"Separate Peace " by John Knowles

Levels of Peace
John Knowles' novel A Separate Peace is a coming-of-age story set in a private New England boys' school during World War II. The novel traces Gene Forrester's search for identity as he shares adolescent experiences with his closest friend, Phineas. The novel's title is tied closely to the theme of the novel and finds meaning on a number of different levels of the story.
The Devon School is removed from the events of the outside world. It is calm and undisturbed. Boys can have normal worries such as school work and sports instead of battle. …