Following the reading of the first three chapters of this novel, my first impression was established. This story was told in first person, by a man named Gene, who returns to his former school, the Devon School. On return to the premises of the Devon school, he reminisces on the memories from his adolescences. As we are taken back to that time in his life, it is the year 1942, where World War II is in full effect, and we see its influence on Gene’s character. From my first reading, Gene appears to be a teenager who complies to the wishes of others, is struggling with his sexual orientation and is attempting to discover his place in the world. The other character that we are introduced to is Phineas who also attended the Devon School and was best friends with Gene. Phineas is the more assertive, charming, and athletic character. Based on the dynamics of this friendship which was established in the first three chapters, Phineas is the dominant one where things go as he says. It is because of this that Phineas appears to be the character foil to Gene.
The setting of this story is on the Devon school campus located in New England. In Gene’s adolescences, the surrounding school campus is old and untidy. The area is large with many different faculty buildings as well as large fields for sports. There is also a special tree for Gene and his friends, which is located in a more secluded area alongside a river. It is here where he developed his friendships, club, and unwillingly had to face his fears. In Gene’s return to the school 15 years later, the school has been cleaned to a point where Gene is slightly taken aback by the changes. Also, the tree is now old and does not look like the tree from his youth.
Based on the time period in which this novel occurs and what has already been presented in the novel, there are two dominant subject matters: war and the nature of friendship. Being that the Devon school is an all-boys’ school that prepares them for military life, World War II takes precedence in their lives. During their teenage years, they should be going through self-discovery, but because of the circumstances, they are being shaped into stern, military men and soldiers. As well, Gene’s and Phineas’ friendship brings the topic of the nature of friendship. It is clear that Phineas is the leader whereas Gene is the follower. Such friendship is questionable for its authenticity and begs the question of what makes a good, healthy friendship. It will be interesting to see how this friendship develops.
So far, this novel has a melancholy and mysterious tone. Being that this novel is told through Gene’s perspective, the tone takes after what Gene is feeling. In his revisit to his school, he looks at everything that used to be his life back in his youth. From his expression towards describing the school buildings, surrounding campus and the tree, there was never once a moment where he thought back to a funny incident. Instead, his thoughts are rather gloomy, therefore creating a melancholy tone. As well, in his recollection of his youth, every moment that happens to him is veiled with a certain mysterious aurora. It is as if when he states his feeling towards a certain event in the past, there are so many more layers to his thoughts that have yet to be delved into. It is from Gene’s unexplained behaviour and expression that creates the mysterious tone.
From the title of this novel, “A Separate Peace”, I believe that upon further reading, Gene will be trying to find his own peace. He is struggling with his identity and the presence of Phineas only makes this more apparent. Aside from finding peace in the war, there is also an unequivocal need for Gene to gain peace with who he is, therefore, he needs a separate peace.
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