Symbolism in A Separate Peace Essay

A Separate Peace

In A Separate Peace written by John Knowles, Knowles gives the reader scenes and details that symbolize more than what they really show on the surface. There is a deeper meaning that helps us understand the characters and their challenger to adulthood. Knowles symbolizes the journey from innocence to experience. The summer represents childhood, innocence and having fun. Then there is Finnys fall that represents the fall from childhood to the realization of adulthood and problems. Lastly, Knowles uses world war II as the end of innocence and the true start of adulthood and the conflicts to be faced.

Summer session, a time of fun, messing around, and just doing whatever you wanted. Finny creates a group called the "Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session", which is a group that jumps off the tree into the Devon river. This shows their carelessness, freedom and being able to relax and have fun because the teachers did not care. This was the way the Masters tended to treat us that summer. They seemed to be modifying their unusual attitude of floating, chronic disapprovalA streak of tolerance was detectable; Finny decided that they were beginning to show commendable signs of maturity(pg 16). This shows the flexibility of the teachers towards the students at Devon. The teachers know the war will end their freedom, so they allow the students to have fun while they can. Also shows that Finny can talk his way out of many problems allowing him to have no problems in life, which will soon end.

Finnys fall symbolizes the change from innocence to adulthood and the summer session is coming to a close, reality is ahead. The way the students at Devon react to Finnys fall will foreshadow their future as adults in the real life. Gene realizes finny is not perfect and now he in some ways is better than him now. When genes thinks about Finny on the canoe, Then, an infinitesimal veering of the canoe, and the line of his body would break, the soaring arms collapse, up shoot an uncontrollable leg, and Phineas would tumble into the water, roaring with rage(pg 67). Gene gets a slight pleasure at the fact that Finny is superior to him when he thinks about Finny falling off the canoe. To finny, this indicates the end to his perfect life of being above everyone else and now he has to face the problems of reality.

The final step to the adult life is World War II, which symbolizes the one of many problems to be faced and overcame in life. When Finny is around the thought of war is not a factor in anyones eyes. However when Finny is gone after he broke his leg, Gene and his friends attend to war duties and are preparing themselves for enlisting. As soon as he returns Finny changes Genes perspective on the war bringing Gene back to innocence stage of life. Gene can not find himself on his own, Finny takes over him and gene keeps following his ways. However, when Finny dies the innocence is gone. The paratroopers take up residence at the school and the real life finally sets in, the war is real. Gene expresses his feeling from the experiences he faced, I never killed anybody and I never developed an intense level of hatred for the enemy. Because my war ended before I ever put on a uniform; I was on active duty all my time at school; I killed my enemy there. Only Phineas never was afraid, only Phineas never hated anyone. this shows that World War II taught Gene who his enemies were, himself. And also symbolized Finny, that he did not have enmity towards anyone. In the end it killed him because he did not think anyone would turn on him, but they did.

John Knowles allowed the reader to understand the story deeper and teaches lessons in life. To never be so insecure because it hold in your own identity and beliefs. The journey from innocence to adult hood is a tough road and each person has a different course.