... dominance over those who work with us, those in our family, those who have set records in the past, or even our friends. It is just this need that fuels John Knowles's A Separate Peace, a novel written about a Devon Academy during World War II. Devon, a boarding school, becomes a microcosm lock away from the rest of the world and not involved in the war ... his heart, shown when he beats an old swimming record set years ago and will not let Gene tell anyone about it. Without this competitive spirit and need for dominance Knowles would have written more of a short story than a novel. Wit...

• Word Count: 673
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... the winter seasons, snow envelops its surroundings, blanketing the earth with a milky white blanket. This blanket is beautiful yet it's also deceiving in how it shrouds objects from view. In John Knowles" A Separate Peace, the deceptive environment symbolizes the sly and mysterious nature that Gene displays. The mysterious nature of Gene towards his fellow peers and the deceiving nature of the Vermont ... ...

• Word Count: 644
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate