Chapters 1-2
A S EPARATE P EACE
Erin Thibodeaux BHS
http://classroom.brenhamisd.net/webs/ethibodeaux/
Chapter 1
Gene Forrester is returning to Devon 15 years
after being a student there. He is the
narrator of the story. He notices that the
campus looks the same as it did when he was
a student. He remembers how fearful he
was during his old school days because WWII
was raging through Europe. He decides to
visit two places on campus that reminded
him of the fear that he once experienced.
The first place he visited was the marble
staircase in one of the academic buildings.
The second place that he visited was a
specific tree by the river. He has a hard
time trying to identify the tree, but finally
does because of the branch that spreads over
the water. He feels that the tree somehow
seems smaller than it did during his youth.
At this point the narrator flashes back to
1942, when Gene is 16 and standing at the
foot of the tree. He is there with Finny,
Leper, Chet, and Bobby Zane. Finny is trying
to persuade them to jump off the branch
into the water. The jump has been done by
older boys as a part of their physical training
prior to graduation and departure for the
war. Finny jumps and shows the boys how
fun it is and he sends Gene up the tree to
jump. Gene is scared to be up there, but he
jumps because Finny told him to do it, and
he doesn’t want to let Finny down. The
other three boys don’t jump. While walking
back across campus, Finny tells Gene that he
performed admirably once he had been
“shamed” into jumping. Outwardly Gene
denies this, but he knows the claim is true.
Gene and Finny start wrestling and realize
that they are now late for dinner. They
5
decide to skip the meal and go do their
homework.
Chapter 2
The substitute teacher for the summer
session comes to Finny and Gene’s room
to discipline them for skipping dinner the
night before. He leaves without assigning
punishment because he is won over by
Finny’s charm. Finny decides to wear a
pink shirt as an emblem of celebration of
the first Allied bombing of Central
Europe. Gene envies Finny for being able
to get away with wearing this color. Finny
seems capable of getting away with
anything. At a tea, Finny wears tie school
tie as a belt. Finny seems to be the
conversationalist. While Gene waits for
Finny to get into trouble for disrespecting
the school tie, Finny is able to make the
headmaster laugh. This keeps him from
getting into trouble again. Finny’s escape
from trouble disappoints Gene, but he
gets over it and the two boys leave the
party laughing. Finny declares that he
refuses to believe that the Allies really
bombed Central Europe, and Finny
agrees. The boys form the Super Suicide
Society of the Summer Session. They
decide to jump from the branch at the
same time and Gene loses his balance.
Finny catches him and they both jump. It
occurs to Gene that Finny may have saved
his life.