Ari Benkler- Question #1: Why does John Knowles begin the novel with Gene narrating his return to Devon...

     At the start of A Separate Peace, John Knowles introduces us into the world of Devon which we will occupy throughout the rest of the book through the eyes of an older, more worldly Gene than the one we will come to know in the rest of the story. Knowles does this in order to give us a more rational starting point from which to recognize growth in and around Gene through the parts of the narrative told from the point of the younger Gene. This elder Gene is more insightful, more self-conscious and understanding of himself and how he was while back at school. "Well, I naturally felt older -- I began at that point the emotional examination to note how far my convalescence had gone..." (Knowles, 10). This quote demonstrates Gene's own recognition of his youth and irreverence back then, which allows us to form an opinion of the younger Gene even before we meet him. This opinion, though to some extent negative in that we think of this young Gene as not caring about much of anything, is nonetheless the preconceived notion that John Knowles wants the reader to have before meeting the younger Gene. The reason for this is that if we as readers think of this Gene as a mere immature child, we are more susceptible to acknowledging the need for growth on his part throughout the bulk of the novel, and then seeing that growth take place and recognizing and appreciating it for what it is. During his walk through Devon, the elder Gene demonstrates his worldliness and greater experience with various things he has encountered since he left the school, and his experience colors our thoughts of the school in much the same manor that our thoughts of his younger self are colored by his older thoughts. "...it made the school look like a museum, and that's exactly what it was to me, and what I did not want it to be." (Knowles, 10). The reason Knowles began the book from the eyes of an older, more worldly Gene was to color our preconceived notions of himself and his school so we as readers would better appreciate the growth that will occur throughout the book in Gene and around him.