John Knowles, much like his narrator Gene Forrester, hailed from the South (specifically, West Virginia) and was sent to an elite New England boarding school to refine his character before attending university. However, unlike Gene, Knowles wasn’t an academic star; he nearly failed out and wasn’t the brilliant student Gene is portrayed as.
The novel A Separate Peace is largely autobiographical, drawing on Knowles’ experiences at Exeter Academy to create the Devon School setting. Like Gene, Knowles attended a summer session to catch up on classes; however, it was in 1943, not 1942 as depicted in the book. Otherwise, the summer session in the novel closely mirrors the one he attended at Exeter. “We really did have a club whose members jumped from the branch of a very high tree into the river as initiation,” Knowles stated, “the only elements in A Separate Peace which were not in that summer were anger, envy, violence, and hatred.” Knowles recalled a summer filled with “friendship, athleticism, and loyalty.” The atmosphere at Exeter resembled Devon; both shared an old, ivy-covered campus with beautiful trees and similar New England weather. Summers at Exeter and the fictional Devon shared a carefree atmosphere, warm beauty, and enjoyment among the students.
Phineas, like Gene, had a real-life counterpart: David Hackett, a student at Milton Academy. David attended the summer session at Exeter that inspired the novel and was a founding member of the Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session, a real club much like the one in the book. David and Knowles were not roommates but lived across the hall and became close friends. David was a close friend of Bobby Kennedy and later worked with him in the Justice Department. Whether Gene’s jealousy and competitiveness with Finny were based on Knowles’ relationship with David Hackett remains unknown, though Knowles’ own description of the summer session suggests otherwise.
Knowles admitted, “it is true that I put part of myself into all four main characters in A Separate Peace: Phineas, Gene, Leper, and Brinker.” Brinker, like Phineas and Gene, had a real-life source in Gore Vidal, a top student at Exeter during Knowles’ time. While they weren’t close, Knowles believed he captured the essence of who he believed Gore Vidal to be in the character of Brinker. According to Knowles, Leper has no specific model but is an amalgamation of a certain type of person he encountered frequently.
The tragedy of Finny’s death was modeled on the death of Bob Tait, an Exeter student who died on the operating table due to bone marrow escaping into the bloodstream. Knowles, a senior at the time, was saddened by these events, knowing Tait as a kind and gentle person, much like Finny.
The war had a significant impact on Exeter life, mirroring its impact on Devon. Knowles discussed how teachers were drawn away by the war effort, and students began doing many things “for the war.” Knowles, like Gene, endured crowded, late trains back to school. Unlike Gene, however, Knowles was a decent athlete, mainly swimming. He never achieved Finny’s superhuman feats but was still athletic.
While A Separate Peace is largely based on real events from Knowles’ life, it’s important to remember that it is not non-fiction. Knowles stated that the characters, even those based on real people, are a blend of traits and qualities, and many of the dramatic conflicts were invented for the sake of the story. Knowles’ life experiences served as the inspiration and fuel for the book, but the events are not solely based on his experiences. The novel blends fact and fiction, creating a compelling coming-of-age narrative set against the backdrop of World War II.
