Summary Of Imagery In John Knowles 'A Separate Peace'

Images of a Peace that was Separated

“The sky is an empty, hopeless gray and gives the impression that this is its eternal shade... The drains alone are active, and on these Saturdays their noises sound a dull recessional to winter” (Knowles 128). This is just one of the few dozen examples of imagery that readers can see in John Knowles’ A Separate Peace. This example creates the image of that hopeless, gray sky on that Saturday. Other examples of imagery would include the description of the marlin in The Old Man and the Sea, “The Family of Little Feet” chapter in The House on Mango Street, and the explanation of Crooks’ quarters in Of Mice and Men. All of these instances of imagery are put to good use in these books. However, there is a specific novel

There are two parts to this novel, The Summer and Winter sessions. This is very crucial, as it basically tells the reader on how the character should act. For example, the Summer Session is a time of carefree innocence and a happy-go-lucky attitude. Everyone is more laid-back, and the rules are far more lenient than in the Winter Session. The setting in the summer is definitely nicer too. “Underfoot the healthy green turf was brushed with dew, and ahead of us we could see a faint green haze hanging above the grass, shot through with the twilight sun. Phineas stopped talking for once, so that now I could hear cricket noises and bird cries of dusk, a gymnasium truck gunning along an empty athletic road a quarter of a mile away, a burst of faint, isolated laughter carried to us from the back door of the gym…”(Knowles 18). Everything was just more chilled back then. Whereas in the Winter Session, everyone is more strict and the rules are heavily enforced. The skies are all gray, life is dying to the cold breeze outside, and there is snow everywhere. It is a more serious and solemn time. This is very powerful imagery that is revealed in this part of the