Assignment #12 (195-204): On 201, Gene reflects on his thoughts on war and says “…it seemed clear that wars were not made by generations and their special stupidities, but that wars were made instead by something ignorant in the human heart” (201). Do you agree with this sentiment? Why or why not?(Sharon Pongnon)

This statement is correct. It seems that in war they're two sides. Instead of sitting down and talking or even trying to negotiate; the different sides results to fighting against each other. This goes to both mental wars and actual wars. So when Gene says  “…it seemed clear that wars were not made by generations and their special stupidities, but that wars were made instead by something ignorant in the human heart” (Knowles 201). He has realized that he found an enemy out of Finny when Finny didn't do anything. Gene had so much jealousy and anger in his heart that he turned it onto Finny. Thus making Gene look at the world as if it was a bad place. Gene later realizes his mistake. "...if he was indeed the enemy," (Knowles 204). The ignorance in Genes heart made him find an enemy when there was none.

Assignment #12 - Explore the implications and subtleties of the conversation with Mr. Hadley. What does he say about “manhood” (see what he says about the G.I.’s) and how does he feel about Brinker and Gene’s involvement in the war effort? (198-200) (Charlotte)

In Gene's conversation with Mr. Hadley on pages 198-200, Mr. Hadley implies that in order to be men, the boys must enlist in the war in an armed force that is physically exerting. This means that he wants Gene and Brinker to voluntarily fight to prove their masculinity. He says to Gene, "'What are you enlisting in, son... the Marines, the Paratroops?'" (Knowles 198) In addition to suggesting that they enlist in something "manly," he implies that he would not be pleased if they were to enlist in an armed force that did not take hard work and dedication. He criticizes the G.I.'s as they march into Devon, laughing at the fact that they have brought sewing machines with them. Mr. Hadley makes it known that he does not feel sewing is something a "real man" should be doing.

Though Mr. Hadley is quite open about how he feels that men should want to fight and represent their country, there are also subtle actions he does that give away his "manly" qualities. This includes when Gene is describing how he chose the Navy. After he says "foxhole," he thinks to himself, "'Foxhole' was still a fairly new term and I wasn't sure Mr. Hadley knew what I meant. But I saw that he didn't care for the sound of what I said." (Knowles 199) This shows how Mr. Hadley is not focused on the details that Gene is mentioning, but rather the parts he was talking about that have to do with enlisting. As a manly man, Mr. Hadley wants to hear about war, and only war. In addition, it shows how both Gene and Brinker feel that they have to prove themselves to him. After Gene talks about foxholes and realizes that Mr. Hadley might not know what these are, he has a moment of panic but is then relieved once he realizes that Mr. Hadley doesn't care. Mr. Hadley makes the boys feel that they must prove themselves by going to war, even if it is not necessarily what they want to do; in order to be real men in his point of view, they must give up their true passions and go fight.

Assignment #12) What does Gene mean when he says “I never killed anybody and I never developed an intense level of hatred for the enemy. Because my war end before I ever put on a uniform; I was on active duty all my time at school; I killed my enemy there” (204). Who/what is his enemy? Why does he contradict himself there? What was his war? (Emily)

Assignment 11) Is Finny's fall, and ultimately his death, something you can blame on Gene? Why or why not? If he is not to blame, then who is? (Stephen)

Although Finny’s fall from the tree may be because of Gene, they agree not to blame Gene so they can possibly save their friendship. Throughout most of the book, Gene has blamed himself for jostling the limb, and making Finny fall from the tree. This makes sense, because if Gene did not do that Finny would have been fine. However it is no longer possible to deny it after the night in the assembly hall. So to save their friendship, Finny says, “It was just some kind of blind impulse you had in the tree there, you didn't know what you were doing.” (Knowles 191). By saying this, he is blaming something other than Gene for the accident. This will remove animosity and enmity between them, and allow their friendship to continue on. Gene goes with the idea. Finny further shows that he doesn’t blame Gene when he says, “I believe you. It’s okay because I understand and I believe you. You’ve already shown me and I believe you.” (Knowles 191). After the night in the assembly hall, Gene and Finny agree that the accident was not Gene’s fault to save their friendship.

Explain the significance of the last paragraph: "I did not cry then or ever about Finny. I did not cry even when I stood watching him being lowered into his family's strait-laced burial ground outside of Boston. I could not escape a feeling that this was my own funeral, and you do not cry in that case." (Julia)

Gene believes ever since he jounced the limb, that Finny's state of injury was his fault, including his death. In chapter four, Gene has a jealous rampage because he believes him and Finny are in a competition with one another. This belief causes Gene to push Finny off the limb of the tree. Ever since Finny broke his leg because the fall, he hasn't been the same. Most importantly, he couldn't take place in sports. During all of this time, Gene has the arising guilt that all of this was his fault. In chapter eleven, after the interrogation of Finny's incident, Finny storms out of the room, which leads up to him falling down the stairs. Finny yet again had fractured his leg. Gene has finally admitted and Finny finally accepted the fact that his first injury was caused by Gene. "I believe you. It's okay because I understand and I believe you. You've already shown me and I believe you" (Knowles 191). While having Finny understand has taken pressure off Gene, it hasn't gotten rid of his guilt of belief that this is all his fault. During surgery which was supposed to help his leg, Finny dies "...from the marrow of his bone flowing down his blood stream to his heart" (Knowles 194). Gene believes he doesn't have the right to cry. He was the one who initially injured Finny and all the events that occurred after that were because of Finny's injury. To Gene, Finny's funeral felt like his own. Gene has so much guild building up inside him that he believes he can't cry because his death (in his opinion) was all his fault.

Does Finny's death surprise you? Why or why not? Does it seem like a logical climax for the novel? Is it the climax? (McKay)

The death of Finny in the story, A Separate Peace, was extremely shocking. From the beginning of the novel, I could tell there was some reason Gene was visiting the old school, especially the staircase, and now we know why, he went to the staircase as a “reminder” of Finny. I did not think that Finny passing away was the reason for him going to the staircase in the first place, I thought it was going to be something a lot less extreme. My prediction was that he was going to the staircase to remind himself of a good pastime of him and his friends.

