understands that his readers have all felt like Gene at some point. He allows the reader to share Gene’s resentment and still finds a way to forgive the unintended violence, which in turn, allows the reader to forgive herself.

Reader’s Annotation:

Gene’s moment of weakness has unintended and serious consequences. Will he come clean or will he keep his secret forever?

Information about the author:

From the author’s Encyclopedia Britannica entry:

John Knowles,  (born Sept. 16, 1926, Fairmont, W.Va., U.S.—died Nov. 29, 2001, near Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), American author, who was best known for his first published novel, A Separate Peace (1959; filmed 1972). Most of his works are psychological examinations of characters caught in conflict between the wild and the pragmatic sides of their personalities.

In 1945 Knowles graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, N.H., and briefly served in the military before attending Yale University (B.A., 1949). He contributed articles to various publications during the 1950s before becoming a full-time writer. During the 1960s Knowles was a writer in residence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and at Princeton University, and in the 1990s he taught creative writing at Florida Atlantic University.

In 1959 Knowles won acclaim with the publication of A Separate Peace, which chronicles the competitive friendship of two students at a New England preparatory school during World War II. An enduring classic, it became part of the syllabus of high-school English classes throughout the United States. Its sequel, Peace Breaks Out (1981), features student rivalry in the same setting but viewed from the perspective of a troubled young teacher who has recently returned from World War II.

Knowles’s other novels include Indian Summer (1966), in which Harold “Cleet” Kinsolving discovers that he prefers the freedom of his simple life in the Midwest to a high-paying job in his New England hometown. The Paragon (1971) centres on Louis Colfax, a student at Yale plagued by a sense of inner emptiness. In A Vein of Riches (1978), Knowles portrayed the Catherwood family—coal barons who exploit the labour of West Virginia miners in the early 20th century. His later novels include A Stolen Past (1983) and The Private Life of Axie Reed (1986). He also wrote Double Vision (1964), a travelogue, and Phineas (1968), a collection of short stories.

Genre:

Coming of age, Teen Fiction

Curriculum Ties:

School relationships, jealousy of a friend, death of a friend

Challenge Issues:

Though not overtly stated, the relationship between Gene and Finny can be seen as homoerotic.

Creating a Defense:

• Make sure you have thorough knowledge of the library’s selection policy as well as a copy on hand. Your insight as well as pointing out specific portions of the policy will be helpful in discussion with the patron.
• Always have the library Bill of Rights close to show the patron your library’s commitment to providing all kinds of information.
• Have some reveiws on hand, both good and bad, from respected sources like YALSA or Amazon so both you and the patron can gain an understanding of both sides of the issue.
• Make sure you’re familiar with the books that might be challenged. Be prepared to discuss the book’s intended audience, its educational significance, purpose, and also some alternative titles to read.
• Don’t get defensive. The librarian can’t take the challenge personally and either party getting upset will cause the discussion to devolve into a fight.
• LISTEN. Even if you don’t agree with the patron, their views are as valid as yours and should be respected.

Reading Level:

Grades 9-12

Booktalking Ideas:

Have you ever felt jealous of a friend? Where do you think that jealousy comes from? How do you cope with it?

Why is the material included?

I read this book in 10th grade and absolutely loved it. Classic literature should still be a part of any YA book list. 

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