Reading #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 the significance? (Rhys)
Towards the end of Chapter 9, Gene is saying that he has surpassed himself from the freedom that he was able to tear from his fears in 1943. Gene is worried about World War II and going into the army, so at the carnival, he uses the words “a separate peace,” meaning he has found peace, but left behind his fears associated with 1943. A “separate peace” is finding peace when there are bad things in the surrounding world. When Gene is thinking to himself at the carnival, he feels the “liberation [they] had torn from the grey encroachments of 1943, the escape we had concocted, this afternoon of momentary, illusory, special and separate peace” (Knowles 137). Looking at two different factors in A Separate Peace, Peace, and War, Gene’s thoughts are significant in a way that they show the effect of the war on his life. When he doesn’t think about the war, he is peaceful. Gene’s head is filled with concerns about the war, but he uses the words a “separate peace” because he has found unity among the sadness surrounding him.
What do you think about the effect of the war on Gene’s life? How does that change him as a person? How does Gene find peace among war?
I agree with Rhys that the carnival has helped Gene take his mind off of the war and to find a "separate peace". He tends to do things like the carnival or becoming an athlete with the help of Finny in order to cope with the fact that one day he might be forced to do the same thing as Leper. Although Finny is trying to convince him that the war is fake, Gene is still in disbelief and worries about the future struggles of the war. The significance of the "separate peace" that he finds is that he can finally take his mind off the struggles of life and enjoy himself by doing whatever he can.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Rhys and Spiros that the carnival helped distract Gene from the war. The war has changed Gene and his life because he always has to have the thought in the back of his mind of how he might be forced to go there. However, because of Finny's blatant denial Gene is sometimes able to completely live in peace and harmony. It's like his realities split, separating peace from war and violence. And because of his compartmentalizing he is able to forget about the war and enjoy his accomplishments until absolutely necessary.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Rhys and Kate that the carnival has helped Gene find peace after all this time of him being worried about the war and in fear of having to go to the army. Like Spiros mentioned, Finny continuously says the war is fake, but Gene is still scared of it and has become paranoid with the thought of whats going on around him.
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