The death of Finny is a logical climax to the novel because it shows how much each of the boys really care for eachother. “I believe you, It's okay because I understand and believe you. You've already shown me and I believe you.” (Knowles 191), Finny’s last words, show the relationship between the boys. Even though Gene had moved the limb of the tree, and had caused his friend a broken leg, Finny forgave Gene, Like we had heard in the beginning of the novel: Gene was his best friend. Finny “Believed” (Knowles 191) that his friend did not do that intentionally, “that it was just some kind of blind impulse.” (Knowles 191) This is a logical climax due to the events that have occurred, and how the boys reacted to it, these boys were truly best friends. Gene realized this only after his friend's death.

Assignment #11: If Finny had survived his operation, do you think Gene and Finny could remain friends? Or do you think the friendship at this point is too broken? Make sure to include support from the text in your answer. (Nicholas)

If Finny had survived his operation, he and Gene would certainly remain friends. After the second accident but before Finny dies, he realizes the truth of how Gene caused the first accident. Because of this, Finny struggles to understand Gene’s motivation, whether or not he did it purposely although deep inside he knows Gene did. When he saw Gene in the window, Finny is driven by confusion, and this results in him releasing his anger at his friend. Gene, on the other hand, was full of fear for not knowing how Finny would react upon his appearance. This was also a fear for their friendship; Gene still wants and frankly needs Finny as a friend. When Finny was first being carried off, Gene held back from helping because he thought, "Phineas had thought of me as an extension of himself" (Knowles 180). Gene knows that if Finny accepts that it was all an accident, their freindship would be spared. Finny inside despertly wants to keep their friendship, but feels guilty about his attempted attack on Gene through the window. At the same time, he fears that Gene jounced the limb because of a hidden hatred he kept stored away. When Gene the next day pleads him to understand that it was just a sudden impulse that made him jounce the limb, Finny is sighing in releif on the inside. "I believe you. It’s okay because I understand and I believe you. You’ve already shown me and I believe you” (Knowles 191). These are the last words Finny told his friend before never speaking to him again. The quote shows that the fear, confusion and guilt that reathed around the pair since the the first accident and that was reignited by the second accident has been forgiven and resolved. But then, Finny dies and Gene is engulfed in another fresh wave of emptiness, feeling as though a part of him was torn off. In the end, the flame of their friendship that was smothered with such powerful anger and emotions was rekindled in Gene and Finny’s final conversation and would have continued to burn brightly if not for Finny’s sudden, unexpected death.

Discuss Leper’s return and its impact on Gene and Finny before Brinker’s trial. What does Leper represent now that he is back at Devon and what conversation does his return trigger between Finny and Gene? (Amy)

Leper's return broke the bubble of isolated reality that Finny had created, which disrupted the feelings of peace at Devon, and reignited the tension between Gene and Finny. Because of Leper's naive views on the  war, he illustrated the contentment that could be achieved through ignorance. However, after returning to Devon mentally incapacitated, Leper showed the true weight that the war carried, and introduced feelings of insecurity and fear among the boys. This can be seen when Gene says, "He quietly brought to a close all his special inventions which had carried us through the winter," [Knowles 158]. This quote demonstrates how Leper's return not only removed the barrier of peace and war, by showing that the two aren't as separate as the boys had believed, for it could affect even the most content, but created a schism between Finny and Gene. In addition to separating themselves from the threat of war, they had separated themselves from conflict and the accompanying confrontations, and now that they are faced with what they had been running from, they can't hide from the truth. In addition, this quote illustrates the new meaning Leper has acquired. Although he was initially an embodiment of peace, Leper has now become a symbol of fear. This is seen when Gene says, "For if Leper was psycho it was the army which had done it to him,  and I and all of us were on the brink of the army," [Knowles 144]. Although the fear of war had been looming over their heads for quite some time, the fact that it could permeate through even the thickest walls of ignorance such as the ones Leper had surrounded himself with, meant that the war would destroy the rest of them.

Assignment #10 (152-177) 3) Discuss Leper’s return and its impact on Gene and Finny before Brinker’s trial. What does Leper represent now that he is back at Devon and what conversation does his return trigger between Finny and Gene? (see pages 163-164). -Fiona

Leper represents the jolt back into reality that Finny and Gene experience once Leper returns to Devon. Gene and Finny have returned to their room when Finny reveals he saw Leper in the school halls, and saw for himself how ‘crazy’ and ‘psycho’ Leper had become. “‘Anyway,’ said Finny, ‘then I knew there was a real war on.’ ... ‘I wish you hadn’t found out. What did you have to find out for!’ We began to laugh again” (Knowles 164). What shocked Finny out of his fantasy world was seeing how the war changed shy, quirky Leper into a terrified dischargee who got Post Traumatic Stress Disorder without even going into combat. Although this is a laughing conversation - remembering how they lied to themselves about the world around them and created a dream of reality, Leper’s return also brings up details that Finny and Gene had ignored. Once they were no longer protected from reality, Finny and Gene had to face the patched-over divide in their friendship: Finny’s fall from the tree. During Brinker’s trial addressing what happened on the tree branch, Leper brings a new side to the story that could suggest that Gene bounced the limb and caused Finny’s fall, which causes Gene to once again worry about being exposed, and he feels guilty again. Leper’s return brings harsh reality and pops the bubble that is Finny and Gene’s fantasy, made up, separate peace.

