A Separate Peace Dialectical Journal
1. Essential Element | Quote | Sentences | Symbolism | “This was the tree, and it seemed to me standing there to resemble those men, the giants of your childhood, whom you encounter years later and find that they are not merely smaller in relation to your growth, but that they are…shrunken by age.” Ch. 1, Pg. 14 | The tree is symbolized to represent something grown up from. The tree is the past, and it was so much more meaningful before rather than now. The change in importance is due to Gene thinking and reliving it constantly over time. | Symbolism | “Nothing endures, not a tree, not love, not even a death by violence.” Ch. 1, Pg. 14 | You receive so much information and deep emotions from this one quote. The author tells us that this boy has gone through traumatic events which have changed his life. He is hurt by the memory of it and must remember it everyday. | Conflict | “With the sensation that I was throwing my life away, I jumped into space.” Ch. 1, Pg. 15 | This was something Gene had never done. It was a leap of faith with him committing to Finny’s actions. This proves to be a major conflict as Gene would admire to be as good as Finny, but he doesn’t want their friendship to be a competition. |
2. Essential Element | Quote | Sentences | Symbolism | “We were careless and wild, and I suppose we could be thought of as a sign of life the war was being fought to preserve.” Ch. 2, pg. 16 | Since Devon students are merely kids, they cannot even begin to imagine what war truly is, for they are innocent. Children live life carelessly and wildly without fears nor understanding of consequences. Boys of sixteen such as Gene, Brinker, Finny and Leper are full of life and think about the present rather than the future. | Faulty Persuasion | “There was no harm in envying even your best friend a little.” Ch. 2, pg. 18 | Gene is in denial attempting to make himself less guilty. He persuades his own conscious that jealousy towards his best friend is
2. Essential Element | Quote | Sentences | Symbolism | “We were careless and wild, and I suppose we could be thought of as a sign of life the war was being fought to preserve.” Ch. 2, pg. 16 | Since Devon students are merely kids, they cannot even begin to imagine what war truly is, for they are innocent. Children live life carelessly and wildly without fears nor understanding of consequences. Boys of sixteen such as Gene, Brinker, Finny and Leper are full of life and think about the present rather than the future. | Faulty Persuasion | “There was no harm in envying even your best friend a little.” Ch. 2, pg. 18 | Gene is in denial attempting to make himself less guilty. He persuades his own conscious that jealousy towards his best friend is