In his book A Separate Peace John Knowles communicates what war really is. He
             uses a number of complex characters in a very complicated plot in order to convey the
             harsh, sad, cruel, destructive forces of war. The Characters Gene and Finny are used as
             opposing forces in a struggle between that cold reality of war-that is World War II in this
             story-and a separate peace. A peace away from the real war and all of the terrible things
             that come with it. Through their relationship, that is a struggle on both sides form the
             beginning, Knowles establishes the reality of war in all of its essence.
             Gene Forrester is established as the force of reality which is the war. This idea is
             established clearly in a lengthy speech Gene gives as the narrator of the story in Chapter
             Three: Everyone has a moment in history which belongs particularly to him. It is the
             moment when his emotions achieve their most powerful sway over him, and afterward
             when you say to this person “the world today” or “life” or “reality” he will assume that
             you mean this moment, even if it is fifty years past. The world, through his unleashed
             emotions, imprinted itself upon him, and he carries the stamp of that passing moment
             This statement explains that Gene must have something that is his “stamp.” This
             stamp appears to define an individual-exemplifying what he stands for. It is found that this
             is true in the next paragraph where Gene continues, “For me, this moment-four years is a
             moment in history-war the war. The war was and is reality for me. I still live and think in
             its atmosphere” (32). Later in the same paragraph he goes on to say:
             America is not, never has been, and never will be what the songs and poems call it,
             a land of plenty. Nylon, meat, gasoline, and steel are rare. There are too many jobs and not
             enough workers. Money is very easy to earn but rather hard ...