Reading Assignment 10) At the top of page 155, the snowball fight culminates with everyone turning on Finny. Why does this happen here and why now? How does this moment foreshadow events later in the chapter?(Gavin)

When everyone turns on Finny at the snowball fight, it directly foreshadows how everyone turns on Gene at the assembly hall. At the snowball fight Finny makes alliances and the breaks them and turns on the people on his team to try and beat them. This happens here and now because this resembles everyone turning on Gene. This is the same thing that happened with Gene at the assembly hall because Gene and Finny's friendship resembles an alliance and how Gene lied about what happen resembles Finny lying about being on the other kids teams. Finny helps Gene out in the assembly by saying, "You were down at the bottom, weren't you?" (Knowles 170). Gene was the firs to help Finny out in the snowball fight, just like how Finny helped Gene about by lying to Brinker, so that Gene is not accused of pushing Finny. This also shows that Finny still will lie about anything to save Gene because he wants their friendship to continue. The snowball fight resembles the war and how Gene thought he had finally found peace, but right when he gets back to Devon he begins a new war with Brinker about what actually happened too Finny. This foreshadows hows everyone turns on Gene at the assembly hall, and Finny turning on Gene in the snowball fight may be foreshadowing to Finny turning on Gene, and thinking Gene meant to push him.

Why does this happen here and why now? How Assignment #10: At the top of page 155, the snowball fight culminates with everyone turning on Finny.does this moment foreshadow events later in the chapter? (Geoffrey Goose)

The snowball fight culminates with everyone turning of Finny simply because he turned on them in order to "heighten the disorder" (Knowles, 154).  He does this, as he always does, to stand out from the others. As the snowball fight was in its peak Finny was taken down by the force of many snowballs. "Slowly, with a steadily widening grin, he was driven down beneath a blizzard of snowballs (Knowles, 155). This event foreshadows the "trial" led by Brinker and the others. Just as Phineas was taken down by the blizzard of snowballs, he is emotional tackled by the harsh questioning of Brinker, leading him to come to the conclusion that Gene jounced the limb of the tree on purpose. The reader knows this because of his breakdown at the end of page 177, "I had never seen Finny crying, 'You collect every f------ing fact there is in the world!' He plunged out the doors" (Knowles, 177). Clearly here the questioning and Leper's testimony has gotten to his head. The one big difference here is when he turned on everybody during the snowball fight it had humorous intentions, apposed to here where the sole intention was to hurt Finny, and make it clear to him what Gene really did.  

3.) What causes Gene to attack Leper? The answer needs to involve a literal and figurative exploration of what occurs here (middle 145) (Ben K.)

Gene is caused to attack Leper because all of the guilt he has trapped inside of him from hurting his "best friend" was released. At this point in the book, the incident of Gene pushing Finny out of the tree and harming him for life is far behind, however the guilt Gene felt was never fully released. One can tell that this guilt in his body has been needing to come out for a while. "I swung on the younger boy. 'What did I do then?' I demanded ... 'then what happened, Sherlock Holmes?' His eyes swung guiltily back and forth." (90) This quote is an example of Gene's guilt being released, but on a smaller scale. Another example of Gene's guilt being released is when Gene is visiting Finny in the hospital. "'Hit me!' I looked at him. 'Hit me! You can't even get up! You can't even get near me!'" (70) This quote is showing how Gene, once again on a smaller scale, attacks people when confronted about his incident with Finny. "'...like that time you pushed Finny out of the tree.' I sprang out of the chair. 'You stupid crazy bastard!'" (145) When this happened, all of Gene's anger, all of his guilt, all of his sorrow sprung out of his thoughts and moved into his actions. Whenever confronted about Finny's injury, Gene, almost subconsciously, attacks the person who confronted him. Gene's guilt was a balloon, and after too much air being sent into him, he finally exploded. His guilt is what caused him to attack Leper.

Assignment 9 (138 - 151): Since Leper is “section 8” (“for nuts in the service”), explore the irony of Leper’s statement “always were a savage underneath.” Take into consideration that Leper contacted Gene. Why is this important?(Eve)

Leper calling Gene "savage underneath" is ironic because at Devon, Leper was always considered weird and crazy while Gene was thought of as a normal person.  Leper was always described as different.  He liked to collect snails and want skiing to look for a beaver dam while all the other boys worked.  Leper didn't have many friends and he considered him and Gene to be very close.  He even signed his name as "your best friend" on the telegram he sent.  Gene was treated as an ordinary person.  He was brought up the ranks of popularity by his friendship with Finny.  He was considered ordinary.  Leper was dismissed from the war by a section 8 discharge which means he was considered psycho or crazy.  Out of the two of them, Leper would be the one considered savage.  When leper says to Gene that he was "always were a savage underneath" (145) he was talking about Genes aggression and need to "find something deadly in everything he wanted" (knowles 101).  Somehow, Leper knew that Gene push Finny out of the tree on purpose and understood why. He know that Gene is psycho even though everyone else can't see it.

Explore the difference between what ‘escape’ means to Gene as opposed to what it means to Leper (Julia)

While Gene is traveling to Leper's house, he is trying to convince himself that when Leper said that he had "escaped" he meant that he escaped the enemy spies, but in reality, Leper had escaped the section eight discharge. To Leper, escaping means that he can have a future. "You can't get a job after that. Everybody wants to see your discharge, and when they see a Section Eight they look at you kind of funny--" (Knowles 144). To Leper if he excepted the Section Eight discharge, he would be demolishing his future. On his way to Leper's house, Gene is remembering all the things Brinker and Chet were saying in the Butt Room, and how Leper was some sort of war hero. To Gene, hearing the reality of what "escaped" means to Leper, his separate peace about what war was like was annihilated. The ideas that Gene and Leper each have about Leper's "escape" are very different. To Leper, his escape was being able to fulfill a purposeful life. To Gene, Leper's escape is Leper getting away from the enemy spies.

Assignment 9 (138-151): What causes Gene to attack Leper? The answer needs to involve a literal and figurative exploration of what occurs here (middle 145). (Ben)

Gene attacks Leper because Leper accused Gene of knocking Finny out of the tree, and because Leper shatters the separate peace that Gene and Finny have created. When Leper was in the army, he admitted a lot to himself. One of those things was that Gene was a savage underneath. He believes that Gene knocked Finny out of the tree. Leper says, "Like that time you crippled him for life" (Knowles 145). Gene immediately kicks Leper over his chair. The accusation of Gene hurting Finny is the first reason why Gene attacks Leper. Leper brings back the guilt that Gene has almost fully put behind him. The other reason why Gene attacks Leper is because Leper makes Gene realize the reality. Gene loses his separate peace when he sees Leper in this state of illness. Gene has known the Leper that loves nature, and, in a matter of weeks, he has become psycho. Finny and Gene think that they can stay out of adulthood forever. When Gene sees Leper's madness, his peace is immediately gone forever, because Gene realizes that the war he thought was a distant future, is actually right in front of him.

