A Separate Peace

      Today I began reading the book A Separate Peace by John Knowles. So far, I know that it is about a man named Gene who is visiting his old boarding school. He attended the school, called Devon, fifteen years earlier, when World War II was taking place. During his visit, Gene starts reminiscing about his high school days. He goes past the buildings, which now look more glossy and like a museum.  He looks for a particular tree, one that is by a river, that years before he had jumped off with his roommate/best friend/ Finny. Since I am not very far into the book, I do not have many specific thoughts on the characters or story in general. However, I do have many predictions based on what I have read so far.
       I think that the fact that it is World War II will play a big factor in the book. The school is training all the boys to be soldiers, and a lot of them will most likely be drafted when they turn eighteen. Gene starts talking about how the teachers at Devon always treated the lower grades easier than the seniors, who were going off to fight soon. They never had to take physical examinations, there was no draft list, no one was tested for color blindness or other disabilities. I suspect that things will change - get tougher - when the boys get older, and the draft for the war approaches.
       Gene and Finny are both very different. Gene is more reserved, and I think a better student. Finny is more outgoing, and Gene describes him as the best athlete at the school. I wonder if there will be any resentment between each of the boys, if they possibly will get competitive with the other one. The blurb on the back of the back of the book says that something happens between the two boys during the summer that changes the innocence of them.
        In conclusion, I just began reading this book and I don't have many thoughts on the characters or themes yet. I do have some predictions, though, and I think that World War II will play a big role, and that there will be a possible fight between the two boys. A Separate Peace reminds me of The Catcher in the Rye, which I read earlier this year. They both take place at a boys boarding school, in the mid-20th century. I really liked reading The Catcher in the Rye, and I think that I will like reading this book too.