An Analysis Of John Knowles 'A Separate Peace'

Now and again in literature, an author’s life experience serves as the foundation and undercurrent for their narrative. John Knowles’ eloquent novel A Separate Peace, which details the fateful friendship of two adolescent boys coming-of-age during World War II, embodies such a fictional work. Without a doubt, Knowles’ own personal history permeates the novel, influencing the characters, plot, and setting of his timeless classic.

As a first example, the author’s attendance at Phillips Exeter Academy during his formative years parallels the main characters’ enrollment at Devon School. Literary critic Zia Hasan confirms Knowles’ presence at Exeter during “a special summer wartime session, join[ing] a group called the Suicide Society [where]

the members jumped from a tall tree on the campus into a river below” (Hasan). Clearly, the authors’ experience at Phillips Exeter Academy had notable affect on his writing, reimagining both the club and its rituals into the plot of A Separate Peace. As a result, Knowles’ characters attend their boarding school’s summer term where they similarly “[form] a suicide society [with] the membership [requiring] one jump out of [a] tree” (Knowles 31). The summer school and the fraternity, as well as its customs, directly reflect the author’s history as a teen. This correlation continues to prove the author carries elements of his past into and his fictional account.
To further illustrate, Knowles reveals the profound impact the war had on his life through the semi-biographical experiences of the fictional students at Devon School.

Author Fred McEwen explains how the the war, especially during the summer of 1942, shape Knowles’ adolescent point of view and develops a framework for A Separate Peace, as “the world of conflict [the author experiences] becomes a sort of analogue for the conflicts in the novel” (McEwen). Undoubtedly, the burden of growing up in the midst of a war inspires the author to include it as a central focus of his novel. This recurrent theme of war evident as Gene examines its influence on the school’s mission and curriculum, “the class above, seniors, draft-bait, practically soldiers, rushed ahead of us toward the war… caught up in accelerated courses and first-aid programs and a physical hardening regimen” (Knowles XX). Drawing from his own experience, Knowles details the war’s impact on Devon School and its students, enabling the reader to understand the drastic reach of the war. NEED CONCLUDING SENTENCE

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By the same token, understanding the impact of World War II and its effect on the youth of the era enabled Knowles to draw upon his time in the military to reveal Leper’s character.

After graduating from Exeter Academy, Knowles joined the U.S. Army Air Corps but never saw action, “spend[ing] eight months in training programs in the United States before being discharged in 1945” (Bryant). Despite enlisting to actively serve on the front lines of the war, the author found himself relegated to training for the remainder of the war. In the same way, Leper, who desires an active role in the war, ended up “LEPER QUOTE HERE” (Knowles XX). After enlisting in the Ski Troops, Leper fails to encounter action during World War II, relating to the past war experiences of the author. Knowles’ manifestation of his past encounters with the war into the encounters of his characters further supports the reflection of biography onto literary

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Growing up amid the horrors and uncertainty of WWII, John Knowles borrows from his past to deliver a unique and realistic perspective throughout his novel A Separate Peace. The author’s life lessons and experiences come to light as the Devon School students find themselves coming-of-age during a period of historical significance, their existence redefined by a war.
Without a doubt, Knowles’ history at Phillips Exeter Academy during WWII, including his membership in secret society, leap from a tree, and military enlistment, directly contribute to his narrative. By exposing his adolescent characters to the life-changing events he experienced first-hand, Knowles illustrates the meaningful interaction between a writer’s biographical past and the literary elements he applies to his narrative.