A Separate Peace by John Knowles?

Question

I have a few questions about this book I am reading, A Separate Peace by John Knowles. I have a few ideas of my own so don't think I'm stupid for asking. I just want others opinions too.

1) What do you think the big conflicts are in this book?

2) What do you think Gene means when he says..

"It is this special America, a very untypical one I guess, an unfamiliar transitional blur in the memories of most people, which is the real America for me."

3) Did you like this book? What would you say about it in a few words?

Answer 1

1) I think the most obvious conflict in the book is between Gene and Finny; Gene both loves and hates Finny; he both worships and resents Finny's athletic and moral superiorities. Though this could be seen as an external conflict (Gene v. Finny), it could also be viewed as an internal conflict (Gene v. himself). Gene refuses to recognize his own feelings of anger and jealousy and insecurity as the real enemy; instead, he projects these feelings onto Finny and makes him (Finny) the enemy. In Gene's own words, "I was on active duty all my time at school: I killed my enemy there"

2. When Gene says this, he is expressing his inability to move on from the past and see his life and America as it is today. In the previous paragraphs before this quote, Gene states, "The war was and is reality for me. I still instinctively live and think in its atmosphere." He then goes on to explain about the situation in America during the war, finishing with the above quote, which in itself is ironic in the way that though for most people it is "an unfamiliar transitional blur", to him it is his life and will continue to be; this further underlines his inability to move onward from the past.

3. I really enjoyed this book. I read it my sophomore year of high school and it was probably one of if not the best book that I was assigned to read throughout the entirety of high school. In a few words, I would say that I found it an extremely compelling read, highly entertaining and never boring, and it was well-written and presented.