A Separate Peace by John Knowles A Separate Peace was written by John Knowles in 1959 when he was 33 years old. He served in a New Hampshire elementary school during World War II. Some teenagers at this school are greatly affected by the war. Many adults ask them to join the military. Gene, the main character, trains with his once-athletic friend Finny for the Olympics. Even though against the war many people are calling for him to unite. His other friend, Leper, joins and receives a discharge from Section 8 because he is considered "mentally unstable". Even though they are against the war, many boys join the troops only to avoid being drafted to the front lines. This is also related to how teenagers feel today. America is currently engaged in a war that many people oppose but join the military for money or simply to travel. In times like these it's always nice to reflect on the days of our ancestors and hear what it meant to them. At Devon School the students feel compelled to join forces because all the adults instigating the war constantly tell the kids about the benefits of enrolling, knowing full well that they themselves are in no danger of getting hurt. Many kids give in to the pressure and join, but others don't give up and decide to finish their last year of school. Unlike World War II, teenagers don't feel the constant pressure to resolve a war their parents started. Today's war is so controversial that saying you are against war is not as big of a deal as it was during World War II. In Devon it is very difficult to walk around campus without talking about the war, as it is today, but today it is very different. At school today the children will talk about both sides of the war, good and bad, not just one side, as they did in Devon. Today we are more expressive about war because not everyone agrees on the reason for war. During World War II it was clear why they were at war and most of the nation agreed with it. Today we are a nation divided in two, which is good because it allows people to express their opinion without criticism from the entire nation, but if you spoke badly about the war during World War II, you would probably be considered the most unpatriotic person in America.