A Separate Peace - Symbolism Essay examples - 1597 Words

In John Knowle’s A Separate Peace, symbols are used to develop and advance the themes of the novel. One theme is the lack of an awareness of the real world among the students who attend the Devon Academy. The war is a symbol of the quot;real worldquot;, from which the boys exclude themselves. It is as if the boys are in their own little world or bubble secluded from the outside world and everyone else. Along with their friends, Gene and Finny play games and joke about the war instead of taking it seriously and preparing for it. Finny organizes the Winter Carnival, invents the game of Blitz Ball, and encourages his friends to have a snowball fight. When Gene looks back on that day of the Winter Carnival, he says, quot;---it was this†¦show more content†¦Phineas’ death is the end of Gene’s childhood. He is forced to grow up when he realizes that he is living in a world of hate, crime, and disappointment. He is getting older and closer to his eighteenth bir thday when he will be drafted into the war, and he finally begins to prepare. At the conclusion of the novel, after Phineas is gone, Gene says, quot;I was ready for the war, now that I no longer had any hatred to contribute to it. My fury was gone, I felt it gone, dried up at the source, withered and lifeless. Phineas had absorbed it and taken it with him and I was rid of it foreverquot; (871). This is another example of how the war furthers Gene’s advance into adulthood. The war is a symbol of how things aren’t always what they seem. Recruiting posters and propaganda advertising the army convince many boys into thinking the war is an exciting adventure in which young men interact. Leper enlists in the army after being impressed by a film shown by a recruiter from the U.S. ski troops. quot;The ski movie had decided him. ‘I always thought the war would come for me when it wanted me†¦I never thought I’d be going to it. I’m really glad I saw that movie in time, you bet I am’quot; (826) Leper is amazed by these men and how they, with their recognizable and friendly faces, give a clean response toShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of A Separate Peace 901 Words   |  4 Pages Devon had many incidents that occurred during the summer session and the regular school year. â€Å"Peace had deserted Devon† (Knowles pg.72). A tree, showing symbolism, has a big part in the story, A Separate Peace. The events happening during the summer session and regular school session, hinted foreshadowing, for later events to come. In Devon’s school, multifariously terminus students have a distinct story and oblique events tremble throughout the school. The students attending Devon have been throughRead MoreLord Of The Flies, By William Golding And The Perks Of Being A Wallflower1087 Words   |  5 Pagesgenres. Novels such as Lord of the Flies by William Golding and The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky are among some of my most beloved. In my junior year, I read A Separate Peace by John Knowles for my AP U.S. History class while I read The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger over the summer. A Separate Peace explores the rivalry that can lie at t he heart of many friendships and conveys the concept of individuality rather than conformity. Similarly, The Catcher in the Rye is the storyRead MoreAnalysis Of Sylvia Plaths Tulips831 Words   |  4 Pageshospital room, separate from their family. No one is present in the white hospital room, except for the speaker and the tulips. The room is peaceful and allows the speaker to enjoy a lack of commitment towards anything. Unfortunately for the speaker, the tulips in the room remind the speaker of their life and bind the speaker to their responsibilities. In Sylvia Plath’s â€Å"Tulips,† color symbolism and personification contrast the peace of disconnection and commitments in life. Color symbolism of the whiteRead MoreWilliam Golding s Lord Of The Flies 1299 Words   |  6 PagesDecember 2014 Savagery in Civilization: Symbolism in Lord of the Flies Symbolism as defined by the Merriam Webster Dictionary, is â€Å"the use of symbols to express or represent ideas or qualities in literature, art, etc.† (â€Å"Symbolism†). For this reason, symbolism is utilized in literature in order to make novels more interesting and convey notions that are usually either highly controversial or extremely philosophical. For example in the popular novel A Separate Peace, John Knowles uses Gene in order toRead MoreWonder Wom The Feminist Symbol Behind The Bracelets1379 Words   |  6 Pagesinclude classics such as a sword and shield, and also includes a lasso a. 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The short story by Naigub Mahfouz presents a search for religious knowledge byRead MoreComparison and Contrast of a Separate Peace and Catcher in the Rye1515 Words   |  7 PagesComparison and Contrast Essay A Separate Peace and The Catcher in the Rye The coming of age novels, The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, and A Separate Peace, written by John Knowles, both interpret the lives of adolescent boys journeying through their conflicts and inner confusion to reach the level of maturity. Salinger and Knowles both discern the literal ways a typical teenager grows up with the help of literary elements such as plot, setting, character development, conflictsRead More Religious Symbols and Symbolism in Faulkners Light in August1555 Words   |  7 PagesReligious Symbolism in Light in August  Ã‚  Ã‚   William Faulkner’s, Light in August has many references to Christianity. He employs a great deal of religious symbolism in all of his characters. These parallels seem very intentional, even though, Faulkner himself says he did not do it purposely. The Christ story is one of the most popular stories invented and it seems right that at some point someone is going to write similar to it. William Faulkner says he did not put the Christian parallels inRead More Comparing A Separate Peace and The Catcher in the Rye Essay example1500 Words   |  6 PagesComparing A Separate Peace and The Catcher in the Rye The coming of age novels, The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, and A Separate Peace, written by John Knowles, both interpret the lives of adolescent boys journeying through their conflicts and inner confusion to reach the level of maturity. Salinger and Knowles both discern the literal ways a typical teenager grows up with the help of literary elements such as plot, setting, character development, conflicts, irony, symobolismRead MoreEssay on Symbols and Symbolism in the Poems of Robert Frost1463 Words   |  6 PagesSymbolism in the Poems of Robert Frost    Nature has inspired countless poets from primitive times to the present. They have used it as a metaphor for virtually all human emotions-his stormy brow, her sky blue eyes, as wild as a summer storm. Very few, however, have so masterfully crafted their verse to fully express the range of nature’s power and influence, or suited the tone of a poem to encompass both human nature and ‘true’ nature. This is true in the poetic works of Robert Frost. The aspects