A Separte Peace Essay Essay, Research Paper
In life, historical events often play an important role in a person s life. Many times people can drastically have a change of opinion over night. In A Separate Peace, the whole atmosphere at the Devon School changed as World War II progressed. The boys either eagerly awaited draft, preferred to enlist in the area of war they wanted, or did not want to go at all. The students at the school were forced to create activities for enjoyment since old ones could not be played because of lack of materials. When a friend returns from the war, the boys at Devon got a real sense of what the war was like. The boys learned that going to war was not all fun and games like they had anticipated. The influence World War II had on the characters in A Separate Peace and life at the Devon School, was clearly depicted through their actions and activities.
The beginning of the novel allows the reader to get a feel of what the Devon School was like during that time period. Students of war age were constantly leaving Devon to go to the war, either by choice or by draft. Whether kids wanted to go or not, the anticipation was always present. As winter approached the Devon school, so was the encroaching shadow of the war. The boys were called out to help shovel free a troop train trapped by snow-blocked tracks. The experience “brings the war home” for all of them, and they realized they would have to face a crucial decision very soon. Maturity leaps upon them, whether they’re ready for it or not, at the tender age of seventeen. The excitement of the war had gotten to everybody at the school, including the staff, and made it a chaotic place. The boys were able to get away with disobeying the rules. Many students cut class, and left school grounds often and were not penalized.
When Leper returned from the war the boys realized that participating in the war wasn t all fun and games, and that a lot of bad things happened. When Leper told Gene how he had been discharged on charges of insanity, Gene blew up at Leper. Gene had thought the war was a good place, and the notion of a Section Eight Discharge was not what he wanted to hear. It completely ruined Gene s thoughts and his hopes. Gene was completely set on enlisting in the army, to experience what so many other s were experiencing, until Leper informed him of the war s negative aspects. Leper, more disappointed than anyone, did not share his reason for returning home with everyone. He was ashamed, and did not want to share the horrors of war with everyone.
Scarcity of popular materials made it difficult for the boys at Devon to continue with some normal activities. Finny, the athletic boy he was, made up Blitzball, a game named after the famous Blitzkrieg (a German war tactic). The game of course was successful in keeping the boys busy. Along with athletic creations, the boys started a club called The Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session, a club which about six boys signed up for. The club met almost every night, and had special initiations for the members. The club was designed to give the boys something to do because they were unable to participate in the regular things they did. The boys at Devon were not having the same kind of school year that they had had in the past. Partly because of an interuption in their daily lives.
World War II had a strong influence on life in the novel A Separate Peace. The author displays the influence through the character s actions and activities. The students at the Devon School were overwhelmed with the idea of war, and were eagerly awaiting their departure to an area of it. However, when a good friend returned from the war with a different idea of how it was, the boys rethought their eagerness. The boys were forced to make up games and such to participate in to keep them occupied when they weren t studying. This novel showed that like with other major historical events, war can completely alter a way of life, changing everything from personalities to activities.