the Naguamsett River and Finny as the Devon River. Another interpretation is the Devon school without influence from the war as the Devon River and movement of the war intruding the school as the Naguamsett River. The first interpretation of Finny as the Devon River and Gene as the Naguamset River is based on each characters characteristics. Finny’s is characterized as carefree, energetic, sly, and a tremendous athlete. He shows he is carefree when he participates in a snowball fight even though he had a broken leg. He shows he is sly when he talks his way out of many situations such as wearing the school tie as a belt. His athleticism is shown by the way he easily broke the school’s swimming record without training. Gene is characterized as jealous, insecure, and smart. His jealousy and insecurity are shown through his one sided competition with Finny. The competition is considered one sided because Gene was jealous of Finny’s athleticism although Finny wasn’t jealous of Gene’s good grades. After Finny got away with using the school tie as a belt Gene says “I was beginning to see that Phineas could get away with anything. I couldn’t help envying him a little, which was perfectly normal. There was no harm in envying your best friend a little.” This shows that although Gene starts to realize that he envies Finny, he tries to put it aside as something that all friends do .Although Finny can be described as close to perfect, he still needs Gene with him. This shows how the Devon River is perfect but flows into the Naguamsett River. The second interpretation of the Devon school without influence from the war as the Devon River and the movement of the war intruding the school as the Naguamsett River is based on the events that happened during each time period.
Before the war enters the school, the students take part in many activities such as the Blitzball, the Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session club, and going to the beach. After the war starts to enter the school, the field is used for practicing parachuting, the students shovel the snow off the track to help soldiers pass, and the clubs start to incorporate the war. The flowing of the Devon River into the Neguamsett River is shown through the students’ most probable fate of going to the war. At the beginning of the novel, Gene says that “The class above, seniors, draft-bait, practically soldiers rushed ahead of us toward the war.” This foreshadows that Gene as his class will be next in going to the war. Clearly the Devon and Naguamsett Rivers have many important symbolic meanings that develop throughout the novel. Symbolism enriches and conveys a deeper meaning to ordinary people, places, and things in literature. John Knowles makes a great use of symbolism through the Devon and Naguamsett Rivers in his novel A Separate Peace. “Great literature is simply language charged with meaning to the utmost possible degree.”- Ezra
Pound