Assignment 9 (138-151): Explore the difference between what ‘escape’ means to Gene as opposed to what it means to Leper (see usage in context on the middle of page 143).(Myles)

Escape means much more to Leper than it does to Gene in the sense that Leper has escaped from what he thinks is his doom. Because Gene has never really taken Leper seriously, as illustrated throughout the book, Gene is unable to grasp the true intention of Leper's words. It is intention because the word has a different meaning to many people. On page 143, Gene says " Than you 'escaped'." This shows that escape has a different meaning to him than the meaning that Leper is implying. Later Gene says "You don't escape from the army." He and Leper are on an different side of the word. Leper is all prison escape while Gene just wants to believe that there is nothing wrong, that Leper is just on temporary discharge. This also ties in to how Finny won't believe there is a war. Gene and Finny just want to stay safe and tight in their bubble, and it is a shock to them when anything that could disturb this bubble comes along, something such as Leper.

Assignment #8 (123-137): Leper is the first of the boys to enlist. Based on the conversations and narration in the previous few chapters, what about this is ironic? (Sharon Pongnon)

It is ironic that Leper is enlisting in the war because he always seems to be in his own world. In earlier readings Leper is least interested in what everyone else is doing, and focuses on different topics which others think isn't important. "...his smile was wide and unfocused, as though not for me alone but for anyone and anything which wished to share this pleasure with him." (Knowles 99). Leper was the innocence of the book, he was like the breath of fresh air everyone needed in this confusing book. In the first few chapters of the book, the readers could get a sense that Leper wasn't popular, and he seemed to be a bit of a "scaredy cat". "Everything has to evolve or else it perishes" (Knowles 125). Leper isn't only talking about himself but for everyone at Devon. He's saying that everything in life has to grow up and face the real world; to keep on living. Enlisting in the war is the way for Leper to grow up and leave his own "separate peace". 

When Leper says "Everything has to evolve or else it perishes" (Knowles 125), do you think this is foreshadowing? 

Assignment #8) Re-read the last paragraph on the bottom of 136 and on to 137. Paraphrase what Gene is saying and interpret the usage of “separate peace.” What is a “separate peace”? Why is included here? What is it’s significance? (Emily)

A “separate peace” is Gene and Finny’s fictional world with no war or competition where Gene escapes his guilt. After the Winter Carnival when the boys are joking around, Gene explains that Finny is under the influence “of his own inner joy” (Knowles 136). This means that Gene and Finny are happy with their lives and they are in a moment of contentment. The characters create their own separate world away from reality. This separate world is different from the real world because there’s no enmity between Gene and Finny. After Finny encourages Gene to show off, Gene thinks, “… for on this day even the schoolboy egotism of Devon was conjured away…” (Knowles 136). From Gene’s point of view, the competitiveness is gone in his peaceful world. In their world, Gene becomes a new person because he doesn’t feel guilty and he does the wild ad crazy things that Finny convinces him to do. When Gene thinks about their peaceful world, he says, “It wasn't the cider which made me surpass myself, it was this liberation we had torn from the gray encroachments of 1943, the escape we had concocted, this afternoon of momentary, illusory, special and separate peace” (Knowles 136-137). Finny builds up this illusion of peace in an imaginary world, which causes the characters to escape from the war and reality. This is important because the war is coming closer to them as they try to stay away from it. Gene and Finny have accomplished their own world separate from the real one.  

What does the conversation about enlisting reveal about Finny and Gene’s relationship (p107-108)? Provide at least two specific examples (MITCH)

In the novel, “A separate Piece”  by John Knowles, the main character Gene, begins to think about enlisting in the war at the time this story takes place (WWII). In this chapter we find out how much the main character’s friend, Finny, really cares about him.

When Gene reveals that he will be enlisting, Finny acts in a surprising way. “Enlist!” cried Finny,....”You're going to enlist!” ( Knowles 107). In the eyes of Gene and a reader of the novel Finny appears to be more shocked than expected.. The relevance of this quote in the novel shows that Finny, even after what Gene had done to him,  still cares about Gene. Gene was also surprised  and says to himself, “Phineas was shocked at the idea of me leaving, In some way he needed me.” (Knowles 108) This also makes Gene question FInny’s thought process behind the whole situation. Why would Finny come back to Gene? How could someone forgive someone for ruining their “whole life”? The answer: Finny really cares about Gene, and he will not let what Gene has done to him get in the way of him loving his best friend the way he does.

Question: Do you think Finny will have a big enough influence on Gene to make him not enlist into the war?

(Assignment #7) What is the significance of Gene and Finny's training? How is it related to their conversations about war? What does is reveal about their relationship? (Charlotte)

Gene and Finny's training represents how their friendship has impacted both of them, as well as how their individual qualities have become prevalent in one another. When Finny was cooped up at home after his accident, Gene began to take on Finny's personality: he dressed in Finny's clothes, and harbored the same deceiving nature when he went with Brinker to the Butt Room. "His glance flickered out at me from his defeat, and I saw to my surprise that I had, by making a little fun of him, brought upon myself his unmixed hatred." (Knowles 91) Once Finny returns to Devon, he insists that Gene begin training in order to take his place at the 1944 Olympics. In addition, Gene begins to tutor Finny in academics. "I was dividing my time between tutoring Finny in studies and being tutored by him in sports." (Knowles 119) They each share a part of themselves with the other, and the result is them becoming more alike.

