A look at the ideas evident in John Knowles' book, A Separate Peace days spent picking apples, began his invasion of the school. The calm atmosphere of Devon was abruptly interrupted when the maids and reapers were called up for war service. These and other examples amplify World War II as a vital and significant event in the context of a separate peace. The motifs of war and sport are linked, Finny's absence brings war to Devon, and Phineas and Gene have a number of important connections to war. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayA Separate Peace is a novel filled with a plethora of symbolic and allegorical meanings, and among the most important are the recurring motifs of sport and war. . When Phineas, Devon's best athlete, suffers a fall, he becomes a casualty and is kept out of the war forever. Throughout the novel, Finny repeatedly discusses the war with Gene, saying, "That's what this whole war thing is." A medicinal drug. . . Fat old men who don't want to be thrown out of their jobs. They invented it.” It's only towards the end of Finny's life that the truth is revealed to us: Finny longs to be part of the war. But that can never happen because Finny is a representation of peace; peace and war can never mix and this results in the death of Phineas. Similarly, after his fall, Finny trains Gene for the 1944 Olympics even though Gene insists that the Olympics will be canceled because of the war. This is because Phineas cannot realize his dream and participate himself. This further develops the concepts that "Phineas viewed [Gene] as an extension of himself" and that Gene is truly "filled with Phineas". Phineas' persistence for Gene to compete in the Olympics develops the relationship between Gene and himself. Finny takes on the role of a coach or father while Gene becomes the athlete or child because Finny hopes Gene will make his dreams come true for him. Blitzball, another representation of the motifs, embodies war. Blitzball takes its name from the German military tactic Blitzkrieg. It is based on the principle that everyone is the enemy, just like war in real life. Through Phineas, John Knowles brings together two completely opposing ideas and illustrates how they can never live in harmony. Likewise, when Phineas and the concept of the sport leave Devon, war slowly sets in. As Phineas himself stated, "Sports don't seem so important with war." This is first shown at the start of the Winter Session, but later confirmed after his death. During Finny's rehabilitation period, Brinker and Gene decide to enlist in the war effort. Gene also tries to take a job that, much to Finny's dismay, "has [nothing] to do with sports." It is only after Finny returns that Gene realizes that he needs Finny and that Phineas reciprocates. After Finny's death, part of Devon is dedicated to the war effort to make parachutes. This is the final piece of the puzzle needed to understand that war broke out in Devon. After the ensuing conversation with Mr. Hadley, himself a military veteran, Gene leaves Devon to join the war. He later goes on to say, “I was on active duty all the time at school; I killed my enemy there.” This defends the idea of a war. . .."

Essay / A look at the ideas evident in John Knowles' book, A Separate Peace days spent picking apples, began his invasion of the school. The calm atmosphere of Devon was abruptly interrupted when the maids and reapers were called up for war service. These and other examples amplify World War II as a vital and significant event in the context of a separate peace. The motifs of war and sport are linked, Finny's absence brings war to Devon, and Phineas and Gene have a number of important connections to war. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayA Separate Peace is a novel filled with a plethora of symbolic and allegorical meanings, and among the most important are the recurring motifs of sport and war. . When Phineas, Devon's best athlete, suffers a fall, he becomes a casualty and is kept out of the war forever. Throughout the novel, Finny repeatedly discusses the war with Gene, saying, "That's what this whole war thing is." A medicinal drug. . . Fat old men who don't want to be thrown out of their jobs. They invented it.” It's only towards the end of Finny's life that the truth is revealed to us: Finny longs to be part of the war. But that can never happen because Finny is a representation of peace; peace and war can never mix and this results in the death of Phineas. Similarly, after his fall, Finny trains Gene for the 1944 Olympics even though Gene insists that the Olympics will be canceled because of the war. This is because Phineas cannot realize his dream and participate himself. This further develops the concepts that "Phineas viewed [Gene] as an extension of himself" and that Gene is truly "filled with Phineas". Phineas' persistence for Gene to compete in the Olympics develops the relationship between Gene and himself. Finny takes on the role of a coach or father while Gene becomes the athlete or child because Finny hopes Gene will make his dreams come true for him. Blitzball, another representation of the motifs, embodies war. Blitzball takes its name from the German military tactic Blitzkrieg. It is based on the principle that everyone is the enemy, just like war in real life. Through Phineas, John Knowles brings together two completely opposing ideas and illustrates how they can never live in harmony. Likewise, when Phineas and the concept of the sport leave Devon, war slowly sets in. As Phineas himself stated, "Sports don't seem so important with war." This is first shown at the start of the Winter Session, but later confirmed after his death. During Finny's rehabilitation period, Brinker and Gene decide to enlist in the war effort. Gene also tries to take a job that, much to Finny's dismay, "has [nothing] to do with sports." It is only after Finny returns that Gene realizes that he needs Finny and that Phineas reciprocates. After Finny's death, part of Devon is dedicated to the war effort to make parachutes. This is the final piece of the puzzle needed to understand that war broke out in Devon. After the ensuing conversation with Mr. Hadley, himself a military veteran, Gene leaves Devon to join the war. He later goes on to say, “I was on active duty all the time at school; I killed my enemy there.” This defends the idea of a war. . .."

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