A Separate Peace An Introduction & Discussion for Chapter 1

Introduction to the Novel 2 friends at school one summer in the early years of World War II Begins: Fall of 1958 Flashback: Summer of 1942

World War II Worldwide conflict involving every major power in the world. We, America, did not want to be involved in another European War like World War I We tried to help while trying to stay out of the war, but… Bombing of Pearl Harbor sparks our involvement

Life at School Sheltered from direct contact with the war Life filled with studies, games, sports, and fun Rest of the world? War!

3 Main Sources of Communication Radio Newspaper – acts as a historical record of the times Word-of-Mouth *Pre-age of TV *We will be concerned with Newspaper media – the boys would have preferred to maintain their “separate peace” but the news keeps encroaching on their oasis.

Chapter 1 Return to 16/17 initiation years What will he learn from each event? What “wars” are taking place? –Internal –External Wars!

Differences: Then vs. Now School: –Before: Vibrant –Now: Museum-like; preserved Self: –Before: Lived in fear without understanding –Now: Able to evaluate the fear and its influence on his life

Why does Gene return? To compare his emotional status between then and now

What two places does he visit? “There were a couple of places now which I wanted to see. Both were fearful sites, and that was why I wanted to see them” (2).

The Academic Building Main Hall / 1 st Building “In through swinging doors I reached a marble foyer, and stopped at the foot of a long white marble flight of stairs…” (3).

The Tree “The tree was not only stripped by the cold season, it seemed weary from age, enfeebled, dry, I was thankful, very thankful that I had seen it. So the more things remain the same, the more they change after all – plus c’est la meme chose, plus ca change. Nothing endures, not a tree, not love, not even a death by violence. Changed, I headed back through the mud. I was drenched; anybody could see it was time to come in out of the rain” (6).

Flashback Summer of 1942 –“The Tree was tremendous…” (6)

Symbols to Watch For Mud –Mud when he jumps –Mud in the present Rain/Water Fog – blurs vision – cannot see clearly the things important to him in youth Tree – physical difference (appearances/scars)

John Knowles – the author Doesn’t linger on the tree Descriptions are packed with religious terms: Steeple, damned, hell What does this suggest about the tree?

The Tree Jump from the Tree –Rejection of what aspect of life? –Baptism by river (water = cleansing) Before: Gene sticks to rules After: Moves away from them

Phineas (Finny) Finny = different than Gene –Gene makes him into a demi-god –Perfect; one to be worshipped –Movement flows easily –Leader Gene = Follower

Characterization Gene and Finny –How are they alike? –How are they different?

Metaphors to Track The Tree Blitzball and the Snowball Fight Finny’s Clothes The Winter Carnival World War II and Phineas

The Assignment Analyze each of the symbols as you read What does each stand for? Examine/Consider all aspects of each – including rules, activities, etc.

Homework Read Chapters 2 and 3 for Friday