Additionally, Gene and Finny's training brings out the quality in Finny that allows him to take any negative situation, such as war, and turn it positive. He does this by insisting that the war is fake and that it was created by old, fat men who wish to control all the food and money in the world. "'Do you really think that the United States of America is in a state of war with Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan?'" (Knowles 115) Even though Finny denies that there is a real war, he still insists on completing war related tasks, such as training. Normally, he and Gene would be training to go off to war. However, Finny suggests that this is for the 1944 Olympics. Finny knows, deep down inside, that there is a war going on and that Gene will someday have to be enlisted in it. Finny does not want to even think of losing Gene at this point, so he says that the training is because of the Olympics. This not only shows both Gene and Finny's devotion to their friendship, but how Finny does have a sense of realism, even if he fails to show it sometimes.

Assignment #7) Explore the dynamics and undertones of Finny and Gene’s first conversations upon his return. Does it feel “realistic” to you? Why or why not? (Nicholas)

Upon Finny's arrival, the two friends have a conversation that seems by far too unrealistic, or at least uncharacteristic of their friendship. Finny greets Gene by cracking a teasing joke about his clothing, something one can assume Finny would do. Their talk seems disguised, as if afraid how the other has changed over the course of their break. Once again, the topic of the accident looms over their conversation, which was the last thing they discussed face-to-face. It is a matter that makes them both awkward, of which they don't want to talk about. Secondly, Gene is somewhat jealous of Finny. "In these past months Phineas and I had grown apart on this; I felt a certain disapproval of him for grumbling about a lost luxury, with a war on" (Knowles 104). While Gene was in school dealing with Quakenbush, accusations in the Butt Room, guilt about the accident and the suffocating decision of the brutal war and its effects on his life, Finny was in a completely different world. He lived in the luxury of his home away from what Gene was dealing with at Devon alone despite having a "shattered" leg. One can see how much Gene thinks through the text, but what only so little he says. The same most likely for Finny and all he thinks about his friend after their time apart. Their conversation is merely scratching the surface to everything they believe on the inside.

Assignment #6: How does Gene feel about war and enlisting in this reading (look closely at pages 100-102)? (Geoffrey Goose)

Gene feels that by enlisting is the war he would get a chance to push the restart button on life. Gene almost feels trapped in world where he is stuck in the same "'domestic white and schoolboy blue"' life (Knowles, 100). To Gene it's the same routine, with the same people, and the same guilt. The only way for Gene (in his mind) to get rid of this guilt, and regret, is to join the war. He feels that by enlisting in the war, he could drop these things and start new. "'To enlist. To slam the door impulsively on the past, to shed everything down to my last bit of clothing, to break the pattern of my life"' (Knowles, 100). At this point in the novel, Gene is receiving a lot of accusations about Phineas, and what he did to Finny. So, in Gene's mind, enlisting in the war, would be dropping all this stress off his back a starting fresh. Despite the fact that "'The war would be deadly all right"' (Knowles, 101), in Gene's mind it would be worth it as long as he could start fresh.


Do you think that despite the fact that Finny has returned, Gene with follow through with enlisting in the war?

Explore the significance/symbolism of the Nagaumset (Amy Khoshbin)

The Nagaumset river symbolizes the immense change Gene has undergone since the beginning of the Summer Session, both internally and within his environment. At the beginning of the book, The Devon river is where Gene and Finny first jump off the tree, which solidifies their friendship and introduces the idea of fear which is omnipresent throughout the story. This is seen at one of the first jumps when Gene says, "What was I doing up here anyway?....My legs hit the soft mud of the bottom, and immediately I was on the surface being congratulated. I felt fine," (Knowles 17). This quote illustrates an overarching theme of the summer session, which was Gene holding on to Finny both for his own gain regarding social clout, but also a feeling of peace and happiness. In addition, it represents an almost cleansing process, in the sense that jumping into the river was a way in which Gene conquered his fears. However, these emotions are strongly contradicted by the ones of the Winter Session. Because of the tension of the war, feelings of peace and excitement have been replaced by feelings of anger, insecurity, and a fear far greater than that of simple jealousy. After falling into the river during his fight with Quackenbush, Gene says, "Going into the devon was like taking a refreshing shower itself...the Naguamsett was something else entirely...it seemed appropriate that my baptism there had taken place on the first day of this winter session...in the middle of a fight" (Knowles 86). This quote demonstrates how Gene's feelings have matured from jealousy to anger. This relates back to the comparison between the Nagaumset and the Devon by showing how different the summer and winter sessions are, in addition to showing how Gene has been changed by his actions. He has not only corrupted his friendship with Finny, but instead of overcoming his fears, he has lost his perspective on his own identity by doing something that, at the beginning of the novel, he would have seen as pointless and as an act of malice. Furthermore, his feelings of impurity could come from the fact that he feels as if he is betraying his own people,while others are dying in a war fighting for his safety. The Nagaumset not only symbolizes an immense change, but shows the start of a new time, one entirely different from the peace and, by comparison to the Winter Session, minute fears faced by the boys of Devon.

How does Gene feel about war and enlisting in this reading (look closely at pages 100-102)? (Ben K.)

Gene feels like the war could start a new beginning for anyone. Gene has had a slightly troubling past year at Devon University, and as he says on page 100, the war could get rid of his past. "To enlist. To slam the door impulsively on the past, to shred everything down to my last bit of clothing." (100) As Gene talks about how enlisting is a new start for some, he also says how it's a confusing process. He gives examples of enlisting being good and bad, for example, he says "Not that would be a good life. The war would be deadly all right. But I was used to finding something deadly in things that attracted me..." This quote is showing how the war would be deadly but enjoyable for someone like Gene.
Gene feels that if he enlists to the war, he will be happier and the weight will be taken off of his shoulders. "I reckoned my responsibilities by the light of the unsentimental night sky knew that I owed no one anything. I owed it to myself to meet this crisis in my life when I chose, and I chose now." (103) This quote is showing how Gene is swallowing his pride and is going to enlist. By choosing to enlist in the war, he is getting his troubles off of his back and he is swallowing his pride.

