A Separate Peace by John Knowles

1. A Separate Peaceby John Knowles A novel of growing up during war times.

2. Author John Knowles • Born in 1926 in West Virginia • Best known works are set in New England

3. Knowles’ Childhood • Parents were originally from Massachusetts. • Knowles spent many summer vacations there. • At the age of fifteen, Knowles applied to an elite New Hampshire boarding school, Phillips Exeter Academy.

4. John Knowles continued… • Knowles expresses his affections and fond memories for his boarding school memories in A Separate Peace. • Soon after Knowles entered Exeter, the U.S. declared war on Japan and entered World War II. • Knowles went into the military after he graduated from high school and trained to be a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Force Aviation Program. • When the war ended, he attended Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.

5. A Separate Peace • The novel was first published in England in 1959 and in the U.S. in 1960. • It proved to be such a success that Knowles was able to resign from his job and devote his time to writing and travel. • He wrote many other novels, none as successful as A Separate Peace. • Today, he lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

6. Setting • Devon School in New Hampshire • The central story begins less than a year after December 7, 1941, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii.

7. WWII • World War II: September 1939 to September 1945. • Called the “World” war because a majority of the world’s nations split into one of two opposing sides: • Allies- included Russia, U.S.A, United Kingdom, and China. • Axis- included Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan

8. World War II • The most devastating war in history. • Loss of human life estimated at 72 million. • Two-thirds of victims were civilians. • Holocaust victims numbered in the millions.

9. U.S. Involvement • The U.S. entered the World War after Pearl Harbor. • Fear of war caused many Americans to turn a blind eye to the conflicts overseas. • Pearl Harbor changed everything. • 1940 brought the first peacetime draft in the nation’s history. • Men 21-35 years of age were required to register for military service. • Age then lowered to eighteen.

10. Patriotism • Many young men couldn’t wait to be drafted; patriotism was at an all-time high. • Teenagers often felt it was their duty to enlist.

11. Patriotism and Change • The war brought changes to the American economy and lifestyle. • Need for weapons created jobs. • Americans attended rallies, bought war bonds, conserved fuel and rubber by car pooling, and planted “victory gardens.” • Society also began changing and adjusting due to the “man shortage”. • In short, American life, as it had been, changed “for the duration”- a phrase that meant “until the end of the war.”

12. Imagine… • Imagine going to high school while the deadliest and most devastating war in history was happening. • How would it affect you? Would your life be any different?

13. The War in Iraq • How does the war in Iraq affect you? • Do the news stories and pictures affect your life or view of the world?

14. A Separate PeacePlot • War does not concern the majority of the plot. • Main characters are juniors. • They attend an elite private boarding school.

15. Theme and Motif • Theme: a broad idea in a story, or a message or lesson conveyed by a work • A work can have more than one theme. • Motif: a reoccurring subject, theme, or idea in a literary, artistic, or musical work. • Difference between theme and motif: • Theme are ideas explored by the text. • Motifs are reoccurring elements that represent ideas.

16. Themes & Motifs in A Separate Peace • Themes • Identity- The development of self in the face of peer pressure. • Man vs. Self- Even in times of war, the most difficult battle is within the human heart. • Motifs- • Transformation- the characters and the school undergo immense changes throughout the story. • Competition- the competitive nature of athletics and of friendship.