War And Rivalry In A Separate Peace
In the nonfiction novel "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles, there are many themes. One theme that appears in every chapter is "war and rivalry". The novel "A Separate Peace" presents many examples of the theme "war and rivalry" like World War 2, enlisting for the war, and Gene and Finny's egos.
One way war is represented in this novel is the setting, WWll. In chapter 1, the setting is stated in the first paragraph. "Perhaps the school wasn't as well kept up in those days; perhaps varnish, along with everything else, had gone to war.”(Knowles, page 1). Right off the bat, war is seen in the first paragraph in a nonviolent way, and to set the atmosphere. During the whole book they are in war; it is mentioned in every chapter. Another way "war …show more content…
“He did it. No one else in the school could have done it so without it getting torn from their back.”(Knowles, page 9). Finny’s ego is very apparent, showing that he knows that he can pull off his pink shirt with his charming personality. Although in chapter 3 Finny tells Gene he is his best friend and Gene’s response is silence. “It was a courageous thing to say… But something held me back.”(Knowles, page 21). The miniature monologue Gene says conveys his ego and how it and his reputation were more important than his closest friend. The rivalry between the two is more of a one way street though. In Gene’s eyes Finny is much better than he and although Finny’s ego is large, he is still humble. Gene believes in a way Finny, his best friend, is his rival.
The novel “A Separate Peace” presents many examples of the theme “war and rivalry” like World War 2, enlisting for the war, and Gene and Finny’s egos. World War 2 is represented during the whole book, enlisting for the war was the inevitable fate of the boys, and Gene and Finny’s egos conveyed the rivalry. “War and Rivalry” was the most occurring theme in the story, helping shape the novel of what it is
One way war is represented in this novel is the setting, WWll. In chapter 1, the setting is stated in the first paragraph. "Perhaps the school wasn't as well kept up in those days; perhaps varnish, along with everything else, had gone to war.”(Knowles, page 1). Right off the bat, war is seen in the first paragraph in a nonviolent way, and to set the atmosphere. During the whole book they are in war; it is mentioned in every chapter. Another way "war …show more content…
“He did it. No one else in the school could have done it so without it getting torn from their back.”(Knowles, page 9). Finny’s ego is very apparent, showing that he knows that he can pull off his pink shirt with his charming personality. Although in chapter 3 Finny tells Gene he is his best friend and Gene’s response is silence. “It was a courageous thing to say… But something held me back.”(Knowles, page 21). The miniature monologue Gene says conveys his ego and how it and his reputation were more important than his closest friend. The rivalry between the two is more of a one way street though. In Gene’s eyes Finny is much better than he and although Finny’s ego is large, he is still humble. Gene believes in a way Finny, his best friend, is his rival.
The novel “A Separate Peace” presents many examples of the theme “war and rivalry” like World War 2, enlisting for the war, and Gene and Finny’s egos. World War 2 is represented during the whole book, enlisting for the war was the inevitable fate of the boys, and Gene and Finny’s egos conveyed the rivalry. “War and Rivalry” was the most occurring theme in the story, helping shape the novel of what it is