Questions and Answers for A Separate Peace
A Separate Peace
In A Separate Peace, how would you describe Gene and Finny's relationship? Reflect on themes of friendship, human...
Through the course of the novel, the boys gain insights into their own personalities but they do not become, and cannot be, friends because honesty is missing from their relationship. Both Gene and...
A Separate Peace
In A Separate Peace, what does the tree represent?
The tree is the central symbol in the novel. It represents the enormous fear in which Gene lived at school, from the summer of 1942 until the spring of 1943. When he was a student at Devon, the...
A Separate Peace
In A Separate Peace, what is the point of the rivers being described as they are?
The two rivers in the book are described in symbolic ways. The Devon School sits between two rivers, the Devon and the the Naguamsett. The Devon is described as a place of fun, and it is the river...
A Separate Peace
In a Separate Peace, the narrator states, "Nothing endures, not a tree, not love, not even death by violence." What...
We can read this quote as relating primarily to Gene's relationship to Finny in A Separate Peace. This relationship is central to the story of the novel and is also at the root of the novel's...
A Separate Peace
Can you think of examples of how Gene was envious of Finny in A Separate Peace by John Knowles?
The envy Gene has for his friend and roommate Finny shows up most of the time as jealousy in A Separate Peace by John Knowles. It is true that Finny is just one of those guys that everyone knows...
A Separate Peace
What are 3 ways Gene and Phineas are alike and 3 ways they are different in A Separate Peace?
Similarities: Gene and Finny are both well-liked and popular at Devon. The other boys seem to gravitate towards Finny, and Gene becomes one of the school's most popular, successful members...
A Separate Peace
What are 5 adjectives that describe Gene Forrester?
Gene is competitive. We see his competitive drive early on in the novel as he strives to outdo Finny in any way he can. This proves difficult in most areas as Finny is a lively, funny, charming and...
A Separate Peace
What is the significance of the marble staircase in A Separate Peace by John Knowles?
The marble staircase is located in the First Academy Building on the campus of the Devon School. Gene describes it as having a red brick exterior, swinging doors, and a marble foyer preceding the...
A Separate Peace
In A Separate Peace, how is Blitzball played? How do the rules of the game and the skills to play it reflect Finny's...
Finny's character is not only competitive and athletic, but also charismatic, humble and social. He's competitive and athletic because he loves to show his strength during sports, but he is humble...
A Separate Peace
In A Separate Peace, what lesson is Knowles trying to teach the reader?
Throughout the novel, Knowles examines self-esteem issues, jealousy, and the duality of human nature. Although Gene is fascinated and drawn towards Finny, his lack of self-esteem leads to feelings...
A Separate Peace
How does Finny's invented game of "blitzball" work as a symbol of his approach to competition in A Separate Peace by...
Finny's invented game of blitzball involves a ball carrier, who has to dodge everyone attempting to knock him down as he runs toward the river or tower. Gene mentions that the odds were...
A Separate Peace
What are the major events in the novel A Separate Peace? There are many events and i want to make sure i pick the...
I'm assuming you've read the novel, so my references to events will be just that--short, quick references. The frame (beginning and end) - Gene comes back to Devon school and re-examines the events...
A Separate Peace
What is a Maginot Line? Why does Gene mention it in the end?
This comes as Gene's final reflection on his relationship with Finny and his time at Devon. His stream-of-consciousness shows his internal censorship, and his attempt to come to terms with his...
A Separate Peace
In A Separate Peace, why does Gene feel that Finny's funeral is his own?
Gene does not cry at Phineas's funeral because he feels it is his own, and you don't, he says, cry at your own funeral. He experiences it as his own funeral because Finny felt like a part of...
A Separate Peace
What are 5 quotes that show jealousy in the Novel? I have others, but I'm having trouble thinking of another.
Jealousy depends on what is perceived by one person about another and then compared to one's self at an unachievable higher standard. In a growing up story like "A Separate Peace" many characters...
A Separate Peace
In "A Separate Peace" what symbolic role does Finny's death play in the story?
I think the best way to answer this question is to figure out what Finny's life is symbolic of. Finny is a great character, and he could symbolize so many different things. He could be symbolic of...
A Separate Peace
What is the significance of the summer session?
I think that the significance of the summer session is best viewed symbolically in contrast to the winter session. The summer session is a much slower pace of things for the boys on the Devon...
