Knowles Separate Peace Essays: Loss of Innocence -- Separate Peace Es

Loss of Innocence in A Separate ease In the human nature, naive ignorance of the worlds imperfections eventually yields to the recognition that the world does harbor hatred and violence. John Knowles places his novel A Separate Peace in situations which necessitate this emotional transformation. The characters become increasingly aware of the nature of the world. In addition, symbols help show the interrelation of ideas and events as they appear in Genes subconscious mind mind. In this novel, background, character, and symbols develop the theme of harm of honour. Setting expatiates the theme of loss of innocence. For example, the four major characters in this romance are sixteen and xvii familys old, which is the age when teenagers prepare to end their childhood and become larges. Also, the Devon school, where the story takes place, is a place where boys make the transition to full adulthood, and so this setting shows more clearly the boys own growth. Finally, World W ar II, which in 1942 is unwarranted in Europe, forces these teenage boys to grow up fast during their seventeenth year they must evaluate everything that the war means to them and decide whether to take an bustling ... ...nature. Finally, the tree off which Finny and Gene jump represents the Tree of Knowledge saltation from the tree is against the rules, and in doing so the boys symbolically accept the loss of their innocence as Adam and Eve did by eating of the forbidden fruit. Symbols for certain convey the theme of loss of innocence. In John Knowles novel A Separate Peace, the theme of loss of innocence is skillfully developed by means of setting, character, and symbols. This story simply details a young mans entering the adult world as all children do. Everyone suffers loss of innocence.