Assignment 6 (85-102) How does Gene feel about war and enlisting in this reading (look closely at pages 100-102)? -Fiona

Gene is interested in enlisting in the army because he is attracted to the idea of leaving everything behind, including his problematic friendship with Finny. Gene is thinking about enlisting in the war on his way back from shoveling railroad yards. “To enlist. To slam the door impulsively on the past” (Knowles 100). For Gene, the war is an escape. An escape from having to face his protected, ‘conventional’ reality, and having to deal with the guilt of causing Finny’s injury, because ‘out of sight, out of mind.’ If Gene won’t have to see Finny every day at the Devon School, then he will stop thinking about him, and the harshness of the guilt will be lessened. Joining the war means escaping from every emotion Gene feels while attending the Devon School with Finny and his shattered leg. In this same context, he fantasizes: "...Domestic white and schoolboy blue, all those tangled strands which required the dexterity of a virtuoso to keep flowing - I yearned to take giant military shears to it, snap! bitten off in an instant, and nothing left in my hands but spools of khaki" (Knowles 100). Gene uses this metaphor to describe how fighting in the war would be his way out of his complicated, prestigious, first-world life at Devon. Joining the war offers Gene a chance at a new beginning, where he can forget his past, and get involved in something out of the norm. ​

Assignment 6) Explore and explain the significance of the scene in the Butt Room. (Stephen)

The Butt Room scene symbolizes Gene’s denial of injuring Phineas. At this point in the story, Gene uses denial to keep himself from guilt and regret. This is symbolized when he says “I had to take part in this, or risk losing control completely” (Knowles 89).  In this case, denial and guilt is represented by losing control of the conversation. If he does not take part in it, which represents not denying it, he will lose control. Another way his denial is more directly represented is when he says, “All I did was drop a little bit ...a little pinch of arsenic in his morning coffee” (Knowles 89). Here he is directly denying that he injured Finny to the group, but he is also denying it to himself. He is trying to avoid the question so he does not have to answer it, which he never ends up doing. The flow of the argument also symbolizes his denial. The conversation starts with an unwanted topic, Finny’s injury. Gene then brushes off the question with humor, and leaves as soon as he can to avoid it. This represents how, while in denial, thoughts quickly shift from the topic trying to be avoided. The conversation in the Butt Room symbolizes Gene’s denial through both the dialogue, and the flow of it.

Assignment 5: Why does Quackenbush use the word “maimed”? Explore the significance and connotation. (Gavin)

Quackenbush used the word maimed because people that are managers often have disabilities and he thinks Gene has a disability because he doesn't play a sport. Quackenbush and Gene start off on the wrong foot when Gene is late for the crew practice, which immediately makes things bad. Quackenbush freaks out on Gene after Gene says, "You Quackenbush know nothing about who I am, or anything else." (Knowles 78). This set Quackenbush off and he called Gene maimed. This Quote also connects to Finny because he is maimed and after Quackenbush said this Gene says, "Then the realization that there was someone who was flashed over me." (Knowles 78). This someone that flashed over Gene was Finny because he was maimed and this angered Gene because Quackenbush was making fun of maimed people. The author of the book (John Knowles) had Quackenbush use the word maimed because this word relates to Finny as he is maimed, but Quackenbush was using this to say that Gene was maimed because he doesn't play a sport and only manages teams.

Assignment 5 (72-85) Why does Quackenbush use the word “maimed”? Explore the significance and connotation. (Eve)

Quackenbush uses the word “maimed” because he dislikes Gene for only doing a sport for the physically disabled and uses the word to make fun of him.  Gene's doesn't enjoy sports so he took a job as an assistant crew manager.  This job is usually reserved for people with an injury.  After the accident, the identities of Gene and Finny almost begin to mush. This is shown when Gene tries on Finny's clothes. For a small moment Gene loses his guilt because he abandons his identity.  This is also shown when Quackenbush calls Gene maimed. After hitting him, Gene says "I didn't know why for an instant; it was almost as though I was maimed." (knowles 79) The guilt of making Finny fall out of the tree is constantly hurting Gene.  When Gene takes on Finny's identity, he is allowed to be free of this guilt. This is why he feels "intense relief" (Knowles 62) when he puts on Finny's clothes.  Gene is a self conscious and an insecure character. Finny is confident, good-natured, the best athlete in school, and spontaneous  - everything Gene is not.  Throughout the book, Gene has wanted to be more like Finny. In these small moment when he share Finny's identity, he is at peace with his own identity.When Quackenbush calls Gene maimed, Gene sees it as him calling Finny maimed and stands up to defend him. However, he also feels as though he is the one with the injury and Quackenbush is making fun of his own physical disability.

Assignment 5 (72-85) Re-read the last sentence of chapter 6 (p84-85). Explain what is happening in the quote (establish context) and then explore and explain the last part “I lost part of myself to him then, and a soaring sense of freedom revealed that this must have been my purpose from the first: to become part of Phineas” (85) (Ben Friedman)

The end of chapter six shows that Finny and Gene are living through each other: Finny through Gene's sports, and Gene through Finny's identity. At the end of chapter six, Gene and Finny are talking on the phone about how the first day of school is going. The conversation is going fine until Gene says he is fulfilling his athletic requirement by being a team manager. Finny reacts with, "Assistant crew manager! You are crazy!" (Knowles 84). In the last sentence, Finny says, "Listen, pal, if I can't play sports, you're going to play them for me" (Knowles 85). After Gene hears this, he believes that his purpose from the beginning was to become a part of Finny. "I lost part of myself to him then, and a soaring sense of freedom revealed that this must have been my purpose from the first: to become part of Phineas" (Knowles 85). When Gene loses Finny after his fall off the tree, Gene loses the part of him like Finny. He believes the only way for him to get the part like Finny back is to act as a part of Finny. He does this at first by wearing his clothes in the dormitory. When Finny says that he has to play sports for him, Gene believes that he will gain his part of Finny back and become one with Finny. Gene is essentially letting Finny live through him, by becoming the athlete that Finny can no longer be. But Gene is also living through Finny. Gene is escaping his identity, by becoming a person (Phineas) he is not. Each boy is living through one another, Finny through Gene's sports, and Gene through Finny's identity.

