Introduction to A Separate Peace By John Knowles

About the Author John Knowles • Born in West Virginia on September 16, 1926. Died November 29, 2001 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. • Knowles was educated at Phillips Exeter Academy, which served as a model for the setting of A Separate Peace. • After graduating he spent 8 months in the Air Force. • A Separate Peace was Knowles’ first work, which earned him the Rosenthal Award of the National Institute of Arts and Letters. This established Knowles as a successful author. • Deals with coming of age and how children cope in a time of war

Phillips Exeter Academy • Devon School, the setting of A Separate Peace, is based heavily on the Phillips Exeter Academy.

Phillips Exeter Academy

Plot Overview • • Story is told as a flashback to 16 years ago from Gene Forrester’s perspective Gene was a quiet, intellectual student at the Devon School in New Hampshire. During the summer session of 1942, Gene becomes close friends with Finny, his daredevil roommate The story follows the trials and tribulations of both boys as they cope with their differences and also outside influences

A Separate Peace Characters • • • Gene Forrester Finny Elwin “Leper” Lepellier Brinker Hadley Cliff Quackenbush Chet Douglass Mr. Ludsbury Dr. Stanpole Mr. Patch-Withers

Main Themes The nature of friendship. The relationship between Gene and Finny is the novel’s focus. Loss of Innocence. The plot is dominated by Gene’s progression toward maturity. The relationship between war and peace. The backdrop of the war plays a vital role in the novel. People’s ability to change. Is change really possible? Duality of man Is man inherently good, evil, or a combination?

Historical Context World War II • Began in 1939 when the Germans invaded Poland, and officially ended in August 1945, when the Japanese surrendered. • A Separate Peace takes place during the summer of 1942, directly in the center of World War II. In America: In order to cope with the war, America instituted rations on books, sugar, coffee, and other goods. • To conserve gasoline, a national 35 MPH speed limit was implemented, and driving for pleasure was banned. • By the summer of 1942, many Americans realized that the war was far from over.

Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Tojo Hideki

Allied Forces- The Big 3 Winston Churchill. England Franklin D. Roosevelt. U. S Joseph Stalin. U. S. S. R.