Theme of Life in A Separate Peace by John Knowles
Theme of Life in "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
The ability to handle change is a in important aspect of life. In the book A Separate Peace by John Knowles, change is one of the main themes though out the whole book. Every single character in the book goes through a significant change. Whether it was physical, mental, or both, each character undergoes a change that dramatically differentiates him or her from the beginning. One of the characters in the book, Gene, sets the tone when he says, “So the more things stay the same, the more they change after all.” A very well thought out comment and indeed the main part of the plot.
For Phineas, change was an evil that took hold of his life and eventually destroyed it. In the beginning of the book, Phineas, otherwise known a Finny, was much like a god. He was extremely athletic. His muscular build, incredible knack for any type of physical activity, and his pure, innocent soul that he was portrayed to all, pushed him to the top of the Devon School students. He was one of the few people at Devon that really distinguished himself from the people around him. He constantly made records, broke records, and amazed everyone. His charm, humor and great sense of self worth made everyone’s day a little more upbeat. Seeing someone like that made many of the other people idolize him. However, his only flaw was the only thing that he could hold on to by the end of the book. He was not gifted in anyway academically, he constantly flunked causing an almost double personality. One side was constantly winning and the other side of him was constantly losing. By the end of the book, Phineas has broken his leg, eventually losing these amazing triumphs to the hands of fate. The way in which he broke his leg also changed his personality because the person in which he trusted most caused him to become crippled which eventually led to his death. His best friend, Gene, pushed Gene out of a tree, causing the life of this young man to unravel in an extremely different way than expected. However, even after the accident, he did not believe that his friend could do such a thing. After breaking his...