John Knowle’s A Separate Peace is a novel surrounded by symbolism. Two of these symbols are the Devon and the Naguamsett Rivers. These two rivers contrast each other physically and metaphorically. The main protagonist and narrator of Knowle’s novel is Gene. The book takes place mostly at the campus of Devon School in 1942. At one point in the novel, Gene is part of a management crew for the school rowing team. Another member of the team calls Gene a “...maimed son-of-a-bitch...” (Knowles 79), and Gene becomes greatly offended by this after one of his closest friends, Phineas, became maimed in an accident that was Gene’s fault. This led to the Gene hitting the other boy, Quackenbush, in the face. Quackenbush started to grab Gene after he got