A Separate Peace
What school record does Finny break? Why does he want Gene to keep quiet about this achievement?
Phineas breakes the 100 Yard Free Style record for the Devon school which had previously been set by A. Hopkins Parker in 1940 at fifty-three seconds (42). Finny shaves off .7 of a second when he...
A Separate Peace
List at least three factors that explain the change in mood at Devon between the summer and fall sessions.
Three factors that explain the change of mood between the summer and fall sessions are as follows: First, Gene describes himself and his Devon summer school friends as in a liminal space of "shaky...
A Separate Peace
In A Separate Peace, what is the significance of sports, and what is the point of including blitzball?
Sports are a point of contention in Gene and Finny's relationship. Gene continually describes Finny's incredible physical prowess, in addition to naming various trophies Finny has won for his...
A Separate Peace
What is the importance of the Butt Room scene?
The Butt Room episode in A Separate Peace exposes the conflicting feelings Gene is carrying regarding his actions at the jumping tree. As Gene fights to maintain his innocence, he is also forced to...
A Separate Peace
What does the last line of the novel A Separate Peace mean?
The last line of A Separate Peace is as follows: All of them, all except Phineas, constructed at infinite cost to themselves these Maginot Lines against this enemy they thought they saw across the...
A Separate Peace
What does Blitzball symbolize in A Separate Peace?
Gene narrates in Chapter 2 of A Separate Peace that he and the other boys have spent the summer of 1942 in "complete selfishness" as they have ignored what was happening in the European theatre of...
A Separate Peace
In A Separate Peace, what did Leper's telegram say? I don't have the book with me, and I'd like to know exactly...
Since all editions have different page numbers, it might be best to give you the chapter instead. Leper’s telegram is found at the end of chapter 9. You will find it very quickly. Here are the...
A Separate Peace
In A Separate Peace, what does the war symbolize? Why is the symbol of war significant to the story?
In A Separate Peace, the war symbolizes on a grander scale the same evil that drives Gene's private evil. Thus, it symbolizes a war of jealous rivalry. Shortly after he comes to Devon School, Gene...
A Separate Peace
What kind of school is Devon School in A Separate Peace?
Based upon Phillips Exeter School in New Hampshire, which the author himself attended, Devon School is what was known as an elite boys' preparatory school, a private school that stresses athletics...
A Separate Peace
Why does Phineas decide to wear his pink shirt in A Separate Peace?
Phineas decides to wear the pink shirt as "an emblem". He says vaguely that he heard that the Allies "bombed Central Europe for the first time the other day", so he feels he...
A Separate Peace
What quotes show that Gene in A Separate Peace is competitive, insecure, or jealous?
At the end of chapter 3, Finny tells Gene that he is his best friend after a fun, exhilarating day at the beach. Instead of responding to Finny's comment, Gene thinks to himself, I should have...
A Separate Peace
What are some of Finny's rules (the ones implied as well as stated) in A Separate Peace?
In Chapter 3 of A Separate Peace, Gene narrates that Finny's life is regulated by "inspiration and anarchy." Despite this anarchy, Finny does value a set of rules—his own. Gene notes that Finny...
A Separate Peace
In "Separate Peace", how and why does Finny's second accident occur?
Finny's second accident occurs as he rushes out of the Assembly Room where Brinker has organized a mock trial for the purpose of investigating Finny's first accident. Distraught over the...
A Separate Peace
In A Separate Peace, what effect does the war have on Devon?
At first, Devon serves as a sort of escape from World War II for the main characters. They are too young to enlist, so they continue with their studies in relative peace. Gene looks back on an...
A Separate Peace
Develop at least two thesis statements for A Separate Peace that deal with friendship and either rivalry or virtue.
A key to a good thesis statement is that it makes an argument. Once the thesis is stated, then the paper's responsibility is to prove with evidence from the text that the thesis is true. I usually...
A Separate Peace
What is an example of dramatic irony and verbal irony from "A Separate Peace"? John Knowles's "A Separate Peace"
Verbal irony occurs when a speaker intentionally says something that he or she does not literally mean and uses words to convey the opposite meaning. In chapter 4, Gene asks Finny if he would mind...
A Separate Peace
What would be a good thesis statement and supporting details for A Separate Peace? i need 3 metaphors 3 similes and 3...
