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Seat 2 Block 1
September 28 , 2017
Chapter 1 of A Separate Peace
By: John Knowles

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Gene Forester: Gene is the main character and narrator of the novel. Gene is telling this story in the form of a flashback. Growing up, he was a smart and competitive kid. He went to a school called the Devon school.

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Phineas:  Phineas, commonly called Finny, is Gene's best friend. Finny is very athletic and an attractive kid. He got himself into trouble very often, but always figured out a way to get out of it.

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Elwin "Leper" Lepellier: Elwin "Leper" Lepellier is a friend and classmate of Gene. He is very quiet and loves to be outside. His favorite activity is cross country skiing.

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Gene seems guilty for hurting Finny, because he makes very dark comments throughout the beginning of the chapter. The references foreshadow the tragic event which will happen later in the story.

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On their way back to the school, Gene and Finny would push and punch each other while running through the playing fields. Finny would be on top of Gene punching him, and then Gene would instantly be up kicking Finny. They realized they were late for supper, so they quickly ran past the dining hall to the dormitories. They each undressed, and Gene was the only one who put on a set of pajamas. Both of them sat in silence as they said their prayers, and then went to bed after a long day.

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The middle of the chapter is where the flashback begins. Gene and Finny are looking up at a big tree. Both boys sat there for a little while, talking about it. They each took turns climbing and jumping out of this tree. There were three others with them, Elwin "Leper" Lepellier, Chet Douglass, and Bobby Zane. The boys stood there and watched Gene and Finny soar through the air out of the massive tree. Soon enough, the bell rang for them all to go eat dinner.

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The chapter begins with the narrator, Gene Forester, going back and visiting his old school. He went to go see the two places that he feared the most during his time at the school. He first goes to the marble staircase in the First Academy Building. He felt the stairs, that he used to walk up everyday, were abnormally hard. He left the building, and made his way towards the fields. At the fields, he walked in the direction of a river and the few trees near it.  He looked at one specific tree, and the memories came flooding back.

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On page 14, Gene says, " Nothing endures, not a tree, not love, not even a death by violence." This means nothing emotional or physical was able to last at that time.

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On page 18, Gene says, "We were the best of friends at that moment." This shows that Gene is thinking about how close he was to Finny. He was thinking of a good memory he had with him.

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There are a few different locations taken place in this chapter. The main setting would be during 1942 at the Devon school. The other two locations are the dormitories and the big tree.