An analysis of John Knowles A Separate Peace brings up the theme of man"s inhumanity to his fellow man. What makes this novel unique is that in protesting war, Knowles never overtly referred to the blood and gore of war; he showed the consequences of war, some paralleling the nature of war and some simply laying out how World War II affected noncombatants thousand miles away. There have been many books written about war, what happens, why it happens, and why wars should stop. Knowles explains through the life of Finny why war never will cease, with only one death...
Gene. All this playacting ultimately accomplished was one thing: Finny"s death. The marrow of Finny"s bones killed him, thus, it seems the symbolism is man"s inner core will defeat him. Because we are human, we are imperfect, and the perfect among us symbolized by Finny cannot exist, so that ideal society will never become a reality.

This novel illustrates man can be cruel to his fellow man. John Knowles" A Separate Peace demonstrates why men go to war, and why they cannot stop. This remarkable feat is accomplished with the telling of a single unique individual and his death.