One possible thesis statement could suggest that A Separate Peace is a story about many different wars - the war Gene fights within himself, the war the boys fight against the world in and outside...
A Separate Peace
What causes the disagreement between Gene and Quackenbush; why is Quack's choice of words unfortunate?
I think the general cause of the "disagreement" between Gene and Quackenbush is that Quackenbush is a generally antagonistic person all around. Gene says that there is something wrong with...
A Separate Peace
What details does the author use to show the ways in which war is changing the atmosphere at Devon in A Separate...
Beginning in chapter 6, Knowles writes, "Peace had deserted Devon," as the Winter Session begins with five of the younger teachers missing because they had left for war (35). The boys also notice...
A Separate Peace
In A Separate Peace, Gene says there was always something "deadly" in the things he loved. What is he acknowledging...
This quote from A Separate Peace is from Chapter 7, when Brinker says he’s going to enlist in the war, and Gene becomes excited. He’s been thinking about enlisting but only in the dark recesses of...
A Separate Peace
What is the significance of the title A Separate Peace by John Knowles?
A "separate peace" has roots in actual military and political actions of different countries. It is a bit of a convoluted arrangement between the different countries, so I will try to give it a...
A Separate Peace
Explain why Gene applied to be crew chief in A Separate Peace?
In A Separate Peace, Gene chooses to be an assistant crew manager for several reasons. 1. Gene is feeling sorry for himself and looks for a role that demonstrates his feeling. This is his senior...
A Separate Peace
In Chapter Nine what is the "separate peace" that Finny has established in A Separate Peace?
In addition to establishing the "momentary, illusory, special and separate peace" for the boys with the Winter Carnival, Phineas, for the first time since his accident, becomes active again and...
A Separate Peace
In A Separate Peace, when Gene puts on Finny clothes, he sees himself as Finny "to the life" and this comforts him. Why?
Gene finds comfort in putting on Finny's clothes because for a little while he can be someone other than himself. Because of Gene's guilt and self-loathing, just being himself is painful. Finny is...
A Separate Peace
What does Gene do when Quackenbush accuses him of being maimed in A Separate Peace?
When Quackenbush accuses him of being maimed, Gene reacts by hitting him hard across the face. At first Gene doesn't know why he is reacting like this, and he thinks, "it was almost as though (he,...
A Separate Peace
What are some examples of irony (with explanations) from A Separate Peace?
One definition of Irony is when the unexpected happens; but not only that, it's also when someone does their best to avoid a situation and gets involved anyway. Another definition might be when...
A Separate Peace
What is Finny's theory about the war ? no
In Chapter 8, Finny tells Gene that the "war stuff" is a myth. He states that American is not truly "in a state of war with Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan." He claims, "there isn't any war." So,...
A Separate Peace
I need Quotes on Brinker and Leper that show characteristics of their personality? Hopefully 10 of each, and what...
In John Knowles's A Separate Peace, Brinker is the "big man on campus": Brinker looked the standard preparatory school article his gray gabardine suit with square, handsewn-looking jacket pockets,...
A Separate Peace
Where is the significant quote in A Separate Peace that says "Wars are made instead by something evil in the human...
During a conversation between Gene and Brinker, Brinker mentions that his father's generation is responsible for causing the war that his generation is forced to fight. Gene mentions that he has...
A Separate Peace
In A Separate Peace what does this quote mean? "Wars were made instead by something ignorant in the human heart."
In this quote, Gene is pondering the events that occurred during those crucial years at Devon school, and pairing it with his more mature knowledge of war and people that he has gained throughout...
A Separate Peace
How and why did Brinker get Gene and Finny to attend the mock trial in A Separate Peace?
Brinker is unwilling to accept the mystery (or the unknown) that surrounds Finny's fall from the tree. Though Finny has already said that he must have simply slipped, Brinker does not believe that...
A Separate Peace
How did Gene deal with his friendship with Finny after the accident?
Gene is a complex guy. He's great friends with Finny, but he's also really jealous of how everything just seems to fall in place for Finny. Gene works hard at school and sports, yet Finny often...
A Separate Peace
Why is the "suicide" part of "Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session" appropriate?
One way to examine this question is to consider how jumping from the tree ultimately leads to Finny's death. While Finny survives the fall from the tree when Gene knocks him out, the broken leg...
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