Assignment #5 (72-85) Explore the significance of the fight with Quackenbush. Why does it happen? What exactly sets Gene off? How is related to his narrative earlier in the chapter? Why might Quakenbush be so disdainful of Gene?(Myles)

The fight with Quackenbush happens due to the fact the Gene feels grief. During the summer, Gene is surrounded by Finny and the "Gypsy Ways", but now he feels empty on the inside. To make a text to world connection, it is similar to the Kübler Ross model of grief, or D.A.B.D.A. There are five stages of depression in this order: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. Finny is struggling to deal with the so called loss of Finny(seeing as Finny isn't dead). On page 75, Gene says "Suddenly I did not want to see the trays of snails which Leper had passed the summer collecting replaced by Brinker's files. Not yet." This shows that he is experiencing denial, the first stage of grief.  When he fights Quackenbush, he is experiencing anger, the second stage of grief. Gene will continue feeling feelings such as these until he reaches the last stage, where acceptance is reached, and Gene will accept what he has done.

Assignment #4 (61-71)What is guilt? Do we all have it? Is it part of being human? Can someone live guilt free? (Sharon)

Whenever I think of guilt I think about the sinking feeling in someones stomach. Everyone who can empathize with someone has guilt, because if they had done something wrong they would think about what the other person felt like in that situation. Having guilt is apart of being human. It is possible for someone to live guilt free, if they are really that selfish enough to not care about what they've done in their life to hurt someone. Everyone makes mistakes so people are bound to hurt each other, but it all depends how you make up for it. In this chapter Gene feels guilty because of what he did to Finny. "Hit me! You can't even get up! You can't even come near me!" (Knowles 70) This is when Gene goes and visits Finny at his house on his way back to school in September. Gene had just told Finny that he was the cause of Finny's injury. Of course Finny is upset and tells him the he'll hit him. Gene then says this yelling at him that he can't even get up. This is a realization of what Gene's done. 

If Gene were to talk to Finny about how he's feeling, do you think that they could resolve it and make everything better? 

(Assignment 4 #61-71) While Finny is in the infirmary, Gene is paranoid that people will be suspicious of him, and then he dresses in Finny's clothes and feels better. Why does Gene do this? Why is this significant? (Charlotte)

Gene dresses in Finny's clothes because it allows him to take on a new identity. Ever since Gene bounced the tree limb and caused Finny's leg to shatter, he has been drowning in guilt. This guilt has caused him to become paranoid, thinking that everyone at Devon knows that he is responsible for Finny's accident. Not being able to tell anyone about how he caused the incident has caused this guilt to build up inside him so that he feels as though he is carrying a burden on his shoulders. To temporarily escape this guilt, he tries out walking in Finny's shoes, literally. He says, "I spent as much time as I could alone in our room, trying to empty my mind of every thought. To forget where I was, even who I was." (Knowles 62) This shows how Gene is not only dealing with a burden on his back, but how he is also insecure. He felt relieved the instant he tried on Finny's cordovan shoes, which proves that he is envious of Finny and would much rather have Finny's life at this moment in time. "I had no idea why this gave me such intense relief, but it seemed, standing there in Finny's triumphant shirt, that I would never stumble through the confusions of my own character again." (Knowles 62) Wearing Finny's clothes, Gene has no worries and feels comfort, something he has not felt in a long time. Based on the reaction he experienced from this "therapy," it does not seem unlikely that he will try something similar again, especially since he made things worse with Finny after finally telling him of his guilt. Everybody makes mistakes, and this is just one example of how Gene is only human.

Assignment #4) What is symbolic in that fact that the summer session is coming to an end – look specifically at the passage on page 67? (Emily)

When the summer session is coming to an end, it is a symbol for Gene's and Finny's friendship. The friendship that Gene and Finny had was real and right as the summer session ends, their friendship gets torn to pieces and won’t be the same as it was before. After Gene attempted to tell Finny that he deliberately bounced on the branch to make him fall, Gene says to himself that the summer session was almost over. He also says, “... it seemed irresolutely suspended, halted strangely before its time” (Knowles 67). It’s not that the summer session is over forever, it’s that it’s just there and it’ll just always be hanging around. This quote was foreshadowing for their friendship coming to an end. When Gene comes back from visiting his hometown, he decides to go to Finny’s house. Gene says to Finny, “I deliberately jounced the limb so that you would fall off” (Knowles 70). After Gene telling Finny this, Finny wants to make himself believe that this isn’t true. He wants to do this because their friendship was a great thing that they had and the summer session was a little part of their friendship that demonstrated their happiness together. In the poem, “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost, it talks about how most things beautiful come to an end. This connects back to A Separate Peace because before the incident with falling off the tree happened, the summer session and Gene’s and Finny’s friendship were symbols for great times with each other and happy moments. However, at some point, those most great moments will come to an end. They won’t be forgotten, but they will be over and it won’t be the same again.

Re-read the last paragraph on page 48 (end of chapter 3). What happens here? Why is important? Why doesn’t Gene respond? What do you think holds him back? What is the “truth” he refers to at the very end of the quote? Mitch

At the end of chapter three, the importance of Finny and Genes relationship is shown. In the chapter they have found themselves at a pool where Finny had broken a school record. Shortly after he had broken the record he said "Oh my God, So I really did it" (Knowles 43).  Then Gene had found himself in a tree, with Finny. Gene falls and Finny nearly catches him, saving his life.

At the end of chapter 3 (Knowles 48) we find out that Finny looks at Gene as his best friend. At the Devon school this was close to "suicide" and Gene was shocked. Gene was shocked that it was said at the school, and that it was also said by Finny, someone Gene looks up to. Unfortunately, Gene did not feel the same way, causing him not to respond. The "truth" he refers to at the end of the story is that he does not feel the same way about Gene (Knowles 48). This will soon create an awkwardness between these friends. Gene feels this way because of all the trouble Finny has put him through.

