A Separate Peace

"I had always felt that the Devon School came into existence the day I entered it, was vibrantly real while I was a student there, and then blinked out like a candle the day I left."

Although it is generally known as a coming-of-age novel, I think that A Separate Peace is a lot more than what is on the surface. If you look beyond the unique friendship of Gene and Phineas that the novel revolves around, what you will find is a well designed and controlled piece of literature. Gene, the main character and narrator of the novel, is a good enough student and athlete, but his best friend Finny is special. Everyone is drawn to Finny for his energy and charm. Gene has a one-sided rivalry going on with Finny, and the outcome of that rivalry is devastating.

I wish that I could have sat down and talk to John Knowles about all of the questions that I have. Why did Gene push Phineas? How to Gene and Finny really feel about each other? Most importantly, what does the title mean? I would also have loved to talk to him about his school life at Yale, my dream school. It is amazing how clearly Gene's thoughts and motives can be understood. It shows accomplishment for an author, which was achieved through the first person narration. 

When I picked up A Separate Peace, I didn't know what to expect. Everyone that I know who has read it complained about having it for summer reading. I disagree. I find Knowles' writing both simple and powerful. His well-developed characters come as close to feeling real as such a short novel can allow. Knowles is careful not to reveal too much, which kept me reading all day until I reached the end. He focuses on the war within the human heart, a war that is affected by the events of World War II, but exists independently of any real armed conflict. For Knowles—or at least for his narrator, Gene—every human being goes to war at a certain point in life, when he or she realizes that the world is a fundamentally hostile place and that in it there is always an enemy. 

This novel, although heart breaking in the end, is hauntingly beautiful. It shows that trust and friendship take years to develop, but an instant to destroy.