Over the school’s summer session, Finny decides to create a “secret society” in which members must jump from a tree into the river to prove their loyalty. The novel moves on to an extended flashback of Gene and his roommate Finny. Gene wishes to visit the school’s flight of marble stairs and a certain tree by the Devon river, two sources of bad memories. Buy this book Summary of A Separate PeaceĪn older, reflective Gene Forrester returns to his old prep school, Devon. And if the retail value of your order is at least $2,500, you'll save 35% on all your paperbacks. If the retail value of your order is at least $500, you'll save 30%. You'll always save at least 25% on any paperback you order. Can readers rely on Gene’s memory as he looks back on past events? Consider holding a class discussion on how moments in the story might change if told from other characters’ points of view.Īnd now, let us go back to the Devon School learn more about teaching A Separate Peace below.

As the story is strictly told in flashback from Gene’s perspective, students should question the narrator’s trustworthiness. As they read, students should note the ways in which Knowles uses contrasting descriptions to build upon each character.Ī Separate Peace also explores the concept of narrator credibility. Because of their opposing natures, Gene and Finny act as foil characters throughout the story. On the other hand, the outgoing and athletically inclined Finny always seems to get away with breaking the school’s rules. The diligent, introspective Gene has a penchant for academics and authority. While Gene and Finny are best friends, they are very different.

Although the nuanced story of Gene and Finny may seem boring or uneventful to some, it will challenge the critical thinking skills of students and help shape them into better, more informed readers. Based loosely on Knowles’s experiences at Phillips Exeter Academy, a prestigious boarding school, the book follows the improbable friendship between two teenagers growing up in the early 1940s. Written by John Knowles, A Separate Peace is a profound coming-of-age novel that deals with themes of identity, envy, and change.

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