Characters
This character is Gene’s charismatic and athletic best friend.
Who is Phineas (Finny)?
The novel is set at this New England prep school during World War II
What is Devon School?
This object, from which Finny falls, symbolizes the loss of innocence in the novel.
What is the tree by the river?
Gene’s internal conflict revolves around this complex emotion he feels toward Finny.
What is jealousy (or envy)?
In A Separate Peace, John Knowles uses this literary device to describe Gene’s perception of the tree as “tremendous, an irate steely black steeple.”
What is metaphor?
Explain how Finny’s fall from the tree acts as a turning point for both Gene’s and Finny’s development.
What is the moment Gene begins to face his guilt, and Finny starts to grapple with his vulnerability?
This specific location at Devon becomes the scene of Finny’s first fall.
What is the tree by the river?
The Winter Carnival symbolizes this positive influence Finny has on his peers.
What is freedom and unity?
How does John Knowles reflect the influence of World War II on the boys' transition to adulthood?
What is by portraying their gradual loss of innocence, increased awareness of mortality, and eventual acceptance of responsibility?
The structure of the novel includes this type of narrative frame, beginning with Gene as an adult revisiting Devon.
What is a flashback?
This character enlists in the military first, symbolizing the loss of youthful idealism.
Who is Leper Lepellier?
This winter carnival organized by Finny is held in this part of Devon School.
What is the playing fields?
Gene’s fear of the war and his own guilt are symbolized by this natural feature near Devon.
What is the river?
Critics often view A Separate Peace as a bildungsroman. What textual evidence supports this interpretation?
What is Gene’s journey of self-awareness and moral growth, including his reconciliation with guilt and understanding of his identity?
This rhetorical device is used to show the contrast between the innocence of youth and the harsh realities of adulthood.
What is juxtaposition?
This teacher at Devon represents the rigid authority of tradition during wartime.
Who is Mr. Ludsbury?
The two rivers near Devon symbolize contrasting ideas. What does the Naguamsett River represent?
What is impurity, adulthood, and the unknown?
Finny’s pink shirt represents this defiance in the face of societal expectations.
What is individuality and confidence?
How does the backdrop of World War II enhance the themes of competition and rivalry in A Separate Peace?
This motif recurs throughout the novel to emphasize the inevitability of conflict and the characters’ struggles with their darker impulses.
What is war?
By the end of the novel, this character is portrayed as a tragic figure, unable to adapt to the realities of the world.
Who is Finny?
During the climax, this significant location at Devon becomes the site of Finny’s second fall.
What is the marble staircase?
The Devon Summer and Winter sessions symbolize these two opposing stages of life.
What are innocence and maturity?
John Knowles uses the duality of war and peace to explore this deeper theme about human nature.
What is the coexistence of good and evil within individuals?
The contrasting personalities of Gene and Finny highlight this literary device, used to emphasize their differences and underlying connection.
What is foil (or character foiling)?