Fighting the Storm, Receiving a Rainbow

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Peace is the antonym to war, an oxymoron, two terms rarely used in conjunction with one another. Throughout John Knowles’s, A Separate Peace, peace and war cross paths in many occasions. During the primary years of World War II, the students at Devon School went through much pain and distress but also built stronger friendships and harmony during their high school career. And just as the world works through the kinks and unoiled gears of life, the students dealt with the agony. They might not have all made it out alive, but they all learned something from it and became stronger through the experience. Where peace and war collide are some of the most momentous events in their lives that they remember forever. The summer before Phineas breaks his leg is a significant time when the students at Devon first experience peace and war. Other times are during the Winter Carnival and the moments prior to Phineas’ death.
The Summer Session at Devon was a time when everyone was careless and content, enjoying the rays of light and time to relax in the peacefulness. This is when Phineas and Gene instituted the Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session and it was a success from the start, but never for Gene. Immediately at the beginning of the book, he is already at war with himself during a time when everyone else was tranquil: “Every time, when I got myself into position to jump, I felt a flash of disbelief that I was doing anything so perilous. But I always jumped. Otherwise I would have lost face with Phineas, and that would have been unthinkable” (Knowles 26). After Finny saved Gene from falling out of the tree the first time they jumped he realized that it was Phineas’ fault that he almost died because he made him go up into the tree ...

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...lling millions. Fear, instability, and death were also incorporated in the novel—fear of jumping out of the tree, broken and betraying friendships, and Phineas’ death. Sometimes, it just so happens that it takes a long drawn out war to find the peace that settles a restless soul. But sometimes, it is the words that really do speak louder than actions, because in the end, Gene did not have to slave over Phineas for forgiveness. In fact, Finny only needed reassurance that Gene was still his friend and his life was all good again. Even though Gene has lost his best friend, the separation gave him the peace he needed and he continued his life. This ‘life’ is for living, not struggling to find out how to live it correctly, and just as Gene did, one must endure the storm to witness the rainbow.

Works Cited

Knowles, John. A Separate Peace. New York: Bantam Books, 1975.

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