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A Separate Peace Water Analysis

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Water, although often taken for granted, is the lifeline of Earth. All carbon-based life requires some quantity of water to survive. However, in John Knowles’ A Separate Peace, water signifies much more than survival. The novel opens with Gene Forrester visiting The Devon School, his old boarding school. During the visit, Gene visits a marble staircase, as well as a tree, both of which cause him to recall memories of his old friend, Phineas. Gene tells his Devon memories, water becomes a key symbol in the story. Clean water, dirty water, snow, and bodies of water encapsulate Gene’s childhood recollections. Connections between water and Gene’s childhood began at the start of the novel, developing all the way through it, establishing water as …show more content…

The definition of cleanliness is the state of being morally uncontaminated. This makes clean water a perfect symbol of Gene’s adolescence, a time when his innocence still remained. At the start of the novel, present-day Gene visits Devon. Despite the rain, Gene decides to make his way out to the tree which he, Finny, and many others jumped from years ago. Gene ponders over his childhood at the tree. Gene thinks to himself, “Changed, I headed back through the mud. I was drenched; anybody could see it was time to come in out of the rain” (14). In this scene, the clean water which falls from the sky is used as a symbol of Gene’s innocence. While at the tree, Gene was being “drenched” in both memories and rain. Once Gene collects himself and stops pondering, he states that he needed to come out of the rain. What Gene means is that he must literally come out of the rain, and figuratively leave his …show more content…

Gene moves away from the Devon River, still making his way to the Crew House. He spots the Naguamsett River, a river far dirtier than the Devon River. Gene says, “It [The Naguamsett] was ugly, saline, fringed with marsh, mud, and seaweed… Its movements were governed by unimaginable forces like the Gulf Stream…” (76). The Naguamsett, as Gene describes it, is filthy, impure, and commanded by outside forces. Just as the Naguamsett has been soiled by uncontrollable forces, the fate of Gene’s innocence is determined by the unruly war. This represents a connection between the dirty water of the Naguamsett, and the forces that threaten to strip Gene of his innocence. Later in the story, during the winter session, water is used as a symbol in its frozen state. At the start of the winter session, Gene says, “In the same way the war, beginning almost humorously… commenced its invasion of the school. The early snow was commandeered as its advanced guard” (93). Gene, in his own mind, compares the snow of the depressing winter session with the start of the war. In this situation, the snow acts as a symbol for the war. War will effectively strip Gene of his innocence, just as the winter session will strip him of his summer session freedom. Dirty water and snow symbolize forces which threaten to strip

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