Assignment 3) On pages 52-54, how does Gene’s view of their relationship change? (Be sure to explain his usage of enmity). What does he think of it? How do you know this? Why does he feel this way? Do you think it is accurate? Why or why not? (Stephen)

Gene’s view of Finny goes from thinking Finny was better and being jealous of him, to thinking of themselves as equals and creating a rivalry. On page 52, Gene thinks of Finny as better than him. This is because of his outstanding athletic achievements, such as breaking the swimming record. This creates his jealousy. Since Gene could not be as good as Finny athletically, he decides to excel where Finny does not, academically. By doing this, he says, “We would be even, that was all” (Knowles 52). This quote shows his jealousy, as it implies that they are not even already. But after a short talk with Finny, he starts to make irrational conclusions. He starts to think that Finny is trying to tear him down, and keep himself above. He creates false enmity between them, thinking of them as rivals rather than friends. This is shown when he says to himself, “You are even in enmity. You are both coldly driving ahead for yourselves alone.” Gene thinks this because Finny is making him attend so many things like, blitzball, and the Super Suicide Society. He only realizes this is not true after doubling his studying efforts. Gene went from being jealous of Finny, to thinking there is a rivalry between them for a short time.

Assignment #3 (40-60): What exactly happened in the tree and who do you think was responsible? Why do you say this? (Lang)

     Exams were coming up, and Gene was determined to do well. He began studying as Finny walked into the room declaring that Leper Lepellier intending on making his leap that night. Gene snarled at Finny because he needed to study for his exams. Finny told him he could stay and study, but Gene decided to go anyway. When they arrived at the tree, Phineas began to exuberantly throw off his clothes and came up with the idea that himself and Gene should jump off the tree side by side. Finny began climbing up the tree and Gene followed. Phineas, trying to help Gene told him to "Come out a little way, ... and then we'll jump side by side" (Knowles 59). Gene held firmly onto a branch in order to step towards him. All the sudden, Gene's competitive side took charge, and he bounced the limb of the tree that Finny was on, which caused him to fall off backwards. I do believe that this was Gene's fault. He mistakenly believes that him and Finny are in a competition with one another. Gene is very aware that he will never reach the level of athleticism that Finny obtains, so by bouncing the limb, Gene is trying to show off his athletic superiority.

(Assignment 3, 40-60) Why does Gene’s “fear” disappear at the end of the chapter? What was the fear? How is it connected to what happened in the tree? (Nicholas)

Gene's fear at the end of the chapter completely disappears due to another overwhelming fear for Finny. For the most part, this chapter was focusing the height of Gene and Finny's friendship, as well as the start of their rivalry. At the very end, Finny falls from the tree and Gene leaps from the branch without any fear: "With unthinking sureness I moved out on the limb and jumped into the river, every trace of my fear of this forgotten," (Knowles, 60). The forgotten fear he speaks of is his original fright of the jump itself, which he mentions while doing this every other time. It is not forgotten forever, just fully submerged by a stronger pure terror and concern for Finny's well-being. This also proves how the two boys's great friendship overcomes the rivalry that was being set up, as well as the anger of their previous fight over studying. Just before, Gene thought: "Now I knew that there never was and never could have been any rivalry between us," (Knowles, 59). Although their friendship could have been questioned before due to Finny forcing Gene to do things against his will and now his discovery of their rivalry, this quote plus Gene's actions in the tree proves that their bonds cannot be doubted. Overall, Gene's original fear became insignificant compared to concern for Finny, nothing being more important than each other and their bonds of friendship.

What other factors do you think influenced Gene's fearless action of jumping out of the tree?

Assignment 2) Explore and Explain the quote "Yes he had practically saved my life. He had also practically lost it for me." (33). Explain what Gene is saying and why he is saying it at this point. What are the larger implications of what he is saying? (Ben)

Gene is talking about how Finny saved his life by grabbing his arm as he lost his balance while standing on the tree preparing to jump, but how Finny pressuring him to jump almost killed him.

As you look more into it, you can tell that there is a bigger meaning to this quote. Gene, being a very lonely person, didn't have many friends, so Finny saved his life by becoming friends with him, but I think, at the same time,  Finny is killing Gene by influencing him to do things he doesn't necessarily want to do. "I went along; I never missed a meeting. At that time, it would never have occurred to me to say, 'I don't feel like it tonight.'" (34) This quote shows how Gene is kind of going along with what Finny is doing, but not really enjoying it.

Another example of Finny "killing Gene" is when they didn't show up to dinner and they got in trouble by one of their professors. "He enforced such rules,....Finny explained that there had been a wrestling match....he rambled on..." (21) This quote represents how now that Gene and Finny are friends, they are breaking the campus rules. Finny is kind of the mischevious friend while Gene is a little more innocent.  The quote about how Finny saved Gene and also killed him showed how Finny saved Gene by being his friend, but is killing him by getting themselves into trouble.

Assignment 2, How would you characterize Gene at this point (the end of the reading)? Provide two specific examples from the story to support your answer. (Geoffrey)

Gene is a character who follows and is jealous of Phineas.  Gene is a high school student at the Devon school, in New Hampshire. It is currently the summer of 1942, right in the middle of WWII. Gene and his best friend Phineas are at the tree that is near the river.  Phineas is trying to get Gene to jump off of the tree into the river. Then right before Gene jumps, he has second thoughts about Phineas’ judgment, and ideas.  “What was I doing up here anyway? Why did I let Finny talk me into stupid things like this? Was he getting some kind of hold over me?” (Knowles, 17).  As seen in this quote, Gene is a devoted follower to Phineas. Thus far in the novel being a follower of Phineas has only put Gene in bad situations. The reader doesn’t quite know why yet, but so far it seems that Gene would do anything with or for Phineas. Gene also shows signs of envy, and jealousy towards Phineas. Whenever Phineas gets in trouble he seems to find a way to get himself out of it. Gene is fed up with it and declares that despite Phineas being his best friend he wishes just once Phineas would get a harsh punishment. Gene also show signs of jealousy/envy because he wants to have what Phineas has, whether it be the skill of lying, or the courage of willingly jumping of a tree into a river. Throughout the novel thus far, Gene has shown that he is both a follower, and envious of Phineas.