"Beautifully written," "A masterpiece," "Artistry of high order." All these staements and more have been used to describe John Knowles' novel A Separate Peace. John Knowles comes from a background that allows for the better description of the horror of war, and the effects that it has on even a sheltered school like Devon, "Where boys become men." In order for a story to exist there must be characters, and in order for a character to become real they must have a name. A simple name can be the very description of some ones personality, their very essence. Is it not true that we often see the name before the person. One of the main characters, "was a handsome, taunting, daredevil athlete," and is the only character that is called by two different names. All the other characters each have a single name that sets them apart as individuals, each with a different role. The author would not use different names for a single character, if they were not vital to the character's personality.
             Our character, who is mentioned throughout the book, is often called by one of two names, either Phineas or Finny. What he was called depended a lot on who it was that was referring to him. His best friend Gene, "a lonely, introverted intellectual" and narrator of this book, returned to Devon as an adult. He had matured through the many experiences which had befallen him there, and when speaking of our character from such a perspective, he used the name Phineas. He did, as many of their teachers from their younger days at Devon did, and used our character's more proper name. "Only Phineas never was afraid, only Phineas never hated anyone." (P. 196) However, when he enters the world of his memories, the events that transpired at Devon so many years ago, he refers to his friend as Finny. "Naturally Finny was going to be the first to try, and just as naturally...