I. Authorial Background At the age of fifteen John Knowles started attending school at Phillips Exeter Academy. This was a well-known boarding school in New Hampshire. Exeter was very similar to Devon, the fictional school he describes in his novel "A Seperate Peace". Knowles graduated in 1945; however, he did not attend college immediately afterwards. He joined the war effort instead as a part of the U.S. Army Air Force's Aviation Cadet Program. Afterwards he …showed first 75 words of 1185 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1185 total…I was ready for the war, now that I now longer had any hatred to contribute to it." "I never developed an intense level of hatred for the enemy. Because my war ended before I ever put on a uniform; I was on active duty all my time at school; I killed my enemy there." Finny was saying this. He was talking about the hate and ignorance inside himself, being the enemy that he killed.