A Separate Peace Conflict

A Separate Peace, written by John Knowles, is a seemingly simple yet heartbreaking story that gives the reader an inside look and analysis of the reality of human nature. Set permanently in the main character Gene’s point of view, the audience is first taken to the present of a reflective and, now, wise man (Gene) and then plunged into his past back in 1942 to relive the harsh lessons that youth brought him. Along with vivid imagery of the tranquil days of the past, a view into the social construct of a boy’s private school, Devon, and the looming presence of World War 2 on the horizon, there is also a significant power struggle that the reader can observe almost instantly. Conquering the need to be supreme in the situations of the war, high
For Gene and his best friend Phineas, the war always seems far away even though their reality pushes it upon them. The seniors are training for the draft, all efforts at the school are judged by their usefulness in the war, and every boy is expected to want and try their best to join the war effort. When one is faced with unwanted pressure, he/she is bound to at first neglect, or deny the pressure’s presence, and this is exactly what Gene does. Influenced mainly by Phineas, he drives this war and all of its sorrows and efforts away. Gene and Phineas even go as far as blatantly lying to themselves and saying the war was a hoax put on by the greedy, powerful old men of the world. However, in doing this, Gene buries the stress of the war in his subconscious which comes back to haunt him. When one suppresses emotions and thoughts, they always find a way to come back up one way or another. Eventually, all of the pressure to get ready for war gets to Gene and since neglecting it does not
He spends his summer at the school, which entails numerous adventures. Although he does experience joyful moments and a peaceful summer, most of the time, with or without knowing, he battles to be the best. During this summer the boys all play competitive games that are usually about the war, and Gene does his best to succeed in them. Pressured by Phineas and others, he even goes against his natural schoolboy manner and breaks multiple rules. The most telling event here, and essentially a main focus of the book is Gene and Phineas’ friendship and the accident that severed it. They were the best of friends and over the course of the book they grow apart due to Gene’s excessive need to find an enemy and conquer it. It can be argued that Phineas did not ever grow apart from Gene- Gene isolated himself under false ideas of betrayal. This need to gain power over Phineas is what pushes him over the edge and causes him to accidentally make Phineas fall out of a tree, permanently injuring him. This unnecessary conflict in what is supposed to be an oasis amid chaos is extremely unique and relevant to Knowles’ work. Gene not only tried to conquer the damaging things or people in his life but also the ones who loved him and the moments of peace. With this the reader is assured that Gene seems to find an enemy in everything, for he cannot truly be