A Separate Peace

Wait for a guy named kickycan to come along. He is obsessed with A Separate Peace and will talk to you for hours.

I am not obsessed!

<ahem>

I do love that book though. Let me think about that question for a little while. I'll be back later.

In any case, I'm sure some of the literati around here will be along any moment to help you out.

A Separate Peace
Well, to begin with, a wartime story needn't be set in a theater of war. The effects of war spill over onto the civilian population, however far from the action they may be. This includes relationships, and in this book Knowles certainly demonstrates that.

The book revolves around the war. The kids are basically waiting to be drafted into the war. It's telling the story of people who are technically at war but not yet into the fight. They think they probably will have to go and risk their lives overseas, and yet here they are waiting for this fate, and you see how it affects their lives. If I remember correctly, Phineas didn't even want to believe that there is a war.

I also think that there might be some bizarre relation between the main char pushing his friend off the tree, and the war. Might be stretching it though.

Wait for Kickycan maybe.

A Separarte Peace
The answer to your question can be found in one of the last quotes of the book. "I never killed anybody and I never developed an intense level of hatred for the enemy, Because my war ended before I ever put on a uniform: I was on active duty all my time at school; I killed my enemy there. Only Phineas never was afraid, only Phineas never hated anyone."

The book is in fact about World War II because it not only takes place during World War II, but the students while at the school are constantly fearful of going to war. But in the end, Gene realizes that his "World War" had in fact taken place while he was a student at the school. Although he had never put on a uniform or fired a bullet, he was battling not only the others, but battling his inner demons. The very last sentence of this quote goes on to prove that point. Pointing out the fact that out of all the students, in Gene's opinion, Phineas was the only one who didn't have his own "World War."

Help this helps!!!

I'm sorry, but I can't really help much on this question, except to say that if there is any statement being made about the war, a good starting point would probably be what Ray and navyfan have said above.

As for myself, I never really thought Knowles was making a statement about WW II itself, so much as using it as a metaphor for the battle we all have to face as we grow up, the battle we take up in order to become what and who we are. The book's main themes involve the inner demons that we must all face, and the shaping of our identities as we grow into adulthood.

So in other words, I think the question you have been asked misses the whole point of the book. You're teacher, in my opinion, is leading you away from the more interesting and useful themes of the book, and I would be pissed if I had to answer that question.

So there.

Yes kicky!

I agree.

The better question would be: if Knowles wished to tell a tale of extraordinary friendship why did he set in during WW2.

What was their little poem?

"The chore of the war is a bore."?

I think that's a better question.

Unfortunately, tcook has to answer the question the teacher asked, not the one we might find more interesting or appropriate.

I would like to congratulate tcook on the clarity of his/her post. Techically, it gets high marks for grammar and syntax; the spelling is fine; the point is plainly made.

It is a pleasure to read such a well-presented question from a ninth-grader.

I especially liked the little ha ha that was thrown in. It eased the tension a bit and made us all much more cooperative.

I thought it was a brilliant move on tcook's part.

I wonder if tcook will ever return?

I think tcook should compare and contrast A Separate Peace with the book His Enemy; His friend. Bet that would earn him an A+