Knowles Separate Peace Essays: The Theme of A Separate Peace :: Separate Peace Essays

The Theme of A Separate Peace The persistent theme of A Separate Peace is the deterioration of a complex friendship. The bond surrounded by two boys (Finny and Gene) becomes tested and attacked, as the reader observes a seemingly utopian relationship fall into decadence. Gene becomes challenged with various inner hostilities, while Finny, his proclivity for athletic competition revoked, has been forced to find acceptability and provocation elsewhere. Furthermore, the book commences during mid-to-late 1942, during the height of the Axis powers success. The effect of stress and tension on the camaraderie of the boys becomes elevated. The intensities of war, envy, and intricate personalities synthesize to permit an interesting look into the subconscious mind and sanity of war-time youth. Phineas and Gene form the illusion of great companionship, combining superior athletic ability with a knock-down(a) intellect. However, a silent rivalry develops between them. At the beginning of the story Gene seems to accept Finnys premium physical agility, but he resents what he feels is flaunting (of his aptitudes) by Phineas. As the book progresses, Gene continues to look deeper into their fellowship and quickly becomes wildly jealous of Finny. Eventually, Gene impairs Finny by jouncing the limb where Finny stood. Phineas, meanwhile, seems unaware of Genes evil thoughts. He continues to extend optimistic and promising. Amidst this rivalry, World War II persists and the faculty at Devon School are preparing the students for entrance into the military. Propaganda and the war effort enthrall the youth. From the forming of the Super Suicide smart set of the Summer Session, to the shoveling of snow at the railroad yard, everyone is absorbed by the aura of warfare. Genes realization, while shoveling snow, that we he and his schoolmates seemed to be nothing but children playing among heroic men (89) show his generation are merely pawns in a global conflict. Gene sustains hi s inclination towards pessimism and exposes the evil within him. The disharmony betwixt Gene and Finny constitutes a separate, all-out war when Phineas fractures his leg once again. With Phineas inner evil now exposed and his superficial personality shattered, Gene quickly becomes the object of his animosity. With the death of Phineas, the relationship has good deteriorated. When he fails to weep, Gene reveals that it is not just Finnys funeral, but his own.