95 pages • 3 hours read
John KnowlesA Separate Peace
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1959A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Essay Topics
How does the novel formulate US/American national identity? What does it mean to Gene to be an American? What about Brinker? Finny? Use evidence from the text to support your claim.
Consider how Brinker’s dad responds to Brinker and Gene’s discussion about enlisting. How does bring up a generational gap in perceptions about the war? What are the stakes for Mr. Hadley’s view of the war? How do the other adults in the novel support or refute Mr. Hadley’s formulation of the war?
Based on the evidence in the text, do you think that Gene intentionally jostles the branch to knock Finny to the ground? How does this decision affect the rest of the narrative? How would a different conclusion change the story?
