I feel that the novel A Separate Peace is truly focused on two wars. One war is the internal struggle that Gene faces daily, the battle within himself in his mind. The other war is more obviously World War II which rages on in Europe.

Through many examples one may see that Gene is fighting his own war within himself to achieve self understanding and acceptance. I feel that although Gene is a strong character in the story, he lacks self assurance. This is shown by his need for his friend Finny. Finny happens not only to be very popular, but also a standout athlete. I feel that Gene fin

A Separate Peace is definitely a mind bending novel. I feel that one may learn that although internal battles may be unavoidable, they must not control our lives. Mistakes are made daily, but we must learn from those mistakes and grow as a person. It is very important to not limit one's self because of personal failure, but to rather strain to overcome what mentally and even physically holds us back. Through Finny, one may learn the value of determination and through Gene one may see the damage of mental frustration. I feel this book could be of great value to anyone. There will always be guilt, failure, and jealousy, but it is our reaction to those short comings that matter most.

World War II functions as a background of the novel. I think it is interesting that John Knowles named his novel A Separate Peace. "A separate peace" refers to the Devon School that Gene attends. Although

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