A Separate Peace Quotes and Introduction

Question 1

Gene returning to Devon and seeing the tree

Answer 1

Nothing endures, not a tree, not love, not even death by violence.

language: foreshadowing of events to later take place
- creates ominous atmosphere for reader

(The tree, once so intimidating, is now old and feeble. Gene reflects on how time changes things and nothing lasts.)

Question 2

Gene’s envy of Finny

Finny’s depth of personality

Finny’s athletic ability

Answer 2

Phineas could get away with anything. I couldn’t help envying him that a little.

language: language used to evoke a sense relation to Gene’s emotions and create feelings of “harmless” jealousy reader may have experienced

Scatterbrained eloquence

language: oxymoron showing depth and layered nature of Finny’s personality

his back muscles working like a panther’s

language: simile used to convey the extent of Finny’s athletic prowess

Question 3

Finny breaking the swimming record

Answer 3

His accomplishment … grew rapidly in darkness where I was forced to hide it.

language: personification of Finny’s accomplishment and the toll it’s taken/ burdening effect it’s had on Gene.

Question 4

Gene’s compulsion to please Finny

Answer 4

I hated it … But I always jumped.

language: the contradiction of Gene’s actions. despite not wanting to jump, his compulsion to please Finny outweighs his fears and disliking of the activity.

(For Gene, jumping in the river to please Finny just adds to his resentment and his feeling of inadequacy when compared to Finny.)

Question 5

Gene’s visualisation of a rivalry between him and Finny

Answer 5

I found it. I found… the thought… even already.

language: anaphora suggests the repetitive negative thoughts Gene must have had to reach this far-fetched conclusion.

Question 6

Gene jumping into the river after he “jounced the limb”

jounced the limb

Answer 6

every trace of my fear … forgotten.

language: narrative point of view being from Gene allows the reader to understand the pure extent of regret and emotions Gene goes through after he “jounced the limb.

(The act of revenge frees Gene of his fear and he blithely jumps from the tree into the river. Harming Finny has freed Gene from his envy.)

“jounced the limb”

language: when Gene “jounced the limb”, Knowles’ use of “jounce” is representative of the internal off-balanceness within Gene as a result of his identity crisis.

Question 7

Finny’s caring character after seeing Gene in his room in the infirmary.

Answer 7

You look so personally shocked. You look like it happened to you or something.

language: repetition, Finny putting emphasis and Gene and how he is feeling and doing despite him being the injured one

Question 8

Gene resolving his identity crisis

Answer 8

my purpose from the first: to become a part of Phineas.

language: metaphor of Gene being a part of Finny signals to the audience the depth of connection between Gene and Finny and the intertwined branches within their characters.

Question 9

Finny and Gene talking about the war being a lie

“them”

Finny questioning Gene if he believes the war

Answer 9

Peace is indivisible - metaphor (Gene’s realisation) and symbol of peace contrasting with the lexical field of War

Old fat men

Have you swallowed all that war stuff?

language: the rhetorical question asked by Finny implies his naivety and ignorance of the war happening. It also signifies the shelter the Devon school has provided them from the reality of the war.

(Finny insists that the war is not happening. Gene, who is beginning to excel at sports under Finny’s guidance, is now extremely fond of Finny. The quote hints at the unity of identity between the two boys. Gene has found perfect peace in his “indivisible” relationship with Finny.)

Question 10

Gene’s selfishness and emotional violence towards Leper

Answer 10

I didn’t care because it had nothing to do with me.

language: Gene’s response shows the impact his encounter with Leper has had on him and conveys selfishness

Question 11

Finny’s acceptance of the war being real

Answer 11

If a war can drive somebody crazy, then it’s real all right.

language: simple language

(Leper’s insanity after “escaping” from the military has convinced Finny that only a horrific war could have made Leper insane.)

Question 12

Finny after falling the second time not believing Gene caused his first fall

Answer 12

It wasn’t some kind of hate.

language: the innocence and purity of Finny is contradicted by Gene’s actions and is ironic because as the reader we are aware that this indeed was done because of a kind of hatred, jealousy.

Question 13

Gene’s realisation at Finny’s funeral

Answer 13

I could not escape a feeling that this was my own funeral.

language: the metaphor symbolises the connection Gene and Finny had as well as Gene’s dependance of Finny. Part of Gene’s identity in Finny has died.

personification of Gene’s feeling holding him captive is symbolic of Gene’s internal battles

(With Finny’s death a part of Gene—his former identity—has also died.)

Question 14

Gene’s freedom from his anger

Answer 14

I was ready for the war, now that I no longer had any hatred to contribute.

language: ??

Question 15

Gene’s acknowledgment of his internal battle and that with Finny (war)

Answer 15

My war ended before I ever put on a uniform

language: metaphor symbolic of Gene’s war as his identity crises and internal battles of finding a sense of belonging.

Question 16

ASP Intro

Answer 16

‘A Separate Peace ‘ by John Knowles is a
coming-of-age novel investigating themes: friendship and tragedy. The story explores Gene Forrester’s high school years; at the Devon school in New Hampshire during World War II.