A Separate Peace Topics for Discussion

Topics for Discussion

(Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults)

1. How do the boys at Devon feel about the adults they know?

2. Why and how is the school and its setting important for Gene and the other boys at Devon?

3. What is the meaning of war for Gene and his friends? How does their attitude change? Does it affect all of the boys the same way?

4. How does the concept of friendship control and influence the lives of the boys at Devon?

5. Why does Gene fear the tree that Finny wants him to climb? How does his behavior in the tree reflect this fear?

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Please explain how Finny is a static character in A Separate Peace.All I can think of is when he...

It is quite intriguing to think of Phineas (Finny) as a static character in A Separate Peace by John Knowles. He is, in fact, the one who does more unexpected and impulsive things than anyone in...
What is the real meaning of the saying "a separate peace"?

A "separate peace" refers to the peace that Gene must make within himself. It's not about a peace that's reached after a war, but the real struggle that is within the hearts of the characters. In...
What is the significance of the title A Separate Peace by John Knowles?

There are a couple of ways in which the title of the novel is significant. One has to do with World War II and one has to do with Gene's relationship to Finny. The book is, of course, set during...
Develop at least two thesis statements for A Separate Peace that deal with friendship and either...

Here are some suggestions: John Knowles' A Separate Peace argues that humans learn more about themselves through their relationships/friendships than they do about others. In John Knowles' A...
What are some similes and metaphors in A Separate Peace?

The dominant symbol in A Separate Peace is the tree limb from which Phineas fell. At the "trial" it is compared to a piston, with the first part triggering the movement of the second. Of...