The setting of A Separate Peace is portrayed as a boarding school known as Devon full of students training for war in New England during the early years of World War 2. The time of this particular setting is crucial to the development of the story’s plot due to its contribution to critical events such as Finny not being able to enlist in the army due to his broken leg, the illegal desertion committed by Elwin Leper Lepellier, and the confliction of Gene enlisting and abandoning Finny.
The setting of A Separate Peace contributes to critical events in the story’s plot such as when Finny is not able to serve in the army due to his broken leg: “‘I’ve been writing to the Army and the Navy and the Marines and the Canadians and everybody else all …show more content…
“‘I escaped!’ the words surging out in a voice and intensity that was not Leper’s.”(Page 143, Knowles) This important event aids in the development of the story’s plot because Leper’s decision reveals that even though all of Devon has been training for the war throughout their high school years, the war is still a mystery to all the students and the readers are able to foreshadow the dark future the protagonist is heading to by just seeing what war had done to this once peaceful, nature loving boy. Leper had decided to desert the army once he found out that the army was giving him a Section eight discharge. “A section Eight discharge is for the nuts in the service, the psychos, the Funny Farm candidates. Now do you know what I am talking about? They give you a Section 8 discharge, like a dishonorable discharge only worse. You can’t get a job after that.”(Page 144, Knowles) Leper was given a Section 8 discharge because the army had turned him into a lunatic, fast. “‘One day I couldn’t make out what was happening to the corporal’s face. It kept changing into faces I knew from somewhere else, and then I began to think he looked like me, and then he…’ Leper’s voice had thickened unrecognizably, ‘he changed into a woman.’”(Page 150, Orwell) All of Leper’s hallucinations involved some sort of transformation, thus …show more content…
“‘He wants to know if I’ll sign up with him,’ I said, ‘to enlist.’” It was the ultimate question for all seventeen year-olds that year, and it drover Brinker’s insinuations from every mind but mine. ‘Yeah,’ said Brinker. ‘Enlist!’ cried Finny at the same time. His large and clear eyes turned with an odd expression on me. I had never seen such a look in them before.”?(Page107, Knowles) “Phineas was shocked at the idea of my leaving. In some way he needed m. He needed me. I was the least trustworthy person he ever met. I knew that; he knew or should know that too. I had even told him. I had told him. But there was no mistaking the shield of remoteness in his face and voice. He wanted me around. The war then passed away from me, and dreams of enlistment and escape and a clean start lost their meaning to me.”(Page 108, Knowles) This event is considered as a crucial one in the story’s plot because it shows how much Finny needs Gene and how much their friendship means to him. By the story stating that Finny did not want Gene to enlist and abandon him shows to the readers and the protagonist how much he adores Gene. It also shows to the readers and protagonist how the incident at the tree has actually brought the two friends closer together because