1. Why the title? Why is the author looking for peace? Why must it be a separate peace?
2. p. 831, c1, p4: From whose point of view is this story being told? How old is the narrator? What is his name?
3. same passage: what was he afraid of? What are most teenagers in an all-male high school afraid of?
4. p.832, c1, p4: What is the key word here that tells you the narrator has been sick? What made him sick? What made him well?
5. p.832, c2, p2: What are the key words here that tell you the same thing -- that the narrator was not well and may now be better. Why must the author return to the school to recognize or gain his health? (Think of Holden going to the Museum)
6. p.833, c1, p1: How does the setting create a mood and reflect the author's attitude?
7. p.833, c1, p4: What is he looking for? Why? Why is it important to see it face to face?
8. p.833, c2, p2: How is this paragraph symbolic?
9. p.833, c2, p3: If the above paragraph is so symbolic, if it symbolizes a kind of freedom, a letting go, then WHY in the next paragraph does the author return to the scene of the crime in his memory? Why does one lead to the other?
10. p. 834, c1, p1: Look at the last sentence here: What can you infer about Finny?
11. p. 834, c2, p3: Why does Gene decide to climb the tree even though he's afraid?
12. p. 835, c2, p1: What does this tell us about Gene?
13. p. 836, c1, p7: What is interesting about this declaration of friendship? What qualifies (limits) it?
14. p. 836, c1, p8, 9, 10: Is shaming someone into doing something good? Why does Finny say it is? Is he right?15. p836, c2, p4: Why does Finny attack Gene's military stride?
16. p840, c2, p5: Why is Gene excited about Finny getting caught?
17. p842, c1, p2: Is Gene honest with himself when he says he was disappointed because "I just wanted to see more excitement?"
18. p843, c2, p3&4: Why is there a turnaround between these two paragraphs?
19. p846, c2, p3: How is blitzball symbolic of the adolescent experience?
20. p850, c1, p3: What is Finny becoming here for Gene? Why?
21. p852, c1, p1: Why doesn't Gene tell Finny that Finny is his best pal?
22. p854, c1&2: What makes Gene turn against Finny?
23. p857, c2, p10: What does Gene realize about himself here? What does he do with this bitter self-knowledge?
25. p858, c2, p1: When Gene jounces the limb, does he do it puposefully? What is Knowles doing when he says Finny looked "with extreme interest" at Gene? Why does Gene make his friend fall?
26. p861, c1, p4: Why does Gene put on Finny's clothes?
27. p861, c1, p1: Why does Gene feel relief when he thinks he is Phineas?
28. p862, c1, p9: Why is Gene surprised when he cries?
29. p863, c2, p1: Why does Finny stress the word "personally"?
30. p864, c1, p1-4: Why doesn't Finny accuse Gene? Based on this, what does Gene decide to do?
31. p866, c1, p5: Why does Gene finally confess?
32. p866, c1, p15: What does Gene mean when he says "I was injuring him again"?
33. p868, c1, p1: What has happened to Gene that keeps him from wanting to see Brinker?
34. p869, c1, p7: Why does Gene not go out for sports but want to manage the crew team?
35. p869, c2, p4: What is Gene's "disability"?
36. p870, c1, p3: Why does Gene hit Quackenbush when he calls Gene "maimed"? (see c2, p3)
37. p873, c1, p15: Why does Gene decide to quit sports?
38. p873, c2, p1: Why does Mr. Totah think that this paragraph is one of the key ones in this book?
39. p874-875: Why does Brinker keep pushing Gene regarding the accident? What does Brinker fear? What is his secret motive?
40. p876, c2, p3: This paragraph serves as a transition: from what to what? What are the key words that provide the transition?
41. p879, c1, p4: Discuss Leper. What does his name cast him as? What helps Gene befriend him? Beware, Leper will turn on Gene. Look for clues as to why Leper turns on one of his only friends.
42. p881, c1, p6&7: Why does Gene want to enlist?
43. p881, c2, p1: What does Gene mean here? Does he know himself well?
44. p882-883: Why does Gene decide not to enlist? p883, c1, p2: Why does he decide to start praying again?
45. p884: c2, p8: Why does Gene think Finny needs him? Is Gene right?
46. p886: c1, p1: How is Finny's comment about winter symbolic of his love toward Gene?
47. p888: Why does Finny deny the war so vehemently? see c2, p6 for one of the many reasons.
48. p889, c1, p1: Why is Finny bitter? At what is this bitterness directed? / p8: Why does Gene go along with Finny's denial of war?
49. p890, c2, p10: What does Finny mean by this? Why is he right? Why is this ironic?
50. p891, c1, p2: What happens here between Gene and Finny? How does their relationship change?
51. p894, c2, p1: Why is Phineas the only boy unwilling to become involved in glorifying the war through Leper?
52. p895, c1, p1: Why does Phineas block out everything unpleasant, from the weather to the war?
53. p898, c2, p4: At the end of this paragraph, what is meant by "choreography of peace"? Has Finny achieved a kind of separate peace? Has Gene?
54. p900, c1, p1: For the first time the title of the book is used. What does it mean in this context? Skip to p.3: What violates this peace?
55. p902, c1, p4: What is normal during wartime? Does Gene think Leper is psycho?
56. p903, c2, p7: Is Leper right when he calls Gene a "savage underneath"? If you agree with Leper, give three or four examples to prove your point. See this same paragraph on page904
57. p903, c1, p9: What facts does Gene need to know?
58. p906: Why does Gene react so wildly to Leper's story?