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Post by ronaldrajan on Oct 30, 2015 0:14:43 GMT
The literary device "symbolism” is used quite a bit in the story "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles. It appears many ways throughout the story and to different characters. The first symbol that we will be discussing is the symbol of Phineas’ bright pink t-shirt. Phineas think of this shirt as a symbol for his war effort, a sort of flag that he can wear to show his support. Another interpretation for the shirt is that it represents Phineas’ childhood. This is seen because the shirt is bright fun and stands out, just like Phineas does. Also because Phineas can also get away with wearing this just like he can get away with anything he ever des wrong. Another symbol is the infamous tree. This tree is what Phineas and Gene jump out of during their summer sessions before upper middle year. It can symbolize many things, one of which I the inciting incident into the liminal state for Gene. When Gene pushed Phineas out of this tree, he became aware that he was a little evil on the inside and eventually came to terms with this and grew from the experience, while on the other hand Phineas did not until it was too late and he died. The tree can also be a symbol for childhood for many of the boys at Devon because of the club that Phineas and Gene started, The Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session. This is a perfect representation of childhood because it is bringing the kids together for fun times.
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Post by jzhangx3 on Oct 30, 2015 0:45:06 GMT
I agree with what you said, Ronald. I want to add on by saying that the summer and winter sessions at Devon symbolize carefreeness and innocence contrasted with discipline, hard work, and burdens of adulthood. The summer session at Devon is a time of freedom because Finny’s charming personality and clever tongue allow him to get away with anything, showing how the teachers are also very lenient. During the summer session, Finny falls from the tree, and his literal and figurative fall pushes Gene from the childhood stage to the liminal stage. Finny’s fall also ushers in the winter session, which is a dark time filled with work and burdens of wartime. The winter session is no longer a place for carefreeness and childlike experiences; in fact, the winter session almost forces Gene into adulthood. Consequently, Finny, who is unable to face adulthood (or unwilling to), dies and never enters into the adulthood stage embodied by the winter session. Also, Finny’s fall symbolizes a figurative fall from innocence similar to that in Adam and Eve, who eat from the Tree of Knowledge and are forced to leave the Garden of Eden, seeing that life is full of suffering and evil.
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Post by juliamann on Oct 30, 2015 0:59:55 GMT
I agree with what you had to say about symbolism in this novel. Continuing with those thoughts, another symbol of childhood and/or the liminal state was the Blitzball game that Finny created. It symbolized their position between childhood and the liminal state. It represents childhood because it is a game that they are playing to pass time and have fun during the summer session, which also symbolizes childhood. However, the word “blitz” refers to blitzkrieg warfare. Adding this war imagery to the game shows that the boys are trying to process the war (adulthood) in a familiar way. This is a main characteristic of the liminal state. Another symbol in the book are the two rivers at the school; the Devon River and the Naguamsett River. The Devon River is calm, clean, and clear. This is the river that Gene and Finny jump into from the tree. It symbolizes the freedom and innocence they had during the summer session and, most importantly, during childhood. The Naguamsett River, however, is the complete opposite. It is dirty, saline, and grimy. This symbolizes adulthood; a time where you are aware of the harsh realities of the world, which is represented through the harsh river. A significant moment with the river is when Gene falls into it during the winter, another symbol for adulthood. He describes falling in to the river as being “baptized”. This Biblical reference helps us understand that Gene is being initiated in the liminal state, which will bring him to adulthood.
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Post by laurendean on Oct 30, 2015 3:14:04 GMT
I also agree with what everyone has said in the thread. I wanted to add on to the use of Symbolism in " A Seperate Peace" by John Knowles. The Summer and Winter sessions represent the youth, innocence, peace, and rebellion that the boys in Devon have and also rules, authority, adulthood, and war itself. Finny, who was the founder and spirit of the summer session, returns hurt and with a cast in the winter, this is also a symbol and represents the hardships of growing up and moving on into war. It shows that Finny is put against the rules and authority, but it is a very serious time for the country. But Finny does not see it that way because he doesn't believe that the war is actually happening and has no hatred nor enemies. Finny comments that he loves the winter, even though it represents the opposite of what Finny is, which is still a child. An important part during Winter is the " Winter Carnival" this, in itself is kind of an oxymoron and a symbolic feature to the book. It represents The Liminal state of being stuck between childhood and adulthood. There is a carnival which is fun and games, but it is during the winter which is cold and somber. Phineas creates this carnival so that they can still have fun during a time of war, but Lepers telegram, also another symbol, breaks Finny out of his childhood state, realizing the war is real and he needs to live in reality. This leads Finny to die because from the way he is portayed throughout the novel, we see Finny cannot bare to live through the war because he is to childish and will never grow up enough to live successfully through his life. He can't accept reality and will always live in his fantasy world. If he couldn't live in his fantasy land, he would go craz and eventually die, in which he did.
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Post by lreinhardt230 on Nov 1, 2015 9:42:59 GMT
Symbolism is an incredibly important aspect of this novel and I agree with everyone in this thread. As well as objects and seasons, characters of the book can be seen as symbols. Knowles choose the name "Leper" because Leper as a character doesn't quite fit in to the norms of society. He symbolized childhood in his early stages when he would go skiing instead of helping for the war or join the war because it looked pretty. Then, Knowles makes a shift so that Leper symbolizes what can happen when there's an absence of the liminal stage by causing him to go crazy. He is cadipoltded into adulthood with no warning, and no developmental time. The entire use of this character is to symbolize what war can do to youthful people, and what it's like to learn the truth about your surroundings, like when Leper learned that war isn't beautiful as he thought previously.
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Post by ghulamcontractor on Nov 2, 2015 2:40:50 GMT
Yes, symbolism is very prevalent throughout the book. Another symbol would be the “museum-look” Gene talks about when he returns to Devon. He mentions that Devon has a cleaner and newer look to it. This made me think about what the school looked like in his younger days. Perhaps it looked more run down and old? Whatever the case, the new look symbolizes his presence in adulthood and passing the first two states of childhood and liminal. Not only that, but he goes onto mention the athletic fields of Devon too. One would think that there would be children playing outside or the school would not be barren. It could symbolize the death of Phineas and the fact of a part of Gene dying on that day. None the less, he is not the same person he used to be. Also Lauren, adding onto the name of Leper, it spells "repel" backwards. Repel is defined as fight off or push back, and that is exactly what Leper is doing. He pushes back the true nature of war and its horrors and thus that pushes him back from life and living like any other person. As you mentioned, he goes crazy.
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