A Separate Peace John Knowles

John Knowles He was born September 16, 1926 American novelist best known for A Separate Peace (1959). He died in 2001 at the age of 75. Knowles was born in Fairmont, West Virginia, the son of James M. Knowles, a purchasing agent from Lowell, Massachusetts, and Mary Beatrice Shea Knowles from Concord, New Hampshire. His father was vice president of a coal company, earning an income which afforded them a comfortable living.[2] Knowles attended St. Peter's High School in Fairmont, West Virginia from 1938 until 1940, before continuing at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire, graduating in 1945.

John Knowles Following his time at Phillips Exeter, Knowles spent two years serving in the U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II. Knowles graduated from Yale University as a member of the class of 1949. While at Yale, Knowles contributed stories to campus humor magazine The Yale Record[3]and served on the board of the Yale Daily News during his sophomore, junior and senior years, notably as editorial secretary during his senior year. He was a record-holding varsity swimmer during his sophomore year.[citation needed] Early in Knowles's career, he wrote for the Hartford Courant and was assistant editor for Holiday magazine. With encouragement from Thornton Wilder, he concurrently began writing novels.[4]

A Separate Peace A Separate Peace was first published in London by Secker and Warburg in 1959. Published in New York in 1960 by Macmillan, it would be his most celebrated work. The novel is based upon Knowles's experiences at Phillips Exeter Academy. The setting of "The Devon School" is a thinly veiled fictionalization of it, with both campus and town easily recognizable. Although the plot is not autobiographical, elements of the novel stem from personal experience, including Knowles' membership in a secret society, and sustaining of a foot injury while jumping from a tree during society exercises.

A Separate Peace The only elements in A Separate Peace which were not in that summer were anger, violence, and hatred. There was only friendship, athleticism, and loyalty. The secondary character Finny (Phineas) is the friend of the main character Gene. Knowles has stated that he modeled Finny on David Hackett from Milton Academy, whom he met when both attended a summer session at Phillips Exeter Academy. Hackett was a friend of Robert Kennedy's, under whom he later served in the U.S. Justice Department. A student called Phineas Sprague lived in the same dormitory as Knowles during the summer session of 1943 and may have inspired the character's name.

Chapter 1 Page 1- Why does Gene say that the school was like a museum to him? Page 2- What fear did Gene have while attending Devon? (based on inference) Where is Devon located? Page 3- What building does Gene go into? What new information does he learn about the stairs? Page 5- What does he walk through the muddy fields to see? Page 6- Why would looking at a tree change someone? Where does the flashback begin?

Chapter 1 Continued Page 7- What was happening to the senior class? Page 8- Who was the best athlete in the school? Page 9- Who encouraged Gene to jump from the tree? Page 9 & 10- What other characters have been introduced? Page 11- What is the “West Point stride” that Gene does? Page 11- What were the boys doing on their walk back from the river? Why did they miss dinner? Page 11- Gene and Finny are roommates and best friends. Which one is the leader?

Chapter 2 What is Finny going on a tangent about to Mr. Prud’homme? Why would the masters be more acceptable about breaking the rules during this session? What happens at traditional tea? What happens when the two boys go out on the branch together? What society do they form?

Chapter 3 How often does the society meet? How do all meetings begin? What is blitz ball? Who creates this and makes up the rules? What happens at the pool? What does Gene want to do about that and how does Finny react? How do the boys get to the beach? How long does it take? What activities do they partake in while at the beach? What does Finny tell the narrator while on the beach?

Chapter 4 What happens to Gene when he returns to school? What is his goal for school? What does Gene dedicate himself to? How do Finny and Gene compare academically and athletically? What does Finny say will happen the night before the French final exam? What does Gene realize about himself and Finny? What does Finny want to do that night at the tree? What happens that night?

Chapter 5 What happened to Finny? How does Gene feel? What does Gene do one evening when dressing for dinner? What does the doctor tell Gene about Finny’s condition? How does Gene react? What does Finny remember about that night in the tree? What does Gene want to tell Finny? Does he? What does Gene do when he is passing through Boston on his way back to Devon? What does he tell Finny? How does Finny react? What does Gene say to try to make things better?

Chapter 6 Who is Brinker Hadley? Who is Quackenbush? What happens between him and Gene? What causes this to happen? What happens when Gene returns from this adventure? Why did Gene decide to be assistant crew manager? How does Finny react to this news? What does he tell Gene that he will be doing when Finny returns?

Chapter 7 What does Brinker say that upsets Gene? Is he serious? What happens when the boys go to the Butt room? How does Gene handle this confrontation? What is one of the things the boys do to help out due to the war effort? What is another thing that they did? Who does Gene meet on his way to the train? What is this person doing? After working at the railroad, what does Brinker announce? What does Gene decide? What happens to change those plans?

Chapter 8 How does Finny react to Brinker’s question? What does Finny want to do on his first day back on campus? Where do they go? What does Finny tell Gene about the war? What does Finny make Gene do? What does he tell Gene his aim was? What does Gene do every morning?

Chapter 9 Who is the first boy to enlist? What branch of the service does he want to join? How do the boys react to this enlistment after he is gone? What is the winter carnival? Whose idea is it? What events make up the carnival? Who does Gene get a telegram from? What does it say?

Chapter 10 What is Leper like when Gene visits? Why did he “escape” the army? What does he say that sets Gene off? What does Gene do? How did Leper react to his service experiences?

Chapter 11 What does Gene do when he returns to Devon after visiting Leper? What does Brinker think is the reason for Gene not enlisting? What is the one thing that Finny believes in? Who does Finny see hiding in the bushes? What does seeing him prove to Finny? Where does Brinker take Gene and Finny at night? What is their purpose? How does Finny handle their questions? What does he try to do for Gene? Who is the surprise witness for the trial? What does he say? How does Finny react to this testimony? What happens to Finny?

Chapter 12 Where is Finny taken? What does Gene do? How does Finny react to seeing Gene? What happens to him? Where does Gene spend the night? Why does Gene return to the infirmary? What does he tell Finny? What does Finny say about denying the war? What does Gene say about Finny being a solider? What is resolved between the boys? What does the doctor tell Gene? How does Gene react? Why?

Chapter 13 What moves into the Far Common in June? What branch of the service does Gene join? Brinker? What does Gene say his war was? What was Phineas the only one not to do during his time on earth?