“A Separate Peace” begins with the main character, Gene Forrester, returning to the Devon School for boys in search of two places from his youth to which he has an emotional connection. The first place is the marble steps of the First Academy Building, and the second is the tree by the river which he finds "smaller, shrunken with age" (Knowles, 14). He comes here so he can resolve what happened there seventeen years ago and move on with his life; to find peace within yourself. Once Gene visits the tree, we find him standing in front of the tree again, but now in his youth. Gene is described as a private person, a good student and a good athlete. We also meet his friend Phineas (also known as Finny), an amazing athlete, not that good of a student, and an outgoing, positive and sociable person. The two find themselves in front of this enormous tree which for someone like Phineas is an adventure, and for the other boys present it is an omen, just like the future that awaits them. “The tree was tremendous, an angry, dark black steeple beside the river. I'd be damned if I climbed it. Damn it. No one but Phineas could think of such a crazy idea. Of course, he didn't see anything remotely intimidating about it. (Knowles, 14) The older boys, seventeen, jump from this tree to train for the Second World War that looms over the characters in this story. The desire to jump down from the tree shows the enthusiasm of the younger boys who want to do their part in the war, as a challenge to prove their manhood. Phineas jumps down from the tree and encourages Gene to do so too; they are the only ones who jump down from the tree that day and this creates a bond between them. World War II is an important part of this story because it forces Gene to... middle of paper... .ree. Many things have changed since his childhood, but only now does he have the strength to face what happened. Maybe the tree wasn't so massive and threatening anymore because, like all the obstacles we face in youth, when we return to it, it always seems a little silly to have been so competitive, or to have made such a big deal, or to have become so emotional over something so small and insignificant in the scheme of things. The tree itself was not what was truly vital; it was what it symbolized. It was the fight between Phineas and Gene, the heat of war, and all the trials of adolescence wrapped up in one moment in his story that caught the adult Gene's attention. The return to this place and the marble steps, like the tombstone of a tomb (it could look like the tombstone of Gene and Phineas), have finally allowed Gene to let go and finally create peace for himself..