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Post by hannahcherusseril on Oct 31, 2015 20:30:07 GMT
"A Separate Peace" is a coming-of-age story, so its only natural that there is a lot of change. One of the biggest indicators of change is the changing of the seasons and each season can be linked to a stage in the coming-of-age process. The book opened up during summer. Gene, Finny, and the other boys at Devon prep were having a lot fun. They played a made-up game called Blitzball and Finny created his very own club. Rules were not being enforced at school and there was an air of looseness during the summer session. Gene and Finny jumping out of the tree is just one of the few reckless things they did. Summer was filled with imagination, carelessness, and immaturity so I think it's appropriate to say summer was the time of childhood. Fall was the season of change. In the transition from summer to winter, we see the inciting incident which was Finny's fall. Fall (the season) and the fall (the inciting incident) marked the end of the games and innocence of summer. Finny, who kind of acted like a carrier of childhood and infected everyone around him with it, had been ushered out of Gene's life by a huge, serious injury. Now, instead of staying naive in blissful youth, Gene had to face the cold, hard facts. He had to deal with what he had done to Finny and try to maneuver his way in a world where things weren't just fun and games anymore. As the seasons transitioned, Gene was finding his way through the liminal state. He was thinking about enlisting in WWII and helping out with the war effort. With winter coming in, the novel portrayed a lot of imagery of cold, snow, and darkness. This a huge contrast between the atmosphere of the summer session, when Finny(carrier of childhood) was around. The winter arrival signified the war arrival, which is a very mature and adult matter. It only makes sense that winter is also the arrival of adulthood. Life starts to get really tough for some of the boys, especially Leper, who jumped head first into adulthood. The effects of the war,this adulthood, caused Leper to recede into an isolated life, surrounded by ever-cold, snowy, Vermont---a state that seemed to be perpetually stuck in winter.
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Post by gabi.eglinton on Nov 1, 2015 13:56:34 GMT
I agree with your reasoning in regards to the use of seasons in "A Separate Peace". Perhaps the most prominent change is the setting's shift to winter. As described on page 92, it came "theatrically", covering everything at a rapid pace. It is this snow that forces the boys to come face-to-face with the war. Railroad lines are blockaded and the Devon kids spend a day clearing way for a train full of army men. Through a series of events that occur in the frosty white days of winter, Gene begins to consider enlistment. The thought was far from his mind just pages before when the boys were apple picking. It is also worth noting that "the snow arrived early, even for New Hampshire". This represents the shift from liminal state to adulthood. This year, snow appears abruptly before anyone can expect it. This is similar to Leper's change to adulthood. He does not have nearly enough preparation to be involved in war, and his lack of time spent in the liminal state is detrimental to his development overall.
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Post by ghulamcontractor on Nov 2, 2015 2:48:36 GMT
I definitely agree to what you both said about winter. It really does symbolize the coming of age. To add on, the snowy winter gives them a job to do rather than just play around all the time. They have to shovel the railroad tracks and play their part. Usually when someone gets a job it shows that they are mature enough to be on their own, or that they are trying to achieve something by working hard. This shows that the job is requiring them to work and make something of themselves to contribute to the war-effort, which was not shown earlier in the book by Gene or his friends.
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Post by Stephen Eubanks on Nov 2, 2015 16:43:19 GMT
I agree that in the story “A Separate Peace”, by John Knowles, the changing seasons throughout the story relate to the coming of age of the characters, for specifically Gene. Summer creates a sense of foolishness and out the kids in a childlike state, as summer here symbolizes the childhood of characters. In the summer the foolishness is shown through Gene and Phineas playing around on the tree, which eventually is what causes Gene to move forward into the liminal state which shows how they still are in childhood. The childlike state can be seen from the Club the kids started, a club full of kids and started by kids has a childlike connotation associated with it. Another example of the childlike state of the kids in the story was the game “Blitzball”, another activity that was made up by kids. This was on one hand a childish game of ball, while on the other hand a game resembling the war. The fact that the game resembles war (Blitzkrieg) shows that the kids, at least some of them, are moving towards adulthood from childhood. After the kid’s summer antics are finished they move on into fall and winter time, seasons of cold bitter weather such as life can be at times as an adult. Winter time creates a sense of the kids moving on from their childhood and moving on into the liminal state and towards adulthood. This can be seen through many of the kids, including Gene, not only helping the war effort by shoveling but thinking about enlisting into the army, war being a huge part of adulthood showing how the kids are quickly moving out of liminal state. Weather along with the season also has an effect on the story. When the story starts out and we are introduced to Gene, the setting it wet and raining in the fall season. Fall which relates to adulthood can be used to show how Gene is now in his adulthood. The Rain though shows the depression and sadness inside of Gene when returning to Devon School. After seeing the tree and the steps at the school, he walks out of the rain as if finally walking out of his sadness from being able to see and remember his childhood places he used to enjoy with his friends.
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